Love in The Wild: Amazon Rainforest, page 1
Contents
Love in the Wild
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
The End
Love in the Wild
Amazon Rainforest
Jackie Beloto
Chapter 1
Sao Paulo
It was an early Monday morning when Julia arrived at Planet TV station building. A line of cars was getting into the underground garage. It took more than ten minutes for her to find a free space to park. Damn. She glanced at her watch. Her boss Mauricio hated when people arrived late. She needed to make a good impression on that crucial monthly meeting. The producers would choose a squad to go to Amazon Rainforest. Julia had spent the night brainstorming feature ideas to convince her boss that her team was well prepared to go the jungle. Pablo´s team had gone there twice. It was about time Mauricio gave her a chance, but she bet Pablo would boast he had more experience. Hell no! He was a sucker and would never dare to investigate the recent eco crimes committed with the permission of the current government.
Ok. Julia was afraid of going to Amazon Rainforest — the illegal loggers threatened to kill reporters that had been there before. But she couldn´t let anyone notice. She should hold her ground and be assertive. No pain, no gain. If she went there and got a good scoop, she should be promoted and buy her dream apartment and a better car. Julia was fed up with her landlord, who never got the bathroom leak fixed, and the annoying upstairs lady that kept walking in high heels until after midnight. With her current wages, she couldn´t afford to pay a mortgage, let alone make a down payment on a property. She needed to prove to Mauricio that she was as highly qualified as her male peers.
The other reporters had started working at the program Planet Without Borders many years before Julia. Every time a prominent place appeared, the TV producers chose Adriano or Pablo. The Amazon rainforest was one of the most relevant topics at the G20 meetings. Everybody wanted to go there.
She rushed to the elevators and stopped breathless. She shook her head. Crap! So many people waiting in line to go up. Julia always tried to arrive before the elevator's busy hour, and precisely that day, she got stuck there. She stared at a girl ahead holding a laptop case. Hell! She forgot to take her charger and went back to the car to pick it up. She tucked some strands back into her bun that insisted on getting out and walked to the end of the line again.
When she stepped on the elevator, she let out a long breath and gave herself a look in the mirror. Well, not bad for someone who had hardly closed the eyes all night long. Rebel hair was ok, and that quick make-up course had helped a lot after all. Definitely, the executive style wasn´t her cup of tea. Yet, her boss Mauricio cringed every time she showed up wearing casual clothes. The elevator door opened on the fourteenth floor. She got fifteen minutes late at the office and expected that everybody was in the meeting room. So why were Sam and Tuco talking and laughing next to the coffee machine yet?
She marched toward them. "What the hell are you guys doing out here? Isn´t Mauricio waiting for us already? "
"Take it easy, boss," Tuco said. "Mauricio called and said he'd be half an hour late because of the traffic. What happened? You look pale.”
She let out a sigh. "Oh, thank God. The traffic is awful, worse than usual.”
"Want a coffee?" Tuco asked.
"Yes, please, a latte."
Tuco pressed a button, and the machine whirred. He waited for her mug to fill.
"What about the others? The other guys? "Julia looked around.
"I think only Carla and Alex arrived. Everybody is late." Sam said.
“Sugar? “ Tuco asked. “No thanks.” Julia picked up her cup and stirred it. "And you guys? Didn't you get stuck in the traffic?"
"We came by train," Sam said. "Since I moved to Itaim Bibi, I´d never come here by car again. I can´t stand the Berrini traffic."
"You guys are smart."
“You´re stressed out lately,” Sam said.
“I think I need a vacation.” Julia sipped her coffee.
Sam laughed. “Every time you take a vacation, you freak out. All you need is someone to warm up your bed and prepare your coffee now and then.”
Julia opened her mouth to protest, but her heart started racing. She threw her cup to the basin. “I need to go to the restroom.”
The elevator made a ding noise, and Mauricio showed up. Julia looked over her shoulder. Her boss wore an expensive dark gray suit. Mauricio wasn´t a handsome man, but the way he dressed up and his elegant manners made him a charming one.
“Good morning, boss,” The three said in unison.
"I think it's time I buy a helicopter. “Mauricio kept walking.” Good morning and see you in fifteen minutes.”
Julia rushed to the bathroom. Thank God it was empty. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she felt dizzy. She leaned on the sink for some seconds. All she needed was to calm down. Her hands were trembling, and she was short of breath. Ok, breathe. She took a deep inhalation through her nose, filling her lung, and slowly exhaled all the air through her mouth. She kept doing it several times until her heart started to slow down. All she needed was to calm down and think of nice things. Waves kissing the sand, birds chirping, kids laughing… She rummaged through her bag for the Bach rescue dropper, only four drops. No more green pills — she´d taken two already. She looked in the mirror, opened the faucet, tapped some water on her forehead, and then dried it with paper. Everything was fine. Nobody noticed.
