Cosmo and Silvia stop in Gallup, New Mexico after a day of driving for dinner. Founded in 1881 as a railhead for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad, today Gallup is the most populous city between Albuquerque and Flagstaff, and about one-third of the population has Native American roots. Surrounded by rugged terrain, the small downtown of Gallup contains a number of trading posts, galleries, hotels and restaurants.
The traveling siblings stop at a Mexican restaurant where they serve giant sized margaritas. They spontaneously order a couple, and right after ordering, Silvia re-evaluates this decision, reminding Cosmo that alcoholism is something that can be inherited, and that they had better be careful as their father Frank is a text-book alcoholic. He responds to her concern by saying that he doesn’t believe in this theory, and that even if it is valid, neither of them have inherited Frank’s alcoholism so far. They then get into a brief discussion about why their father became an alcoholic and they agree that his sadness is at the root of his sickness. Cosmo considers that “Maybe all drunks were just sad beneath their loud and rage-filled selves.” Despite the heaviness of the dinner conversation, they have a nice time at the restaurant, and after leaving, they experience a beautiful southwest sunset.
“When they got out of the restaurant, Cosmo felt the thin, dry, desert air brushing up against his skin. The sun had gone, and its departure turned the sky brilliant shades of pink and orange. He looked just past the small dirt parking lot of the restaurant to see the silhouette of a fat, sombrero-wearing man stumbling by them and fading into the sky, the color of which changed from brilliant pink to deep blue right before his eyes. Maybe it was the thin air or maybe it was the tequila, but as he watched the fat man fading into the horizon, he thought this had to be the most beautiful place on the planet.”
An excerpt from Discovery of an Eagle
They stayed in a small motel at the edge of the Texas border. They both wanted to make it to New Mexico but neither could drive any further, and Silvia told Cosmo he should see the New Mexico welcome sign in the daylight. And she was right. It was bright yellow and went perfectly with the brilliant, shining light in the sky. The light here was nothing like he had ever seen before. It was something beyond bright, and it made him feel new and clean inside. Thoughts about the text he got from Dario and about going back early had all been erased, as if the desert sun had burnt them clean from his mind. Going forward felt like the only way to go for now.
Unfamiliar trees lined the sides of the road. Some had branches that were all twisted up inside themselves, shooting off in different directions. Others were stout, plant-like trees with skinny branches reaching up as if to grab onto the sun. Big, black, mystery birds swooped down into the trees and flew away to make huge circles in the sky. Flat-top mountains made of copper-red rock glistened. The morning light passed through every object in his sight, giving them all perfectly defined shadows. Even the highway embankments added to the magical beauty—painted a pale shade of brownish pink with Native American designs carved into them.
This post is from my blog series on the places visited in the road trip story, “Discovery of an Eagle.”
Grace Mattioli is the author of the Greco Family Trilogy books, including Olive Branches Don’t Grow on Trees, Discovery of an Eagle, and The Bird that Sang in Color. These books are available from all major online book sellers, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Apple Books.
