Jose's Family

Yesterday morning Jose came by with his girlfriend around eleven. He explained that his family was coming down from Los Angeles and would be here soon. He apologized for the inconvenience and invited us to join them and their family for breakfast. Knowing their financial situation we declined, feeling that they might feel obligated to buy us breakfast. We had already eaten anyway. He said they would come by later in the afternoon, if it was okay. They did show up later with their family and Jose asked if his family could see the boat. We said they were welcome and all seven came down to check it out. When Jose’s brother spoke, his voice took me back. It was uncanny how it sounded exactly like an old brother of mine who had been T-boned on his Harley, and killed a few years ago. Even his laugh was exactly the same. When I told him how he sounded like my friend, out of the blue I jokingly said; are you in there? It took me back again when he responded with “maybe.” A typical response Mickey would have said. Uncanny!


After they left Judy and I went for a walk downtown where the hawkers no longer bother us, due to seeing us around so much they have given up. So Judy fooled them by buying a hanging chair. She had forgotten the rose. You see, the other day we had been walking peacefully through the venders when a man came up and offered a rose for a dollar. I asked Judy if she wanted it and she said sure. I laughed, paid the man and said “now you are marked.” She asked what I meant and I replied that the vendors would now think she is a buyer and would pester her. Sure enough they did. She left the rose on a bicycle that was locked to a post. I wonder what images the owner of that bicycle conjured up in his mind when he found it.

Today we will get our Zarpe (exit papers) and fuel, I hope. We ended up waiting for the manager to supply it for several reasons. First and foremost, is that I don’t have to pack it miles with my malo back. The weather looks good except for a small local storm just north of Bahia De Tortuga. We are watching it closely. Maybe, if God is with us, it will dissipate. The winds look good, as long as the squall is not electrical, it will be okay. If we leave tomorrow, we won’t get into it until Friday. Then again if we wait, next week looks very bad. Will have to watch how it develops. So it is up in the air right now.