I was asked to write more stories.
Be careful what you ask for.
The story of: TheBritish Lady
On Saturday I set out on a quest to find “where the Gringos live.” I was told “it’s just three blocks uphill.” Well I had almost seen the street the day prior when out on a walkabout. On Friday I walked willy nilly to the west, then north, then turned east ending up on a corner sitting in the shade huffing and puffing from exertion. (I still had ‘altitude challenges’ then. That’s my excuse. Now I’m just old.) Anyway, while I sat in the shade concentrating on not having a stroke and just breathing, several cars of gringos drove past like a small parade. Like a secret gringo meeting had just let out. Then a few people walked past. I finally stopped a guy and asked him, “where do the expats live?” he said just up the hill a street or two. The one smart thing I’ve done so far on this trip – I turned downhill and went back to the AC in the hotel. Now fast forward to Saturday and my Gringo Search. I walked back to the resting spot from the day before, then continued on up the hill toward the ‘Gringo area of town.’ I never did walk the Gringo road, I screwed up and climbed the mountain instead, but that’s another story. What I did do was stop at a little hotel up there. (The hotel is; hotel Casa de la Abeula) As fate would have it, there was a hotel lady out by the gate, standing in the shade doing hotel stuff. I went over to ask her for directions trying to avoid going the wrong way and wasting precious time and oxygen which was still a priority that day. She was an attractive lady about 30yoa showing all the signs of being a native. So, per my usual approach I asked, “excuse me, do you speak English?” (of course I said it in my perfect Spanish: “disculpe me, hablas Ingles?”) She said, “yes, how may I help you?” I asked about the Gringo street and how far, how much, how long, how come, all the usual things. Her reply was in crisp slightly accented, perfect English. After she finished I asked, “where are you from? I can’t place your accent, is it British?” She just laughed and beamed at me. “Why THANK YOU. I am from here, my English teacher is from Guadalajara and is an excellent teacher. To practice I watch the Harry Potter movies.”
It’s the truth. She sounded exactly like Hermione Granger.