Ten minutes later, Julia, Sam, and Tuco arrived in the lavish conference room with a spectacular view of the Estaiada Bridge over the Pinheiros River. Julia stood by the window to look down the streets. She had no doubt that Sao Paulo was a crazy city. Her friends from Rio de Janeiro didn´t understand how she could have moved from the “Wonderful City” to this stone jungle. But Julia had immense gratitude for Sao Paulo, the city where she had the chance to rebuild her life.
Julia sat between Sam and Tuco. The other groups sat across them. Mauricio and two more TV producers entered the room to close the door and joined them at the large oval table. Pablo had that ridiculous smile plastered on his face as if that meeting was just for the sake of formality. He was sure he´d be the one chosen.
Mauricio sat at the head of the table and picked up his Montblanc ball pen from his suit pocket.
"So, who is going to start?"
Adriano, the leading reporter from the other team, raised his hand.
"Ok, Adriano. Tell me the team plans for Amazon rainforest considering the kind of government we have today." Mauricio patted his pen on his notepad.
Adriano said they intended to show the precarious lifestyle of riverside dwellers, some indigenous tribes, the regional food, and the exotic free markets.
Mauricio just listened and took notes until Adriano finished his speech.
Julia almost yawned. Adriano didn´t appreciate tropical places — he had admitted to her once he preferred frozen spots. His lack of enthusiasm only proved that.
"Next," Mauricio looked at both teams.
“Can I?” Pablo looked at Julia. She nodded to him. She wanted to hear what he had in mind.
Pablo´s assistant presented a video with some eco spots, boat rides, and stunning waterfalls. They considered it would be great to show the jungle sightseeing.
Again Mauricio said nothing and just took some brief notes before staring at Julia.
Tuco headed to the VCR and turned it on.
Again, everybody turned their chairs to the projection wall. A shocking movie showing scenes of the Amazon Rainforest on fire. Wildfires devastated large areas and killed several animals. It also revealed loggers using electric chainsaws to cut down trees and illegal fishermen capturing pink dolphins as baits, among other horrific scenes.
When the movie ended, Tuco turned on the lights.
Julia stood up and cleared her throat. "I think it's about time we revealed what is going on in the middle of our tropical rain forest instead of only showing its wonders. Let´s leave this job to travel agencies. The world is outraged with what is happening right before our eyes."
Pablo stood up too. “Can´t you see how insane it is to go there and mess up with logger dealers? Wood trade is the only livelihood of those workers. “
“Workers? Are you kidding me? “Julia gave a nervous laugh. “They´re cold blood killers. Not only do they cut down the forest - They also kill the natives and wild animals.”
Julia stared at Mauricio. “How long will we keep watching this crap with crossed arms and wait for international media to get there and show what we, Brazilian reporters, should've done first?" She leaned her hands on the table and faced each meeting participant.
Mauricio kept squeezing his pen in his fingers until they got white. "Do you recognize the risks of dealing with those criminals?" He looked straight into Julia´s eyes.
"Yes, we are. Do you think I´m not capable of going there and snooping around just because I´m young and a woman? “ Her sharp gaze landed on her boss.
“Hell, no, Julia. Quite the contrary. I think you´re too passionate to go there.”
Mauricio angled a glance down at Sam and Tuco. “And what about you two? Are you with Julia?” Both nodded.
“You are a bunch of amateurs. “ Pablo said.
“Enough, Pablo! “ Mauricio said. ‘Last time you were there, you had a mission of interviewing the Xingu chief and digging about the illegal diamond exploration in his lands, and you got nothing. Not to mention that you couldn´t get even close to that famous Forest engineer, Gary Cooper. So you came back with nothing but recording the Prego monkeys' sex life for hours and hours.”
Everybody in the room laughed, including Pablo´s team. Pablo´s eyes flashed with anger.
“Gary Cooper? Who is he? “Julia raised an eyebrow.
“He´s a jerk who rarely talks to reporters. The man thinks he is a kind of a prima donna.” Pablo said and blushed.
“In fact, he is a forest engineer who does a fantastic job in his Institute Seeds of Life. He takes injured and rescued animals from bushfires or illegal trafficking. But he is also known for averting talks to the media." Mauricio stared at Julia. “And I know you’re exceptional in these cases. “
Pablo laughed out loud. “Not even international media could get a word from him. “
“Why doesn´t he like to talk to reporters?” Julia asked.
“We don’t know. Maybe Mr. Cooper knows more than he should about illegal logging. “Mauricio said.
“Well, if you send my team, I give my word I´ll interview this caveman.” Julia stared at Pablo, raising her chin.
“Ok, Julia´s team will be the one to go the jungle. “ Mauricio faced Julia. “But Alex will join you. He is an expert cameraman in the woods and will support Tuco. "
Julia gaze narrowed when she looked at Alex, the cameraman from Pablo´s team. How could that geek be helpful in the middle of a jungle? Had Mauricio lost his mind? Then she shrugged. "That's ok with me. You're welcome, Alex." She smiled at him. Alex gave her a shy smile back. Then Julia met Sam´s furious stare. Julia laughed. She often caught Alex looking at Sam, and her assistant hated him.
