Fortune

Nearly two years ago, my wife, Diana, and I were enjoying dinner at our then favorite restaurant El Cerrito. The owner, a close personal friend, supervised four waiters who were driven to provide excellent service. One clearly stood above the rest. He didn’t depart with your order, he sped; he didn’t leisurely ascend and descend the four steps leading away from the dining patio, he appeared to vault in both directions. He discussed in detail our dining options, the ingredients and method of preparation. We returned to his station frequently. When El Cerrito closed unexpectedly in mid-March, Ray Vazquez walked a hundred meters down the street, leased the vacant space at Shambhala and was up and running in less than two weeks. The rest is culinary history.

In the intervening months, we consumed countless margaritas, innumerable delicacies yet even more importantly we garnered the friendship of the family (Ray, Alexa, Violeta). We now discern the furrowed brow which proclaims that the moment is not appropriate to joke with Ray, we shared the pain of Violeta’s extended undiagnosed intestinal disorder that debilitated her without notice, and lastly we were seduced by the innocent glow of young girl whose eyes exuded pride and admiration for her hard working parents. Into this inner circle we now enter.

In a demonstration of this mutual trust, the family offered and I accepted the role of padrino (godparent) for the occasion of Alexa’s sixth grade graduation. This simply required that I stand with her during the ceremony. Unbeknown to me, was that this also involved being invited and accepting the invitation to be Alexa’s partner for the first waltz following her graduation. Clearly, this is intended to be a demonstration of her newly gained maturity. Now there is always something fanciful about a Straus waltz yet here was one being played, via DJ, in a small rural village in Mexico and I was being asked to dance with a special young lady. We dipped, twirled and at just the right moment came to rest. The experience was capped with a hug; a memory for the balance of my years.

       

Nearly a week has passed. Villagers stop me and comment on my newly gained status. The family, which operates one of the markets, engaged Ray and me in some light-hearted banter when the two of us independently appeared on the premises simultaneously. Tonight, the Vazquez family and I will enjoy a celebrative dinner together; Diana will be spoken of and missed by all. For a man whose circle of friends tends to look more like a triangle, this is a big deal. There are a number of parallel stories here in Yelapa where “outsiders” have become insiders through the mutual grace and trust which evolved between them and a local family. I count us, Diana and me, among those fortunate few (los afortunados). 

   

Commercial Break

Fleet reduction sale! In preparation for upgrading and expanding my rentals in November, I have liquidated older doubles and now offer three of the latest, up to date single kayaks on the island. Here’s this week’s DEAL: rent two kayaks for half a day and bring along a friend for the same period free. That’s nine hours of kayaking and all you pay for is six. You can’t beat that!!! Call me to check availability and schedule @ 322 146 5064 (cell). Happy paddling. memo