The cat is not in the kitchen. Not behind the sofa, nor in the laundry basket. Not under the beds either. There has been no trace of Mili for a while. Mohamed Chara calls her name loudly, crawls on the floor and whistles, but the cat does not show herself. A message arrives on their phones with a maximum alert sound: “Due to the evolution of the fires in the Community of Madrid, all inhabitants of Chapinería, evacuate the municipality”. Mohamed Chara quickly fills Mili’s water and food bowls and leaves them by the door, for when she appears. Then he puts a backpack on his shoulder and glances out the window before leaving the apartment. A huge column of smoke hides a reddish sun on the horizon.
Read more ONCE Cuponazo: check draw of Friday, July 24
Mohamed Chara and his wife, Asia Bakuri, have been married for 35 years and today they have pushed the idea of staying united in life and death almost to the limit. They are the last to leave Chapinería, a town of 2,750 inhabitants that authorities have ordered to evacuate due to the danger posed to residents by a very close fire that has put the Community of Madrid in check. An hour ago they were watching the fire’s evolution on television, but they didn’t become alarmed until Mohamed Chara went out into the street for a moment and was astonished to find that not a single one of his neighbors remained. The streets were deserted, with only a few cars left. They were left alone.
The Civil Guard agents escorting the entrance and not letting anyone in were stunned to see them. “For God’s sake, what are you doing here? This town is supposed to be empty! You have to leave immediately,” they tell Chara, a 63-year-old Moroccan cook who arrived in Spain 35 years ago. Asia Bakuri, after a few moments of uncertainty, realized the danger they were in and began to pray everything she knew. The couple was truly scared. “You can’t play with fire, we are in God’s hands,” he says.
Life has not been very generous with Mohamed Chara in the last year, especially since he was diagnosed with bone cancer. A surgeon operated on him, but with great care not to impair his mobility. He continues his recovery little by little, without losing heart. As he moves away from Chapinería, he says he has supported Spain a lot during the World Cup because the country has given him “a lot” and he was very happy about the victory in the final. He has also watched all of Morocco’s matches, a country that has embraced a conspiracy theory about its national football team’s performance similar to that of the Argentinians. “Didn’t you find it strange how the Moroccans played against France?” he asks, full of intent. It’s true that they looked sad on the pitch, melancholic, there’s no way not to acknowledge that. “Exactly,” says Chara, who has no doubt about what happened: “They let themselves be beaten. I say.”
Read more Euromillions: check Friday, July 24 draw
A miscalculation could have cost him dearly, he reflects now, when everything seems to be behind him. “I thought the fire was in San Martín [de Valdeiglesias], but no, it’s very close here, in Navas del Rey,” he explains, looking out the car window at the ash falling like a blanket over the road. Did no neighbor knock on his door to warn him? “Nothing at all, they left stealthily. Like thieves,” he jokes, laughing loudly. The impact of looking at the street and seeing no one, like in an apocalyptic tale, still lingers: “Not a soul, damn it. You can’t play with fire, the Civil Guard was right to scold me.”
The couple hopes to stay these days, until they are allowed to return to the town, at the home of relatives who live in Guadalix de la Sierra. For now, they will make a stop in Villaviciosa de Odón, where one of their four children, a mechanic by profession, will pick them up. The fright slowly leaves their bodies, but they suffer a jolt when they realize that the cat was left behind. “Poor my beautiful Mili, she was scared. Let’s see if we can come back soon,” Mohamed Chara thinks aloud.
Read more Bonoloto: check draw of Friday, July 24
