“spirtually and passionately alive”
Tell me, O muse, of that ingenious hero who traveled far and wide after he had sacked the famous town of Troy. Many cities did he visit, and many were the nations with whose manners and customs he was acquainted… (Homer’s The Odyssey, Book 1)
Tell me, O muse, of that impulsive lass who traveled far and wide with a ticket to Central America. Many cities did she visit, and many were the nations with whose manners and customs she was acquainted..
Carlos from Couchsurfing was nearly an hour late picking me up from the airport. But, I couldn’t complain. I was getting a free ride! Plus, I had managed to charm some guapo Honduraños into offering me a ride when their grandmother came, should I not find my ride by then.
But Carlos did show up as promised and he greeted me for the first time in person with a big, warm hug and ushered me to a car with two other gringos… his girlfriend Ashley in the driver’s seat and their friend Jason, who would be sharing the backseat with me. Ashley and Jason live in San Pedro Sula, Honduras and teach at a bilingual elementary school outside the city. Carlos is actually a Guatemalteco living in Honduras. Carlos and the clan took me straight from the airport to Klein Bohemia, a bar/lounge that Carlos co-owns. A few drinks, some good music and a few laughs later and it was settled that I’d actually be staying with Jason, in his extra bedroom, for my few days in SPS.
My first full day back in Honduras, I set off to explore a little bit of SPS by foot while Jason was at work. During my last trip to Honduras in July, I never had the opportunity to really get to know SPS. As I picked my way along dusty, dirt tracks alongside the road, constantly stepping over piles of trash, my clothes quickly became soaked in the sunny heat. This was no Vienna or Venezia with paved and cobbled streets, and buildings of grandeur and art. Instead of ornamented edifices, I passed long rows of walls and gates – some chipped and crumbling, others with their own ornamented flair and still others with both. Instead of statues around every corner, I found little Latin tiendas, or shops, at every turn. Those little shops carry such random things: coke, chips, bon bons, razors, soap, toilet paper, cans of frijoles, water, juice, needles for pumps, alka seltzer… you get the idea.
The city is almost completely walled in, with the idea to try to lockout the crime. Honduras can be rather dangerous and I was repeatedly warned not to venture out on foot, by myself or with others, once dusk hit. Other than hard stares and several cat calls though, I wasn’t having any trouble during my daytime wanderings. Finally, I got hungry and stopped at a little roadside restaurant that I had spied earlier. I had noticed it seemed popular with the locals so I reasoned it would be a good place to get some authentic, local grub. Authentic it was: chicken, rice and tortillas. Typical lunch time food from the typical roadside stop for the typical Honduraño just passing by. The older gentleman serving the food was friendly and full of smiles. His young son, who couldn’t have been more than 12 years old, was quite the little helper. It’s incredible to see the work ethic some of these young Latin kids have. He was so cute and he couldn’t take his big, curious eyes off me. Every time I flashed him a smile, he’d flash a more adorable version right back. I don’t think too many gringos have ever visited that little roadside stop and that’s just how I liked it!
As I munched on my greasy lunch, I gazed at the throngs of students coming and going from one of the public universities that was just across the road. Now, before you envision grassy greens with tall, solid oaks, stately buildings that scream academics and other typical images of the American university, think again. I never made it onto the grounds, but from what I could spy, this university was a big, uninspiring building with a brown, dusty lot for cars. That’s it. I am quick to add that the outside doesn’t necessarily reflect what’s on the inside. Sometimes in central America you find dingy and uninspiring on the outside and luscious and beautiful on the inside. Other times, you find exactly what you expect… more uninspiring dinginess. I’m not sure which was the reality for this university.
I can’t remember what David first said to me to break the ice. He probably asked where I was from or something in a thickly accented, imperfect, but certainly good-enough English. An English that was a far better cry than my Spanish at least. David was also eating at the little roadside eatery. That first question from David Sabillion turned into quite the enjoyable chat that lasted a couple hours. He tried out his English, I stumbled through what little Spanish I could remember and we just asked each other about each other’s considerably different lives. I remember David said he’s the baby of the family, and if I remember correctly, he has two brothers and a sister. I taught him how to play Sudoku and he flagged all the particularly dangerous parts of the city for me on my map. He was eager to share with me his faith and trust in Jesus and was quick to tell me how impressed he was with me and my zeal for exploring foreign lands and cultures. David’s eyes possessed a kind and charming twinkle. His words were flattering but respectful. He was quite handsome in the classic Latin American way. And yes, I quickly found that I liked him and enjoyed his company.
By mid-afternoon, it was time for me to say goodbye to David and head back to Jason’s apartment so I could let him in when he got home from work. But, I didn’t leave without exchanging emails with David, getting his number and inviting him out to Klein Bohemia that evening.
It was a cooking adventure that night with Jason. Quite the comedian, Jason had sharp, witty commentary for everything I did and said. Funny. Sarcastic. Poking much fun. He wouldn’t give me a break… so at one point I tried to playfully whack him with a package of tortillas. The tortillas wound up flying out of the package and into the wall where they then slid down behind the stove. Great! But I was eager to save them! I bounded up onto the counter with my deliciously street dirty feet, while Jason wrenched the stove away from the wall. I nearly fell face forward trying to stretch and reach for those lost tortillas. Finally, I retrieved them and the nice “dusty” seasoning they managed to pick up from behind the stove. Yum! After hopping back down, I did immediately disinfect Jason’s counter after it’s encounter with my SPS street feet. Jason and I dusted off the “seasoned” tortillas and actually did end up eating them. Building up our immunities we figured! 
