99.1 Under the Rain and Laughter.
Viru Viru smelled of damp earth and hot cuñapé.
Outside, the rain slid down the large windows.
Ryu rested his elbows on his knees, watching the rain on the glass.
His fingers interlaced as he tried to gather his thoughts.
It wasn't cold, but the air remained sticky after the storm.
"So, no more fire?"
He asked, looking out at the runway.
"No."
Zayra shrugged.
"They say it rained for three days straight. As if God said, 'that's enough.'"
Ryu observed the gray sky behind the tarmac.
"This country always seems to react in ways I don't quite understand."
"And why just now?"
He asked her.
"Who knows? Maybe you brought the rain."
She said with a smile, resting her head on his shoulder.
Ryu went still.
In his country, that gesture would be something intimate; here, nobody even noticed.
***
Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed through the hall.
"Zayra, Ryu! Your luxury chauffeur is here!"
"Antonio!"
Zayra stood up, laughing.
Antonio appeared with his cap on crooked and an energy that filled the room.
Ryu looked at him out of the corner of his eye.
He didn't find him as clashing as the first time… but he was still too much Antonio.
"You guys have no idea what it's been like."
Antonio adjusted his glasses dramatically, as if narrating the most important story in the world.
"It rained so much that a neighbor took his canoe out on the First Ring. A canoe, man! We Cambas are locangos (crazy)!"
He said, flashing a very amused grin while looking toward the road.
Zayra burst out laughing, and Ryu smiled, no longer surprised.
"And how is everything over there?"
She asked.
"It's calm now, but there's work: reports, reforestation… and a secret mission from your dad."
Antonio said, pulling some keys from his pocket.
"Taking you to your apartment."
"Apartment?"
Ryu raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah. Didn't you know?"
Antonio winked at him.
"Ryu, you've already crossed the Piraí; you have a home in Santa Cruz now."
Ryu remained silent, reflecting on what Antonio had said.
"Crossing the Piraí? Does he mean the river?"
He blinked slowly, processing the phrase. In his world, belonging to a place took years.
Zayra noticed that Ryu didn't understand what Antonio meant, so she leaned in and whispered in his ear.
"Amorcingui, that means you're a Camba now."
He looked at her in surprise,
unable to comprehend how the simple act of crossing a river meant Santa Cruz had already adopted him.
Zayra couldn't help but laugh at his reaction.
"I'll explain it to you later."
He sighed and took her hand.
As they left the airport, the rain had already stopped.
The cloudy sky let through timid rays of sunlight.
Zayra simply looked out the window; being back home made her feel more at peace.
They crossed the city, still wet from the rain, while the palm trees shook in the wind.
"So we already have a home here… When did I become part of this land?"
Ryu was still taking it all in.
She squeezed his hand, and for the first time in a long while, he didn't think about his own country.
He thought about Santa Cruz and everything that still awaited them.
99.2 Taxi, Rage, and Fried Chicken.
Night fell over Santa Cruz, and the orange sky faded into the humidity of the East as the city lights began to flicker on.
Ryu was in the kitchen, pouring a glass of cold water, when he heard the sound of the door swinging open.
"You have no idea what today was like!"
Zayra exclaimed, dropping her purse.
"I'm exhausted."
"Can I get you something?"
He asked, turning calmly.
"Water with ice… and something for the rage, please."
Ryu smiled silently, passed her the glass, and sat beside her while she let her hair down, spent.
"What happened?"
He finally asked.
"The usual, but worse."
She blurted out, starting to vent without stopping.
"I got to the justice center early, but the witnesses weren't there.
I had to go look for them, pay for taxis, food… and when we finally arrived, the police didn't want to take the statement."
"Why?"
He questioned.
"Because there was no paper! And when it finally arrived, they wanted 'lunch' to work faster.
I bought them chicken and soda… imagine! Doing acrobatics for something that should have been simple."
Ryu listened to her in silence, his head slightly tilted and his hands still on the table.
Her expression shifted between anger, sarcasm, and pure exhaustion.
Suddenly, in a frustrated tone, she added:
"And the taxis… they charge whatever they want; one dropped me off halfway.
I ran all day between paperwork, calls, and witnesses. I'm wiped out, Ryu!"
He simply nodded and waited for her to calm down.
"If she keeps this up, her own body is going to stop her."
He thought.
He looked at her again: contained rage and that fire of hers that never let her give up.
"Rest. Tomorrow is another day."
He said at last, not breaking eye contact.
He slid the glass of water a bit closer to her.
She nodded, took a deep breath, and leaned back on the couch.
Ryu reflected.
"She's fighting too many battles at once."
But that night, while she slept, his mind was already working in silence.
Ryu leaned his back against the chair, staring at the ceiling for a few seconds.
Because if she wouldn't ask for help, he would give it anyway but in his own way.
99.3 Engines, Surprises, and Sibling Things.
The Santa Cruz sun was beginning to heat up intensely, filtering through the apartment curtains.
