So, I texted her yesterday saying yes I'd like to come and would talk to Mabel to see if she were interested. She was. As we went about our business today, I second-guessed my decision. Mabel looooves to get up early, so this morning, when I saw that it was 9, I got myself out of bed instead of pushing for another hour. I promptly got in the shower and got dressed. Seems Mabel's plan was to clean house. Our cleaning lady has disappeared and has no telephone, so it's either up to us or we've got to find someone else. Anyway, Mabel cleaned the whole house. I was hoping to do laundry, but in the past, we have left for Papá Jaime's house by 10. At 11:30, she was finishing the cleaning and asked me if I wanted to go out to eat. She looked so excited about this place with meat soup in a bowl-ish thing. I said sure, whatever you want. It was a food I had not tried yet, and I'm all about living the experience! I actually wasn't hungry at the time, but I'm glad I didn't express that thought. She jumped in the shower and at 1:30 opened my door and asked if I were ready and did I have any dirty clothes to be washed. Oh did I!
I grabbed my stuff quickly and off we went. I did my load first since Mabel's stuff can stay there and she can pick it up when she's there for Cosette off and on through the week. Getting mine finished and hers started took about an hour. By then we were all hungry and Cosette was grumpy. We arrived at our lunch destination (KJ=Karne en su jugo=meat in its juice) and ordered quickly! We got a plate of queso fundido and a pitcher of horchata to share and we each got a plate of meat. It had white beans and onions along with beef consume I suppose. And the meat. It was really good, and despite the small size of the dish, it was ridiculously filling!
From there, we swung by the house to drop off my laundry for hanging and to pick up the movies to take back. Off to Forum (the mall) for some shopping. There's a store in this mall that they had in Spain: Zara. I absolutely love this store. In Spain it seemed so cheap. Here it seems so expensive. In reality, its prices are about like Gap, I've just been here long enough to want everything to be in the single digit pesos!
I found three, count them three winter things: two wool blazers (but trendy) and a winter coat. I didn't buy anything because it was 97 degrees today and cloudy! But I've been thinking and I may go back for one purchase. If I stop buying ice cream and don't go downtown everyday, I'll have 20 more bucks than I had this month and can put that toward my purchase.
Mabel tried on some things, too, but neither of us came away with anything. By then, Cosette was at her limit, so we went to the arcade. She got to play three games. You would've thought she was in heaven!
After the mall and dropping off the movies, it was 6pm. It's so weird, because at 6 on a Saturday I'm usually leaving yoga getting ready to go somewhere, babysitting or out. Here, it's like it was early afternoon. We'd just eaten and were headed home to rest. I tried for two hours to fall asleep. Finally around 8 I did, only to wake to my alarm at 9. Mabel and I decided to take her car instead of hitching a ride from Alma. The bar was very close to where we live, and we wanted to be able to leave when we were ready.
At 10:15, we were ready. Though Alma had said she wouldn't be there until 10:30 (and she's as Mexican as they come when talking about punctuality), we went anyway. There would be parking issues, we would need to find a table, and we could just have a drink while we waited. Makes sense, right? Not in Mexico!
From the outside, we saw the bouncers looking on a list for names when a couple was about to enter. Uh oh. What would we do? All I know is Alma, no idea her last name, not to mention the person whose actual birthday it was...
We just walked right in. No questions, no list, nothing.
Inside, all the tables were reserved. There were probably 20 people in a space smaller than the inside part of Dan McGuiness. No Alma. Mabel got a drink and we stood by the bar (which is not common here like it is at home; we looked very out of place). For 45 minutes! By then, someone Mabel knew had come in, so we joined his table, though no one talked to us. After another 30 or so, we moved our chairs to another group, who also ignored us, but at least we were close to the table (this apparently was important to Mabel?). In walks José Luis (I think that's his name), the guy who monopolized my dance time the first night out. I am not his biggest fan. He's nice enough, but annoying. We both ignored our eye contact, but then he turned around and came over to us. He told me Almita was coming, did I know. Well, of course I knew, why else would I be here?
He went on over to his friends. Thankfully.
Around 11:30, Mabel went to the bathroom and left me to fend for myself in a bar now full of people (yet no Alma) with no beverage, no nothing. I pulled out the obvious line of defense: cell phone.
Up walks a guy (cute by the way Al-something) and says some sort of pick up line that included that my face seemed to be showing that I wasn't having a good time. I explained that I was waiting for a birthday party of someone I didn't know and the one person I did know wasn't there yet. He asked me something else and I told him the answer then. After the third question (and not a moment before) he asked me where I was from. Granted it was a loud bar, but I was proud it took him that long. Mabel came back about this time and he and I continued our conversation. He was a nice enough guy, interested in why I was there, etc. Telling me about what to see here and his family that had traveled to the US at some point. Mabel interrupted us before it got awkward and told me that Alma was there.
We walked over the that part of the bar and sat down. I met Ana Luisa's other daughter (who looks just like her) and several other of Alma's friends. The girl has connections. And cute friends. There were several I could hang out with! One asked me about my ring from Spain. He then said, of course you're married. And Alma and I had to clear him up that usually there are two rings and one is a diamond (and I told him it would've been a big diamond). He said it didn't matter as long as it was on that finger. Whatevs.
For about an hour they played continuous English jams. Some was ooooold stuff (old to be played in a club I mean) like "Are you Johnny Ray, Who wants to know, Are you Sting Ray, Who wants to know, Are you Jimmy Ray, Who wants to know?" and "I get knocked down" and one of those songs by Mark McGrath. Then they got to Lollipop (that got my head bobbing) and some other club song that I like. Then, to top it all off, the English section ended with...Gettin' Jiggy Wit' It! I lost it. Will Smith! My favorite dance song from high school! Wow.
It was kinda hilarious seeing them dance to a song I was content to just sing every word to.
After that, we sat through about 20 more minutes of Mexican music (some with accordian) and then we were just tired.
Alma walked us out, inviting us to a soccer game about 30 minutes away. To play. This girl will not be playing. Although, I was the only scorer on my super-sports team at church camp two years ago! But if Mabel wants to go, I think it would be fun. We also have to get up early for free yoga in the Botanical Garden at 8:30. Some famous Mexican yoga instructor is here. I'm pumped!
I hope I get a chance to take some pictures of that. And I hope I can understand what he's saying!
1 comment:
I went to Zara in paris and bought a white long skirt that I LOVED until Andy told me it looked stupid when I wore it as a dress (it is that long). Oh well. I still have it. I got a great deal on it and I thought, "A sale on Champs D'Elysses. I'm on it."
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