The meal turned out to be quite delicious and filled us with all the energy we needed for a night of impromptu fun. That evening, Jason and I headed to Carlos’ bar, Klein Bohemia. There wasn’t a huge crowd when we got there, but handfuls of people were scattered here and there sipping their drinks and listening to Carlos’ typically good selection of music. Carlos has a true knack for finding good music! I was soaking up the good Latin and reggae vibes when Carlos introduced me to Michael. Oh Michael.
Honestly, when we were first introduced… nothing crossed my mind other than “A warm, friendly face. Someone that seems interesting and warm to talk to.” And talk we did. Well, surprise, I did a lot of the talking. Michael asked what I was doing there and I explained that, I didn’t really know. I was supposed to be leaving for Europe in just a few weeks. I was in Honduras just a few weeks earlier for business and then pleasure. I had big ideas for a project in Honduras and Latin America. And… I just felt compelled to come back to squeeze in another quick visit before I left for Europe. And, I also had a donation (click link for more info) to deliver. Michael asked about “my project” and I promptly filled him in on my big ideas (spilling those beans later, but visit www.thecacaoproject.org now if you’re interested.) Then, Carlos, Michael and I all started talking about travel, our dreams and our ideas of how to achieve those dreams. My philosophy was a “go-out-and-get-it” type of philosophy. At one point Carlos said something to Michael in Spanish. They told me it didn’t translate quite right but it was something along the lines of “Laura, a fruit from another tree.”
I remember as I talked with Michael how the feeling of wanting to talk to him more and more just kind of crept up on me… and then just kept growing. I pointedly noticed how good I felt being with him. But, I hadn’t quite yet realized that I was already starting to fall for him. It’s funny. Usually, I know instantly if I’m going to like someone and how much. But not with Michael.
Michael and I were lost in conversation when Carlos, Jason and their friend Dashi hit the stage. Carlos on the bongos, Jason manning the mic, and Dash lighting up the keyboard. It was evident right from the start, that this trio had some chemistry. Carlos was the only band member on stage. Jason and Dash were simply joining him in an impromptu jam session… and it worked. Jason is a master with words and on-the-spot rhymes and rhythms. I mean super impressive here. And Carlos can match any beat with his bongos. And Dashi, kept right up with the rest of them, tossing his own one-liners and verses into the mix as well. Again, these three had great chemistry. Everyone at the bar just kind of hushed, watched and listened. I’m not going to lie, I was so impressed! I was really eating it up…
I remember I kept looking back at Michael, flashing smiles that revealed how much I was thoroughly enjoying the impromptu music, enjoying being there, enjoying myself! I remember thinking to myself, “Why do I keep turning back to him?” And then, it FINALLY started dawning on me that I was really into Michael.
Michael, seeing how much I was enjoying the music, began recording the jam session on his phone for me. It wasn’t long though before he was urged up on stage. At first, he was wanting to just let Dashi keep the rights to the keyboard. But, when I learned that Michael played, I insisted that he get up on stage.
Michael’s stage presence behind a keyboard is everything a keyboardist’s stage presence should be: calm, cool, smooth and suave. Showing and revealing emotion; but a shrouded emotion. Emotion with an air of aloofness. A soft look here. A cool smile there. Not to mention, he certainly knows what he’s doing when he’s touching el tocador. Sigh… there was no question about it… I was falling for Michael.
Eventually, Jason began urging me up on stage. Ack! I was NOT the impromptu “master behind the mic” like he was. My knack is with the written word, not the “stand-up” word… or verse rather. I hadn’t been on stage since my pre-teens, when I was a part of a traveling kids singing group. You know, the Missouri version of the Mickey Mouse Club or something. But once Carlos started egging me up there too, I decided, “Heck. I’m in Honduras. None of these people know me. Why not?!”
Oh did I have fun up there! I think I was the only one having fun though… haha. The only songs I know are Disney songs. With everything else, I’m afraid to admit, I can’t really get past the refrain. Verses just don’t stick with me very often. Soooo… Michael jumped in to bail me out. Turns out this boy can sing too. He would play and softly sing… and I would join in on the refrain or any other random parts I happened to know. It was quite romantic actually. Michael and I up on stage, together, the first night we had met… sigh. Oh, and I did get down with some Alicia Keys. That was super fun!!
Oh what a night! Music, a new boy that made my stomach bubble with butterflies and singing on stage! I think my “refrains only” and “Disney songs” wound up driving the clientele away… haha. But, it didn’t matter. Carlos was smiling at my silliness and it was getting quite late anyways.
Is was about that time that Jason took off. I opted to stay a little longer and help Carlos clean and close. Michael stayed too, offering to give me a ride back to Jason’s once we had closed. Yay! Michael, Carlos and I all chatted a bit more before taking off. At that point, I was fully committed to the idea that it would be a great idea for Michael to kiss me. I wanted him to kiss me and I’m sure that thought was written all over my face.
When Michael dropped me off at Jason’s… Michael did kiss me. It was a great kiss. A great idea followed by a great result. Everything was just… great! Hehehe.
Michael and I already had plans to join Carlos for lunch the next day. So, we said goodnight with promises to see each other again… quite enjoyably soon.
To be continued…
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