Julia stood up and walked to the door. On her way out, she overheard Pablo saying to Carla. “Let´s wait and see who will be the first one to get a bullet right between the eyes.” In fact, Pablo had said that loud and clear so Julia could hear him. It made her blood curdle, but she marched ahead and ignored him.
Julia got to her office, followed by Sam, and Tuco closed the door behind them.
"I can't believe that Mauricio had this wonderful idea to bring Alex to our group!" Sam´s face got red. "Have you seen the way that prick looks at me?"
Julia sat at her desk. “I also didn't understand the reason why, but I couldn't say no. Besides, what harm can the poor bastard do? "
"I thought it was so weird.” Tuco rubbed his chin. "But on a second thought, it'll be good to have someone to help me out with the stuff."
"Ok, guys, Alex is the least of our problems." Julia clapped her hands. "We have lots of things to do before we go. Let's prepare our agenda and show Pablo we´re not a bunch of idiots."
"Do you think we should call Alex now for the first meeting?" Tuco asked.
"No, please,” Sam said, joining her hands together in prayer.
"Sam, sooner or later, we'll have to invite him to join our meetings. But that’s ok —let’s discuss our ideas first before Alex joins us.”
They were on a flight to Manaus, the Amazon state capital city, seven days later. And Alex was with them—regardless of Sam's many complaints.
Chapter 2
Manaus – Amazon rainforest
It was a hot, humid morning. The Amazon sky was an expanse of azure, dotted with bright white clouds as the sun's radiant rays shone over the majestic Negro river.
Julia walked down the hill to the hotel pier. She had an early bird call with the editor in Chief Mauricio, and it took longer than she'd expected.
Her phone buzzed —she stopped and pulled it out of her pocket. She glanced at the screen. Aunt Helena and her good mornings stickers. A cute teddy sending hearts. Julia scrolled down and picked up one of a pink bunny sending kisses. Then she wrote, love you, auntie. (hearty emoji)
Everyone had told her about the heat in Manaus. It was only seven in the morning, and the sun burned already. She had arranged her curly hair in a ponytail and wore a cap as everybody around had recommended. She'd put an extra layer of sunscreen that started seeping into her eyes. Ok, the Amazon rainforest is known for being hot and humid, but what the hell? She'd just left the air conditioning and was already melting.
She looked down, exploring the path. She saw red ants in a line making their way up. Wearing hiking boots had been a good choice after all.
The sun cast a rosy hue across the cloudless morning sky when she got to the pier. Lances of golden sunlight splashed over the dark river.
She spotted Samantha making poses to take selfies in front of the boats and Tuco spraying something on his arms. Alex was already on board talking to the pilot.
A row of boats waited for the tourists, the largest ones belonged to travel agencies. Others were from private tour pilots that would take the tourists wherever they wanted. Alex had booked one of the small ones — with a pilot and a tour guide.
"Sorry guys, I´m late. Are we all set?" Julia straightened her ponytail.
Tuco tapped on his equipment. "Yes, everything we need is here."
"Hey, guys. Look at this shot." Samantha showed them one of her selfies in front of a tree with a couple of colorful macaws. The sunlight made her thin blond hair even lighter in contrast with the dark green leaves.
"Awesome," Julia said.
"What about you, Tuco? What do you have on your skin? It has a weird smell. "Julia pinched her nose.
"A special mosquito repellent. You guys are aware that there are malaria mosquitos around?" His eyes popped up.
"Come on, Tuco. It doesn't look good for a man of your size. "Sam tapped on his muscular biceps and headed to the boat.
Tuco was not very tall, but he had strong arms and broad shoulders. He had that careless rebel style—a messy haircut that he boasted of cutting himself. And his cinnamon skin seemed to make a good impression on girls. In fact, some of them stopped him to ask if he was a famous soccer player. Often, Julia heard him saying he was his brother. What a liar.
Alex offered his hand and helped Sam and Julia hop on the boat deck. Then he helped up Tuco with his equipment. Alex was the opposite of Tuco—he had tidy short brown hair slicked back with tons of gel. Although he had a pretty face, he looked awkward with his horn-rimmed glasses and old-fashioned Khakis pants. Julia bet he bought his clothes in supermarkets.
The guide, Jorge, greeted Julia and started talking her ears off. Along the cruise, he explained how the riverside population earned their living. Besides fishing, they relied on tourism, selling crafts, beverages, and snacks in the floating bars.
At a certain point, Julia stopped listening to George. Instead, she focused on that unique amazing fresh water world that looked like an ocean.
Half an hour later, they stopped at a floating store. Julia heard foreign tourists speaking and tried to find out where they came from. She glanced at her watch. One hour later, they would interview the Indigenous Chief and the Shaman of the Dessana tribe.
After Julia started working on the Planet Without Borders program, she attracted many viewers bringing investigative cases to the show. Her posts on Instagram showing her in different landscapes worldwide also gained millions of followers.
Julia interviewed from Eskimos and Hermits to influential politicians. She spoke fluently English and French besides her native language Portuguese.
