Lakeside Adventure Queen

By Queen Michel

malecon chapala

 

Today, started out as any normal Wednesday, I headed to Wednesday market early, so as not to be late for my Meta Mind discussion group at 11:15 am. Everything was going well. I had gotten everything intended at the market and the bus had just pulled up back in front of my place (which is right next door from where MM meets) at 11:00 am. I had time to drop my groceries off, and head over. I mentioned I was doing so to another lady as we crossed the street together.

She was on the bus too, and I recognized that she was going to group.

When I got to my gate, I reached for my backpack/purse for my key to open it and realized that I had left it on the bus in the empty seat next to where I was sitting! COMPLETE PANIC sets in. I ran back across the street and started frantically to flag down ANY car that would help me run down that bus. Two cars passed me up and looked at me as if I were some maniac, although I’m sure I probably looked wide-eyed and crazy.

The next car was actually a taxi, it didn’t say taxi, but it was white and yellow and small like they are. I jumped in and begin stammering out in English, and pointing dramatically “I left my purse on the bus! Please go!” “I have to get my purse” “I’ll pay” “PLEASE CATCH THE BUS!! Thankfully, he understood and spoke decent English. Off we took at what I thought was a snail’s pace. Traffic was in the way and I kept urging him to go faster, to pass cars, to hurry up!

Finally he motioned as if he were going to pull over and he told me...”you get out!” I said, begged and whimpered...”Oh no! I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, okay I’ll be good, okay I’ll be quiet, please no.” He kept going. I took several deep breaths to calm down and told him my name, how I appreciated him, and asked his name...Ricardo.

A block before we get to Chapala, traffic bottled necked. With the bus in sight, I jumped out the car and ran 5 car lengths up and startled the bus driver as I banged on his door. I stepped up and in noticing an older Mexican man, rather ragged-looking sitting in the seat I had been sitting in, with no one next to him.

He had 2 or 3 big bags at his feet. I spoke with my eyes, hand gestures and mouth...”Did you see my purse?! My purse was there! My purse? He looked me in my eyes, raised his head up slowly, then bent down untied one of those raggedy bags, pulled out my purse and handed it to me without saying a word. I grabbed my purse, quickly checked the contents (all good) I held up both hands and victoriously howled loudly before exiting the bus.

I run back to the taxi and jump in elated. Ricardo did a U and headed back West. I only had two 100 peso bills in my wallet and I handed him a 100 peso bill. He was upset and said that it wasn’t enough. I showed him that I was giving him HALF of what I had. He was clearly upset, which made me say...”Hey, it’s only 70 pesos to go from San Antonio to Chapala and besides you did a really good deed today and that should count too.”

He wasn’t hearing it and continued to voice his displeasure with the 100 pesos saying, “you made me go fast, I could have crashed my car” I told him, “yeah but you didn’t.” He turned left at the 7-Eleven in Riberas, said something about making a pick up, coming back that way in a few so I could catch the bus or maybe wait...in other words... get out. I said, “fine, thank you.”

As I cross the street, the bus was coming. I was happy to have my purse and be heading home. As the bus approached, I reached for change for the bus in my front pocket, cool, got it. I then reached in my back pocket for my phone...and realized I had left it in the taxi! COMPLETE PANIC sets in again. I didn’t board the bus because I remembered Ricardo said he was coming back that way shortly.

So I found a patch of shade from the blazing heat and started waiting and pacing. I was thinking...he’s not coming back this way, he wanted more pesos so he’s going to keep my phone. I waited, and paced back and forth for 20 minutes or so until I accepted defeat and would catch the next bus home. Telling myself at least I have my purse.

A short time later a bus came into view. Sad, I got on the bus. As soon as he pulled off, I looked up and saw the taxi pulling up at the OXXO!! I yelled to the bus driver to let me off!! He looked at me as if to say, you sure? I reiterated to let me off. He opened the doors and I ran in front of the bus and across the street to the taxi. I pulled open the passenger door. It wasn’t Ricardo in the driver seat, it was a woman.

I blurted out his name, and she said, “Si”. I told her I was in this taxi and left my phone. She motioned and looked around the car then said, “No phone.” She went one step further and called Ricardo, they spoke Spanish and she opened up the glove compartment and there was my phone!! She handed it me, and I said, Gracias a few times holding the phone to my chest.

I walked back across the street to finally catch the bus home. Standing there waiting for the bus with my bag of groceries, my backpack/purse on my back, and my phone in my purse I bust out laughing. I couldn’t believe I had lost my purse on the bus, and my phone in the taxi that chased the bus and all this happened within an hour’s time. What the hell had just happened?

I swear, I just continued being SO tickled by it all. I know y’all. I must do better. And I will. But one has to admit...THE UNIVERSE GOT MY BACK!

So, needless to say I missed MetaMind, but I was there waiting to tell them all about why I missed when the group finished up at 12:45 pm. I continued my day attending a 2:30 pm Murder Mystery Party, and a rooftop margarita party at 5:00 pm.

Both events were fun and added to the weirdest, funniest, victorious, wild, adventurous days I’ve ever spent Lakeside.

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