I have arrived! It’s all still very surreal, so at the moment I am just going through the motions.
Maybe it’s the extra baggage of hurt feelings past, present & future I arrived with.
Maybe it’s because I failed to eat today. I’m not a breakfast eater unless someone makes me bacon. Otherwise, late lunch, several small snacks and with any luck, a dinner that counts!
Mexico does have several familiar drive-thru’s but there is rarely much on the menu I want to eat (other than the hand-breaded chicken strips @ Carls Jr…Holy socks, those are good! Unhealthy, but amazing!), so I rely on store-bought snacks mostly.
Today I was wonderfully focused on driving and didn’t pick up food until after Mazatlan – so about 5 hours into the 10 hour drive and only bought a small bag of chips and some cashews that mostly ended up on the floor 🙁
The drive was a bit tense at times, though – I TOTALLY smoked a huge piece of concrete on the highway, and then almost running out of gas in Mazatlan…AGAIN! Same place as last time – but I never did post about that. But that is a story for a different day. Oh – I also bumped a dog. I ALMOST hit it, but we both stopped – then when I went to go again, it ran in front and got bumped. It went to the side of the road and barked ferociously. It was fine, but I still felt like a jerk.
Shit happens – and Mexico actually feels like home now, so when things don’t go according to plan, you do exactly what you do at home: Assume the fetal position and cry until someone brings tacos! (DUH)
Upon arriving in Jaltemba Bay, I first had to stop by my parent’s place to retrieve my fans. It’s fucking hot here!! Well, only 32c but with humidity, it OWNS you!
It was weird seeing their house all closed up. Similar to the eerie feeling when I would visit the cabin during its wintery slumber.
I was pretty excited to see my little potted cactus garden was thriving, which I will take as a good sign since that little garden is where I got the name for my business 🙂
But all my plants I left in hopes they would survive summer in their yard, had been planted!!! Where my mother’s most hated gardenia once (barely) lived, was my most beloved palm. UGH!!! I’m verklempt. I need a minute. Talk amongst yourselves…..
Once retrieving my fans, Juice cat had joined me in the front seat, much to the delight of the attendants at the local Pemex station. The young woman there was absolutely smitten with Juice and had everyone come to meet him.
Juice didn’t give a single fuck. He was hot & just wanted OUT!
Fair enough.
I bought some water, got some pesos from the ATM and went on with getting home.
I live in the jungle WAYYYY up a steep hill in a gated community. I had left my keys back in April and it hadn’t occurred to me that the way the gate worked would be different upon my return.
Well….it WAS!
It
Was
LOCKED!
I hopped out of my car and ran up to look, and when I confirmed it was, in fact, locked I yelled out FUUUUCK!!!
And there was a literal truckload of young Mexican fellows who pulled up and said not to worry. I was let in. *REJOICE!**
I wasn’t sure if Milton was going to like the hill very much being so fully loaded, and he didn’t – bottoming out a couple of times in protest. I kept a close eye on my fuel gauge to see if I had sprung a leak. All good.
Once at home, I left the cats in the car and went inside to inspect. A few changes…I pretty much stuff I knew already, though. I have a BRAND NEW GAS STOVE!!!! Holy crap – you’ve gotta see this thing!! SO HAPPY to be “home”
I figured I would unload a few things, get the cats settled, then go back to town to see about some food.
I took out the the cat’s food & litter box while Bubba observed from the passenger seat, perched just so his butt-hole was starfish-kissing my pillow. I grabbed the can of chicken I had planned to stop & eat at some point but did not, and the can opener – because..well…duh!
I scurried back and forth in the dark a few times, giving Bubba a scritch & a pep talk each time when I suddenly realized…wait…where’s Juice?
It’s very dark, and the brush is dense, jungley & full of scorpions! I hurriedly grabbed my phone for the flashlight and started calling him. But – it’s not the first time he’s’ escaped here, so he will be around for dinner. I try to just think positive and carry on.
I brought another armful of stuff into the house when my stomach suddenly dropped with the realization that Juice had most likely jumped out at the gate…waayy down at the bottom of the hill, in the jungle, in total darkness.
I grabbed Bubba and pretty much hurled him into the house, slammed the door and raced down the hill – car still full and damn near ripping the undercarriage out from it.
I got to the gate and stumbled from the car, shaking. I screamed “JUUIICE!!!!”
I saw all sorts of weird lights I thought were his eyes, but they were many and twinkly. I screamed again.
Juice screamed back. We just yelled at each other, both in complete and utter fear until he jumped into my arms. A taxi had pulled away just as I got there and there was a Mexican fellow standing at the gate watching the whole thing. Once I collected my kitty he piped up “Uhh……llave?” making a turning motion with his hand.
I couldn’t do it – I was shaking so bad! With a bit of teamwork, we got it and got the gate locked up again.
On the way back up the hill, Juice Cat just howled at me. I was in tears. I can only hope the fear he felt will keep him from trying to escape again.
He’s a cat, so probably not, but one can dream.
So back to the house where a puzzled-looking Bubba was waiting at the door. Brothers were reunited with a series of “merp merrp” sounds and some face-licking. Then dinner was had!
…..for them.
The only thing I had to eat was in a can, and I lost the can opener when I realized Juice was missing.
Later on, after what feels like an eternity of unpacking, I am sitting on the terrace with a wine, loving the lack of biting bugs (SO MANY since Mesa!) and looking at the incredible display of stars, I notice the jungle around me is glittering, like down at the gate when I thought I saw Juice’s eyes.
Glitter in the sky, glitter on the ground it was strangely reminiscent of the first time I tried LSD while wearing glitter mascara.
Lightening bugs!!! Until a friend told me about them last year, I actually thought they were only in stories!
They’re real! And really cool!
So long story short (long story coming up); I have felt a bit against the odds this last week or so. But a few people have truly, whole-heartedly been cheering me on, without doubt – and those messages echoing in my head have pushed me through the rough spots. As weird as it sounds to some, and I’m not hippy-dippy nor religious of any sort, but there is something about the power of positivity. Even if things don’t work out how you will them to, if you are doing it right, you are still on the right path, and will win.
Just give it time, and breathe!!
The Millers
14 Oct 2018Welcome Home! Enjoyed your adventures along the way. Say hi to mom and dad for us. See you all in December.
Cheers
Jane y Doug