AN UNPREDICTABLE LIFE

     Felix Gonzales was a minor official for the Superindependencia de Administraciones Tribunal, commonly know as S A. T. In other words, he was the tax man.

     He had held the position for twenty years andwas about to retire in December. It was already October, He was of average height, color and mentality, with a degree in accounting from the National University, where he graduated in the middle of the class. As such, he was perfect for his position. He performed his duties according to the dictates of his superiors, whether that be transparent operations or cohort swindle. Such was life, Felix reasoned, it was all quite predictable.

     In December Felix was going to get married, following a ten year engagement. He was going to be fifty in December and she was already forty. They had been together for twenty years and Felix calculated it was now time to start a family. He had purchased a piece of land, in order to build a house for the future clan and the last payment was due in December. He had paid cash, with a loan from a rural cooperative, thus cutting the interest in half, if he would have made a mortgage. The construction would begin in December, when he received the ideminization check, for his twenty years of service. In short, everything was falling into place for Felix Gonzales, who was a predictable fellow.

     Since the pandemic, he had limited his services to the public to half the time. This caused delays and serious problems, especially for the poor peasants, who lived far away. His desk was on the third floor and was regularly sanitized by a female employee, who also checked Felix every hour, with a plastic device, to see if was free from infection. Felix wore two protective face masks, covered by a plastic shield. He also wore plastic gloves. It all loaned the image of a furistic being.

     ¨Please cover your nose with your mask and wash your hands with the liquid on the desk. Do not touch the desk top and spray the papers with that other container, before you hand them to me...¨Felix explained to an older peasant, who remained subservient to his wishes. At that point he received a call from Veronica, who was shopping for the coming event, which would be the culmination of her existence.

¨Si, mi amor. What is it that you need? I am a little busy right now...¨Felix asked with a smile, before it changed to a frown, to the Indian across the desk, as he glanced through his tax expedient. He listened to his future wife a little longer and then informed her...¨You can buy all that for half the price at the Chinese Discount Store. It might not be of the best quality, but we have to stay with the budget. I'm sure you understand. A big hug and a kiss, my darling and thanks for calling,¨Felix concluded, disregarding any opposition on the matter. He was right and that was all there was to it.

     After glancing at the native's paperwork again, he shrugged his shoulders and handed him a slip of paper for another appointment, causing the old man to blanch in disappointment. He then dismissed the rest of the people waiting on wooden benches in the hallway and went to lunch.

     Felix always ate in the same place. It was a little, three table restaurant, which was part of the corner store. The food was not the best, but it was within the budget and he felt it was worth it for the soup alone.

     Now he had to lift the plastic shield and lower two face masks, before he could put the spoon in, but it was necessary and Felix was a practical man. As he ate he considered what kind of a family he should have. The average number of children was two and a half, but since he could not pregender a half, he had to settle for two. Veronica could certainly handle that and the nice thing was she could have them all for free. That was because Felix qualified for the national health program. Of course it would have been better to go to a private hospital, but that would take away the money that was destined for the construction of his new home. He was certain Veronica would understand.

     When Felix returned to his office, he felt what he thought was heart-burn and attributed it to the chile he put in his soup. He would have to watch that in the future.

     October gave way to November and the cold weather set in, in the highlands. Felix had always walked the mile to his office, all year round, but this year he felt it was causing him to experience a shortness of breath. Thus, he decided to drive his car. It was an added expense, but he could always steal a few pesos, from an unsuspecting peasant. It was nothing, compared to the amount of graft that went on, in the higher levels.

     Precisely one week, before all his earthly goals were to be met, he was suddenly awoken by a panic, due to a lack of oxygen. He had never felt this way before and in desperation called the emergency number for the bomberos, which was next to his bed. He could have called the emergency number of the private hospital, which was also there, but the firemen didn't charge anything. They took him to the government hospital, where he was immediately put on a ventilator.

     All his defenses declined quickly and within a week, he lapsed into a coma. On the third of December, the day when Felix was to fulfill his desires, he passed away from the Coved-19 virus. He became number three hundred and thirty four for the number of deaths on that day. It was all quite unpredictable.