Shopping Spree

Every day I drive past the used clothing store where I bought most of my wardrobe when I first moved to Honduras and my suitcases were lost.  Each week they have a different special selection hanging outside on the front wall.  One week it will be bathing suits, another skirts, another tank tops.  This week I saw baby clothes for the first time.  I was thinking I need to take Marlin there and have a little shopping spree.  Then yesterday she told me that she had a bad dream.  She was leaving the hospital with her new baby (which was a boy in her dream although the doctors and she believe it is a girl) and she had no clothes for him.  Finally she asked a nurse for a towel to wrap him in.

Today I drove past that store again and realized it's almost the end of the week.  They will change the special item either tomorrow or Saturday.  So I called Marlin.  She was still walking out of the church.  I told her to wait there for me.  Then I picked her up and we went shopping!

I backed into the car that was parked behind me as I was parking because I was so worried about the ditch on the side of the road where Marlin and Misael were about to get out that I wasn't paying attention.  In Chicago it would have been typical parallel parking - tap the car in front and tap the car behind you to make sure you're in tight.  But there was no car in front of me in this case.

As I got out, still worried about Marlin and Misael falling into the ditch, there was a girl standing at the car.  She told me I had hit her car, but there was no mark.  I told her I was very sorry and thanked her for her understanding.

I grabbed Misael's hand and we walked down to the store.  Everything I have gotten there has been cheap and nice.  Lots of it is expensive name brands.  Why it exists in the middle of one of the worst colonias in the city, I have no idea.  Marlin asked if I really buy clothes there.  I told her yes, I love the clothes I buy there.  They are clothes she often compliments me on.  We went through all of the baby clothes and picked out everything cute for girls.  I think she looks like she is going to have a boy, but what do I know.  Misael picked out an outfit that Marlin loved for Halloween.  It is never going to fit, it's for a 6 month old, but it cost $2.50 and they loved it.  I was surprised because I have never met anyone who celebrates Halloween in Honduras.  It was bright orange and said "BOO!" with a bright orange hat to match.  I told Misael that can be his present to his baby sister when she gets old enough to wear it.

We got lots of cute stuff but all of it was onesies which I think would be very hot.  I asked for shirts that button on the bottom, but they didn't have any.  We also got a small sleeper sack and a larger one - those bags with arm holes for the baby to sleep in.  Marlin was happy and grateful.  We got 5 newborn onesies because that is all they had.  We got 5 three to six month old oneseis and 2 six to nine month outfits because I loved them.  Plus the sleepers.  Not bad for $26!

Tomorrow the ladies at the Breakfast Program and I are having a going away party for Lourdes.  I am still in denial that they are really leaving.  I am not good at goodbyes.  No words are enough to thank Lourdes and Jairo for all they have done for me in the past year and 1/2.  They cared for me like a member of their own family.  For over a year I didn't have a car and Jairo drove me everywhere.  They are busy people but they always had time for me.  I don't know how to say good bye to them.

Today I sat with Jairo as he had lunch.  He asked if I had heard about the child.  I said that I saw in the news paper a 3 year old was killed.  He said that people stole a three year old from her family, cut her into pieces and put the pieces outside the front of the house at night so when the family left the house the next morning they found the baby's body parts.  Jairo said he never imagined this country could be come to this.

Jairo is happy that the pastor from K2 is coming.  But it is hard for him to not be in charge of planning Lad's time here.  Jairo has so much to do, I know that everyone is trying to ease his burden, but Jairo said it would be so easy for him to write out a daily schedule to be sure that Lad sees everything he should see while he is here.  Jairo told me that it is very important that Lad get a feeling for the current situation in this country, that he get to see La Tigra, and that he get to know all of the elders.  It has to be hard for Jairo to go from being in charge of everything to completely letting go.  I have to say once again.  I will really, really miss Jairo.