Ryu was checking some notes on his tablet when, without a second thought, he took out his phone and looked up Mariano's contact.
"Hello?"
Answered the voice on the other end, relaxed, with that Camba accent that was starting to feel familiar.
"Are you busy right now?"
Ryu asked directly.
"Me? Nah. Day off today. What's up, pariente (relative)? Everything good?"
His brother-in-law asked curiously.
"Everything is fine… but I need a favor. Can you come with me to look at some vehicles? I want to buy two."
There was a pause.
Then, Mariano let out a loud laugh.
"¡Elay! Two? Are you going to be an Uber driver or what?"
Ryu barely smiled. In his country, conversations between brothers-in-law rarely started with such direct jokes.
He inhaled and replied in a calm tone.
"One for Zayra. The other for me. But I don't know much about the market here and I thought you…"
"Say no more! Give me fifteen minutes and I'll swing by for you."
***
Half an hour later, Mariano appeared in a pickup truck with local music playing softly and sunglasses on like any proud Camba.
"Hop in, pariente! Today we're going shopping, but the Camba version."
He winked.
During the drive, Mariano didn't stop telling anecdotes about his flights, the runway accidents he had helped avoid, and takeoffs in the middle of storms.
Ryu listened intently, surprised by the number of stories his brother-in-law had accumulated at just 22 years old.
They arrived at a large, modern dealership, with models shining under the sun.
"There's good stuff here."
Mariano said, getting out first.
"I have a friend who's going to help us."
Ryu nodded and both entered the store.
As they walked among the models, Ryu stopped in front of a white SUV elegant lines, yet robust.
He circled the vehicle slowly, evaluating it with the eyes of someone used to making important decisions.
He reflected for a few seconds.
"Safety first."
"This one."
He said with conviction.
"Good choice. RAV4, right? Steady, safe, elegant. Just like your woman."
Mariano gave him a friendly elbow nudge, laughing.
Ryu didn't respond immediately.
He just looked at the vehicle again, thoughtful.
He imagined Zayra driving it with her natural firmness,
her hair loose and flowing in the Santa Cruz wind.
"And for you?"
Mariano asked.
"Something lower, compact, but comfortable. I don't need anything that big."
"I have the perfect model."
The salesman said with an expert smile.
They spent the morning testing vehicles, negotiating, and signing papers.
Ryu felt lighter, as if this step connected him even more to his new life.
"This is family."
He thought as he watched Mariano talk about the vehicle documents with the salesman.
It was a different culture.
A different heat and style.
But it was also home.
99.4 The Gift That Spoke in Silence.
The Santa Cruz sky turned orange as evening fell.
The humid heat gradually gave way, while the wind brought a faint scent of wet earth.
Ryu looked out the window as the clock struck seven-fifteen.
His fingers tapped the frame with an impatience he rarely allowed himself.
"I wonder if she had another heavy day."
He asked himself.
The apartment door creaked open.
Zayra walked in slowly, tired, carrying a briefcase of legal files that seemed to weigh twice as much.
"How did it go today?"
Ryu asked, approaching immediately with a glass of cold water in his hands.
Zayra accepted it and drank with a deep sigh before collapsing onto the couch.
"Tiring… I've been running since eight… with people swearing their land is more than what belongs to them."
She massaged her neck, exhausted.
"You have no idea how draining it is to mediate between farmers and authorities when everyone is tense…"
Ryu observed her in silence.
He had learned to read her without the need for words.
He knew she didn't complain for the sake of it; if she said it, it was because the day had been truly heavy.
He sat beside her and stroked her hand.
"Come. I want to show you something."
"What did you do?"
She asked, barely having any strength left, but curious.
"Just come."
He led her outside.
Under the burning sunset sky, a brand new, gleaming white RAV4 waited for them by the curb.
She froze.
"It can't be…"
Ryu smiled.
"It's yours."
She took a few steps, touched the side mirror, and examined the car.
Then she looked at Ryu, her eyes shining.
"This model… I always dreamed of it. How did you know?"
Ryu crossed his arms and watched her in silence.
"I didn't know."
He spoke.
"I suppose your silence said it louder than any word."
She hugged him a long, heartfelt gesture.
He rested his chin on top of her head.
Like a teenager with her first car, she sat inside, turned on the music, and laughed.
"I can't believe it! It's the one I wanted! I'd even dance a caporal on top of this car!"
Ryu smiled and thought.
"Then it was worth it."
"Please, let's not have the dance during rush hour."
Ryu joked, leaning toward the window.
She leaned out, kissed him tenderly, and remarked.
"Thanks for taking care of me… even when I don't ask you to."
Ryu didn't respond. But he thought something he rarely admitted out loud:
"That's what I always do."
And there, under the Santa Cruz sky, amidst laughter, love,
and the sound of a stereo turned on, the city felt, once again, like home.
But while they laughed in Eastern Bolivia, on the other side of the country,
in the highlands, certain truths were beginning to come to light.