AHHHH!!!!! I am so happy my heart could explode! I was just talking to Erika on the phone and first of all, she spent the evening working - and being paid for her work! Also, I told her to say hello to her family, which is part of Honduran culture. She said that Lorenzo was still up. I asked if I could talk to him. She said he was waiting next to the phone to talk to me!
I got to talk to Lorenzo for quite a while and it was totally a two way conversation! I told him I love him and I miss him and I think about him all of the time. All of those things are so true. Of all of the kids at the breakfast program, I must admit I miss Lorenzo the most. He said he is doing well, and school is good. School is never good for him. But I heard happiness in his voice, so that matters more than anything else.
Then Erika put Junior on the phone. I told Junior that I saw lots of pictures with him when the groups came to visit. I said he is famous with all of the groups from the United States. He said he misses me a lot and I told him I miss him more!
Then Erika said that she and her father talked. He would like Erika to take a class at a school that gives free vocational classes like baking and sewing. She and her father agreed she would like to take English. I told her that was a great choice since she was my star English student when we had classes at the church. And I will always be around to help her out if she ever needs it. I like the fact that they are talking about these things and that her Dad wants her to get an education! They agreed Erika will focus on this until she can get into school again for her actual degree.
Today Fany and I walked over to the next colonia for me to buy eye drops. Everything is burning around here. It smells like smoke all of the time and my eyes hurt. Fany's throat hurts. So I needed to buy some eye drops. We came across baby clothes on sale for $1 or $2. I know I said my relationship with Erika will not be materialistic, but the clothes were so cute! I got 2 dresses, one pair of stretch pants and a top, and those dry panty things you put over cloth diapers so wetness doesn't leak through.
Erika and I have plans for Friday until three when she is going to go to work making tortillas again.
She surprised me again today. However, today I remembered not to jump to any conclusions as I have in the past. I called earlier in the day and her mom said Erika would not be home until late. I asked what time I should call back and her mom said 9 p.m. Of course I wondered what she was doing out until 9, but I my gut didn't feel like it was anything negative. Fany said that was too late for her to be out and I said yes, but maybe she is with family. I figured I would ask the next time I see her, but tonight she told me she was with her father and they were working from 3-9 p.m.! What great news! I don't think that making tortillas brings in the big bucks, but I am thrilled that she is working, I am happy that she has an income, and it seems like a good thing that she is with her father too.
