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Good morning! What a beautiful week it's been. We received a call last Sunday a.m. that the team felt we should share with the group.
It was just before seven and I'd been in the Walk office for an hour or so doing some spring cleaning. It had rained throughout the evening, but it was looking to be a particularly sunny day filled with cool breezes. Good day to be a blade of grass. I was dusting a few of Kathryn's awards when the phone rang.
6:56 Sunday a.m.?
The caller ID read 'Past'.
I cautiously picked up the receiver, a gut feeling telling me this was going to be interesting.
I was met with a heavy static, like a black and white TV on the wrong channel. This call, however, was in sepia. Through the cacophony came a booming, dominant voice that I made out as Spanish. It's echo shook the phone out of my hand.
"Tienes algo que me pertenece!" ("You have something of mine!")
Picking the phone off the desk gave me enough time to gather myself. We had just dropped off all our library books and we returned the Willoughby's card table after Euchre night.
"I'm sorry sir. You have the wrong guy." I went to hang up.
"Are you the Doctor that likes to walk?" His thick Spanish accent making his words almost uninterpretable.
"Actually, there are quite a few doctors that like to walk. But, maybe you do mean me."
There was a prolonged pause. I could feel him growing more and more pi**ed.
He slowly began, "King Ferdinand himself placed me in direct command of 200 sailors. We mounted a northern expedition from Puerto Rico across shark-infested waters to northern islands. It is here, after losing dozens of my men, where I...myself...DISCOVERED THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH!"
If spit had the potential to travel across phone lines, his would be in my right ear.
He continued, "With no due respect, Dr. Walkman...I am a conquistador ordained by the country of Spain and I do NOT have the WRONG person!!" Phone again, drops to the desk.
"David. When I was encountering difficulties locating my Fountain, my concerned sailors directed me to this program based in the United States. A program that has made multiple claims to having discovered my Fountain of Youth. I have now had to waste centuries of my life reviewing these stupid, STUPID newsletters (you're not the only one, Ponce).
Now worked up to a fervor; he had to pause.
"You have made a total of 11 claims to something that ALL the history books rightfully declare to be mine! I am coming back (from the 16th century I guess) to claim what belongs to me and the mother country of Spain!"
Now it all made sense.
It indeed was Juan Ponce de Leon was on the phone.
Cool.
"Look Ponce. Exercise is the true Fountain of Youth and it belongs to all of us. This is an unlimited natural resource. We just need to walk out our front door and head down the block to 'drink' from it."
This man loved pauses.
"Are you telling me...are you telling me that I've spent my entire existence living with men who haven't showered for months, risking my own death as well as my sailors' lives, fighting off scurvey, flirting with syphilis, and eating rabbit that had gone bad when all I had to do was walk out my front door?
"Do you have any idea of the smells that emanate from a man that has not showered for 8 months? Any idea? Makes your damn eyes water Doc."
He took a little time to gather himself, however, I no longer found myself on the defense.
"When's the next walk?"
"I'm glad you asked Ponce. They are going on all the time. Just click on the link below and you should find one close to you. If you can't, give us a call and we'll be more than happy to do what we can."
"But my Fountain of Youth - it cures cancer, heart disease, anxiety, depression, arthritis and makes you so happy. Your walking - it does this as well?" he asks, still in disbelief.
"Sure does, Ponce. Sure does. Thank you for the call and we'll see you on Saturday. Oh yeah, nice hat."
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