We spend so much of our time worrying about events that may or may not happen. I assure you, most of our problems do not compare with that of an escaped billy goat.
The street on which I live is a major route for farmers to bring their livestock to the slaughterhouse. In Peru, there is no antiseptic isolation of farm animals and people. You often see sheep in the parks peacefully performing lawn maintenance. no need for the whine of weed whackers. A baaa here and there and that’s about it. Well, today on my way home I saw a farmer and his wife trying with varying degrees of success to chivvy along their herd of sheep and goats. The brains of the outfit was a big black billy and he was having none of this green mile business. While his pals provided a diversion, he made a break for it. The farmer and his wife looked at each other frantically. Wordlessly the wife took after the profugo, which by now had snarled traffic, woke up the neighborhood dogs and provided huge amusement to us passersby, who all assisted in trying to corral the beast. A dodge, a feint and off he went down a side street, the whole group of us laughing and chasing after it. After about 10 minutes, the wife cornered the beast, threw a rope over its neck and with a few swats of a stick marched him back to the herd.
It was a victory for the farmers, a defeat for vegetarians and an unexpected adventure for the rest of us. But it reminded me of why I am in Peru. The drama, sadness, joy, and ever changing face of life plays itself out with few barriers. It comes at you and does not stop. The billy goat is always waiting for us.
Siempre, Al
Al Sacharov, is a long time contributor of Utah Stories.Recently he moved to Peru to join his family.
He continues to help Utah Stories and we enjoy receiving the updates on his life in Peru. So, we decided to share them with you, our readers.