***
Once the announcement was made that Jones had walked off the set, Gallo knew that it was over. There would be no treaty. The United States would not honor the land that rightfully belonged to Mexico.
Just as the American news anchors were beginning their analysis of the debate, Gallo turned it off. The room was silent. He turned to his advisors, all waiting for the order to be given. But Gallo said nothing. He simply walked over to the ancient map he kept in his office.
It was old. Almost two centuries old. The paper the map was printed on was fragile. The print was worn, and the border lines were barely visible. Gallo reached up and grabbed the map’s frame, taking it down from the wall. He turned around, looking down at the map.
“You know that during the Mexican-American war in the middle of the 1800s, a famous Mexican general by the name of Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna was living in Cuba, exiled from the very nation he loved. During the war, he convinced the American president to let him negotiate a peace with the Mexican government that would end the war on favorable terms for the Americans. But once General Santa Anna was in his own country, he rallied his men and engaged in a full attack against the Americans. Despite the move, we still lost the war.”
Colonel Herrera stepped forward, separating himself from Gallo’s other advisors. “General, all of our men and resources are in place. What is your order?”
Gallo could see his reflection in the clean glass surface the map was encased in. Gallo lifted the frame high above his head and smashed it on the floor. The glass shattered, exposing the map. Gallo reached down and picked up the old parchment and clutched it in a fist.
“This is our land! It belongs to us! Bring us back our glory!”