It was another restless night, however for far different reasons this time. Part of me was very excited about the rescue mission that was headed my way. However there was another part of me that was scared shitless about the Guardia finding me before they got to me. The paranoia was working overtime thinking about what kind of James Bond ways they might try to find me. The reality was that I was probably not even on their radar and they were not looking for me at all, but that didn’t stop my mind from racing around with all the possibilities. Finally I fell asleep and woke up about 10 in the morning with an indescribable feeling of joy, I was ready for the next step in my crazy journey. As I exited the office area where I slept and stepped into the big, but empty showroom, I froze dead in my tracks when I gaze out the window to see a Guardia Civil truck parked right outside with an officer standing next to it. My joy instantly turned to panic as I slowly crept back into the office. What was this? Had they really found me? I peeked out from the office to see if he had seen me and to my relief it appeared that he hadn’t. I spent the next 2 hours with my heart in my throat waiting to see what was going to happen. Then out of the blue, he gets into the truck and drives away. I was unsure what to think and stayed in the office for another hour just to make sure it was not a trap. After an hour with no further sign of him, I cautiously took a walk out into the showroom and to the doors beyond. Nothing but tourists around and I came to the conclusion that it was all just a cruel coincidence and that he was not there for me. With that I put on my swimming gear and headed down to the beach for my last day in the Spanish sun.
At around 8, Stu came over to see if I needed any help with packing up and was surprised to find that my friends were still not there. I assured him that they were on their way, but even I was starting to get a bit nervous. I had not heard from them at all, only Etienne telling me that they were coming. All kinds of thoughts were running through my mind, did they even leave at all? Were they in an accident? Stu could see that I was a bit anxious about it and reminded me that if they did not come then I would have to find something else by morning. Well at least he gave me another night, but that was little consolation as they were my last hope. I had kept my phone off all day because of my fear of the cops, but now I felt I had no choice and turned it back on. My worries evaporated an hour later when it rings and it is Willy telling me that they were about 2 hours out and needed to know which exit to get off on. I told him how happy I was to hear his voice and directed him to my exit. About 3 hours later I get another call with them saying they are at the gas station at the top of my exit. I felt a rush of excitement as I told him that I would be right there. It was only about a 5 minute walk from where I was but I was there in less than 2. When I saw Willy and Martijn standing outside the car waiting, I ran up and gave them the biggest hugs I could muster. I truly was in awe at the sacrifice these two had made to save my ass, something that I will never forget. We drove down to the shop and I introduced the boys to Stu and then we set to packing my gear into Martijn’s car. He had a BMW station wagon that was fairly roomy. I got most of my gear in, but had to leave my bike and the cat box behind due to Willy needing a bed to lie down in on the way back. I totally understood as they had just been on the road for over 24 hours, but I worried about how the cat would get along on the ride with no box. Hopefully when we stopped she would go outside, my fingers were crossed. Once we got all that we could pack in, I gave Gez a final call to see if I could stop by to pick up my pool cue. I had left a few things at his house when I went to the camp; things I would not need there. The only one I really cared about was the pool cue and he had not been answering his phone for the past few days. I had sympathy for him as he was dealing with the passing of his mother, but all I wanted now was to stop by and pick up my cue. He once again did not answer his phone, I had Stu call his neighbor Brian to see if he had seen him. I felt shock and anger when I find out that Brian is with Gez and they are on their way to a concert. So much for mourning for mom, he was not answering for another reason that to this day I still do not understand, I thought we were friends. After that I asked Stu if he would get it for me and send it to me and in return he could have all my grow equipment that was there as well. It was worth about 1000 euros and well worth the cost of sending a pool cue. knowing this and wanting to seem like a good friend, Stu said no problem and assured me that he would have it in the mail within a week.
As we finished arranging my gear to make it the most comfortable for all, Willy got a call from his lady Madalaine back in Amsterdam. She was calling with news that she was pregnant and that Willy was going to be a father. He was over the moon happy, he said we had to go and have a drink to celebrate and Stu said he knew just the place. When we got there Willy bought shots for all and we toasted to his good news. He then bought another round but Martijn refused because he had to drive, but Stu and I were happy to join him in a few more drinks. We decided to get a bite to eat as well because we didn’t know when we would find good food on the road. When we finished eating, Stu said his goodbyes and headed home to his family saying that we would meet up at the cannabis cup in November. I thanked him for all he had done and wished him well until we met again. As we were about to get into the car to leave, Willy and Martijn said that they had decided on the way down that they wanted to swim in the Med while they were there. I told them that was a good idea and the beach was only 5 minutes away. It was after 1 in the morning so they only did a quick dip and then called it a success. After that we were in the car and on our way back to the paradise city. About ten minutes down the road, Willy says that he has to stop and pee. We see that the next turn off has a gas station and proceed off the highway. Once we try to get back onto the highway we see that the on ramp is blocked for construction and there is a detour into the nearby town. As we follow the detour with Martijn driving, me in the passenger seat, and Willy laying down in the makeshift bed that we made, Martijn and I see what looks like and accident site up in the distance. When we get closer, we both notice that it is not an accident but several police cars along the side of the road with their lights on. As we approach on of the cops comes out into the middle of the road and waves us over to the side. I feel numb, as I think that this might be it all because of turning off the highway. When the cop comes to Martijn’s window, he says nothing and shoves a breathalyzer through the window. Martijn blows until the thing beeps and then the cop looks at the reading and walks off without a word spoken. We sit there for a moment not knowing what to think, then Martijn looks out the window to see the cop flagging over the next car. He pulls his head back in with a smile and says ‘I think we can go’. Good thing he only had the one shot, and with that we were off again on the journey back to the Dam.
A Continuing Story About Life On The Run