The Paul & Jenny Stories Pt. 16d: Spanish Honeymoon Part 4
After breakfast of boiled eggs and hard bread with seeds on top we took the keys of the keys to the little van that Carlos used to drive into Malaga for items we couldn't get locally and I drove through the gates and down towards the village.
I stopped outside the cafe when I saw Carmen tending tables and introduced her to Jenny after she had embarrassed me by throwing her arms around me and hugging me. Then she started to cry and her brother came out to find out what was happening. He hugged me as well and shook Jenny's hand. We had to resist their offers of wine and cake and finally, after promising to return soon, were allowed on our way.
"What nice people." Jenny observed as I turned right at the junction with the major road that would eventually take us to Madrid. "They like you a lot."
"They have known me since I was a baby and my family before that."
A car beeped its horn as I forgot for a moment that I was driving on the right instead of the left.
"Don't ask me to drive." Jenny sounded worried that I might.
"You'll have to learn how to drive on the right if we intend coming here a lot in the future."
"Do we intend coming here in the future?" She asked.
"The family do own it."
"It's a wonderful place."
"It was Rodrigo's parents before the Spanish Government gave it to us after the Second World War."
"They must have done something special to deserve that."
"I don't really know." I replied, slowing and turning off the main road and taking what was little more that a dirt track up into the hills.
The road turned to the left and at the head of the valley in front of us stood the ruins of the old convent.
"Is this where the Nuns lived?" Jenny asked as I pulled up by the large wooden gates.
"Not during the actual civil war, I'm told." The small pedestrian access gate set in one of the tall main doors hung on one hinge. The religious buildings were all closed and the Nuns and Priests made to work in the local communities. They local Nuns somehow managed to keep their school going throughout the war until Malaga fell to Franco's forces."
"I always thought of Franco as a good guy."
"I think they were all as good and as bad as each other in those days. It was all a bit of a mess. German saw Britain and France's reluctance to become involved as a sign of weakness and in all probability it helped lead to the Second World War."
"There were gangs of bandits roaming these hills in those days." I continued leading the way towards where the altar would have once stood. The Nuns from here went back into their habits as soon as they could. Probably too soon. The fighting moved back and forth to the west of here."
"So this wasn't caused by the fighting?" Jenny asked looking around her.
"No." I shook my head. "I think that most of this was caused by my father and great uncle Alistair."
"But how?"
"There had been some talks about German troops coming through Spain and attacking Gibraltar. If that had happened and they could have won the war in North Africa then they would have sown up the whole of he Mediterranean."
"The passengers in the plane had a signed agreement for this to happen but the plane was shot down and it crashed here."
I looked up at where the roof had been. I suddenly felt very proud.
"What about the Nuns?" Jenny moved a piece of wood and a mouse scurried across the floor towards the far wall. "What happened to them?"
"There was a fire and most of their living accommodation and the school was destroyed."
"I don't see how they got the Villa for doing that."
"There was more to it, obviously."
I didn't know all the details. I knew there was also something about the Germans wanting to take Rodrigo's father back to South America and reinstalling him as President of his country. I didn't know if this was part of that or something else.
The wall behind the altar had fallen down in one place and I led the way to it. Jenny followed I caught her looking up at the masonry that still stood on either side. I had to admit it did look as if it could all come down at any moment.
"Do you think it's safe." She stopped and asked.
"If we don't make too much noise." I replied and crept forward as quietly as I could.
I could hear Jenny following.
There was fluttering of bird's wings and some dust fell onto us from above.
"I want to go back." Jenny said from close behind.
We were at the top of the pile of rubble.
"It will take as long to go back as it will to go on." I said, turning and reaching out for her hand.
She scrambled up by my side. More debris fell from above. She shook her head to clear some of the dust from her hair.
"Is this your idea of a good time?" She asked, as we started down the mound of rubble, towards the burnt out remains of a close collection of buildings.
Nothing would have been more than two stories high so as not to compete with the convent church next door. Anything salvageable had been taken long ago but I could still imagine the young girls at their lessons or in their beds or somewhere in between.
The rubble under foot seemed looser than I remembered on this side and we finished sliding the last few feet in a shower of broken bricks and plaster and a cloud of dust.
We stood side by side for a few seconds coughing to clear our lungs then I tried to brush Jenny's clothes free of dust, which started us both off coughing again.
"Leave it. Please." She said through her coughs.
"But." I spluttered.
"Just leave it."
She limped ahead of me. She was wearing a wrap around skirt that came to her knees and was bear legged below. The small, neat sandals she wore were suited for the town or beach. There were red marks on her legs and feet. Perhaps this was the wrong type of exploring?
"What would you like to do now?" I asked.
"Go home."
"We've only just come out." I protested.
"I'm hot, dirty and thirsty." Jenny looked at the ruins as if to say I've done that then looked at me. "My legs hurt and I want to go home."
I didn't see myself winning this one. I looked at my watch. When we got back, after a light lunch it would be siesta time. That could be fun.
I took her hand and we walked behind what had been the rear of the Convent church and along the side furthest from the van and nearest the side of the valley.
"That's strange." I said to Jenny, stopping and pointing to some tyre tracks that could be seen in the dust and which appeared to lead to one of the cave entrances that honeycombed the hillside.
"So." She replied with complete lack of interest.
"I just wondered what a car or whatever would be doing over there."
I nodded towards the cave entrance.