Segundo is the heart of Villamayor de Monjardin
This morning, I did not have direction. I literarily walked around the village two times until I find my way. I turned my gps and took the secondary road toward Lorca. It was not after two km that I saw El Camino sign, and I took the dusty path.
Arriving to Lorca gave me a sense of hope. It was 6:30am, an hour later. There was a young man running on the Main Street putting signs that his coffee shop was opened. He was so excited, and gave me a great greeting and welcome me to his village, but I did not stopped. It was too early for me to eat.
Going through the fields, a police patrol with three police officers passed by me. They stopped and walked an area. I greet them. I said: working early today officers?One of them, with a welcoming attitude, responded: protecting all of you! It is the first time, I saw an officer on the Camino in 30 days.
Five kms later I stopped at Villatuerta. I stopped in a small shop. I ordered tortilla Española and coffee. There were 3 women at the bar. They knew everything that was going on in the village. Three more arrived, and they completed the stories. It was just fun to watch!
David and Laura passed by me. I run outside and told them to slow down. They told me that they will see me at Estella 8 km later. They were waiting for me there, and David offered me a “zumo de naranja.” I was very thirsty. We walked together till Ayegui. There we tasted the free wine by the old monastery that closed in 1985. And of course, we drank the wine from our Camino shells that each pelegrino has to carry on the way.
Here the Camino is divided in two. (David and Laura are from Madrid. They were a lovely couple. I hope to see them again on the way. ) They were going to Los Arcos, I was going to stay in a village before it . Therefore, they went to the left (express), I took the right.
I hit the village of Irache. It is better known as the city of vacations by all the signs on the road. I called it the littered village. There was garbage everywhere. I was so disappointed! Passing by a sport complex with every sport included, I entered a forest. Thanks God, it was cleaned.
I passed Azqueta, and started the ascending to Villamayor by noon. A young athletic man from Palencia passed me fast, and sat at the bus stop. I stoped a the tiny little market for a drink, but no one was in it. I scream: “se llevan todo!” ( hurry, they are taking everything!). A women running down the stairs from the second build showed up with a big smile. I paid the drink, and sat down with the young man that was preparing a cigarette. The young people don’t buy cigarettes in France or Spain. They rolled them themselves, because it is cheaper. We talk for several minutes. When a man approached me to asked me if he has seen 5 bikers on el Camino. They arrived 10 minutes later.
I proceed to the shelter, but it was closed till 2pm. I just followed the instructions on the wall. There were 10 more backpacks before mine, but only one woman was there. We chatted for a while, but I felt asleep. More people started arriving. They opened the shelter on time. It is run by a group of volunteers of a Christian sect. They spoke many languages. The place was clean, they had good food, and it was cheap. After dinner, they invited all to “Jesús Meditation.”
Dinner was delicious and the company was great. We introduced each other. We shared stories, and talk about life. How beautiful is when parents love their children! How scary can be when they need to fly for themselves! At the end parents need to trust God!!!Everything will be simply ok!
Segundo arrived to the shelter earlier. He is a local in his 80’s. He loves to talk with the pelegrinos. What a a beautiful human being. What great stories he told us about the village, his family, his life. Pedro, Miriam, and me heard his stories for hours. He went home, and promised us that he would be back after dinner. We were ready for his second round. He was late, and we decided to go to the market, when he turned on the street before us. We did not recognized him. He was a new Segundo. He was well dressed, shaved, wearing new shoes. Pedro started picking on him, and he would respond with a great humor. I just loved it. It has been one of the highest point of the trip. We laughed, we cried, we celebrated life with him. He was younger again. His face was full of joy. He talked about everything that make a human being great. Love to his roots, love to his family, love to his country. We tested him in every matter. He was a doctor in everyone of them. He is the heart of the village. He never believed that I was a priest, but a loved his humor in responding why I was not a priest. He made me feel so thankful of my life. Real life…
I could not abandoned Segundo to go to “Jesús Meditation,” when Jesús just had arrived. I had to go to bed by 9:30pm. It was hard to leave. Pedro and Miriam stayed with him. I could hear them from my bed.