Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Battle Ground



December 4, 2012

A Five Star Hotel sans fluffy robe, labeled slippers and service bar! Oh I could eek out a complaint or two but it would make me look petty and miserable. Who needs that during the holiday season?

Flurried substantive lunch preparations commence the moment breakfast dishes are cleared. It is the main meal of the day and nearly always includes dishes of fluffy white rice and thick brown pinto beans. Liquid bubbles in the shiny pots on the stove while the empregada and baba argue about who knows what about a doll the maid forgot to give to the kids before they left for school, a hollow plastic fake Barbie Yasmin borrowed from one of her classmates who cried since her friend failed to return it this morning…lunch wasn’t ready yesterday is added to the complaints and raised voices. Oh boy! In the meantime, fish fry and time passes.

Searching for the next exchanting project, interesting program, intriguing job, non-rigorous volunteer post, teaching position, enthralling thing to do. Feelers out here there and everywhere. Have crutch, will travel!

Less than three weeks and Santa comes to town. Began generating cheery Christmas letters, taking a break now and again to slurp black coffee with globs of sugar to shake myself out of doom and gloom sensations that bark at the far reaches of my pea brain. Merry Christmas sentiments can hardly contain grievances of tedium, boredom of the monotony of the good life groundhog day! Having a brief conversation with the porteiro (inexpressive man at the gate) while I unload my numerous envelopes sufficiently folded, glued and double-taped for extra sensitive material measures is the highlight of my day. Other than laboring over a paragraph or two of my short stories of which I have not a clue what direction either of them is going.

A guest arrived at 10:30pm the other night. Her light sing-song voice trailed around the sharp corner and down the long furry carpeted hall. Michel responded in a calm, sensible and confident voice so I assumed it was a business transaction. Not anything nearly as interesting as contraband! Shoot.  

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