When I saw the date on my bulletin at church today I realized I'll be back in the US in 10 days! Wow. Time flies!
Last night was a really mellow evening with Jose and Karla. We ate Chinese food, the girls went to bed, Jose hung out for a while with droopy eyes. He had been working since 7 a.m. and had to get up for school (yes - on a SUNDAY) at 5:30 a.m. When he excused himself to go to bed I didn't blame him a bit. But Karla is still Karla. She can work all day and stay up all night. So we chatted until 11:30. It was nice to just sit and talk. No tv, no kids, just us.
When I moved to Honduras I imagined myself at their house all of the time. This is only about the fourth time I've visited in over a year! I told them I want to come over more often on Saturday nights because they live so close to the church I can sleep late and still get there on time. Well, we were a little late, but that was because we couldn't find the sugar. I'll explain that later -
Karla told me she was really shocked when I called yesterday to confirm. She didn't have my number saved in her phone yet because she was assaulted a few weeks ago while coming home from work. They stole her camera, cell phone, computer, a significant amount of $ and her wedding ring. She just got a new phone and hadn't put my number in yet. She said when I called she didn't recognize my voice because I didn't sound like a "gringa". She was trying to figure out which of her Honduran friends were calling when I told her it was me! She and Jose had a good laugh over that. They remember 4 years ago when my Spanish was not as good. Now I blend right in!
This morning as we were getting ready for church Karla asked if I wanted some coffee. I told her usually I don't, but today I could use some. As she was brewing the coffee she realized there was no sugar in the house. She searched everywhere at least 3 times and couldn't find sugar. I was wishing I hadn't asked her to make coffee as I really don't enjoy it without sugar.
Meanwhile her daughter Valery, who has Down Syndrome and is almost nonverbal, kept asking for one of the containers on the shelf. Valery LOVES sugar. After Karla ended her search she leaned over and asked Valery what she wanted. Valery said sugar. Karla explained there was no sugar, but Valery kept pointing to a container. Finally Karla took down the container and shook it to show Valery it was empty. Then she opened it as a final demonstration. To our amazement there was sugar inside! It was sugar in the raw as we would call it in the states. It must have been humid enough that the sugar stuck together and didn't move when Karla shook the container so it felt empty. We all laughed and clapped for Valery because she was so smart and persistent in helping us find the sugar.
Yesterday before I left I sent a message to my landlord and her daughter, letting them know I would be gone for the night. I contemplated if I should. It felt a little childish. But I thought they might worry if my car wasn't in the driveway all night. Later I saw my landlord's husband at the church. I told him I felt a little foolish telling them that I was spending the night with my friends. He said no, thank you for telling us. He explained he can't sleep at night, even when he is really tired, until everyone on the property (including his brother and their household) are home. He said when he and his wife pull into the driveway after work the first thing they look for is my car. On the occasion that it is not there, they keep checking until it is. Good thing I keep reasonable hours! He said exactly what I was thinking when I sent the message to his daughter and his wife. It's not about where I am and what I am doing, it's about safety. I told him I really appreciate that they look out for me and I have no problem making sure they know my whereabouts. What a blessing to be surrounded by so many people who care so much!
This afternoon was beautiful. There were dark storm clouds over the city. It rained as we left church. But up in the mountains it was sunny and just the right temperature. The air was cool but the sun was warm. I decided to go for a little walk. I found two tomato plants in front of my house with three red tomatoes and a bunch of baby green ones. They were lying on the ground so I grabbed some sticks and propped them up, thinking I should really get some twist ties because the first heavy rain would probably knock them down. I noticed a tree with greenish yellow fuzzy fruit on it. Looked like peaches, but I've only seen them ripe before. Just then Carlos came walking along. I showed him my tomatoes. He got a laugh out of the way I had propped them up. Then I asked about the fruit. He said they were peaches, reached over, grabbed one off the tree and took a bite. He said he never saw this tree before but it was FULL of fruit. He grabbed me one and just as I took my first bite of the crunchy green peach, bullet-like raindrops started to fall. We stood there in the sun, enjoying our peaches. But the rain started coming down harder so we headed up the mountain. It let up for a second. We chatted and watched the rain fall through the sun, but then he pointed South and I heard the sound of pounding rain coming from that direction so he made a dash for his house. I went upstairs and grabbed Jetty. She and I stood out on the balcony and watched the sunshine through the rainstorm. She seemed to like it too.
