My Neighborhood II

Sometimes it's enough just to observe and do nothing more.

The weather has gotten cooler. It's really nice. The only problem is I caught a cold because I slept without a blanket and it got cold. I seriously thought colds were from germs. I think colds are from cold.

Anyway, after the gym, I came home to wait to see if my ATM card was finally delivered. I've been waiting for it for over a week and was afraid to go anywhere in case I had to sign for it. The postman passed and didn't stop here.

There were four sex workers outside. Because it's not as hot, most of them were dressed a little more modestly, wearing jeans instead of the skimpy dresses they normally wear. One in particular looked quite beautiful. They look young. Maybe early 20's.

Across the street from my building is another apartment building where several African families live. There are at least 6 children and it seems as if one of them is always crying, I mean screaming. Maybe they take turns.

As I was peeping out to see if the postman was coming, my neighbor, a young African woman, came out with three kids - two adorable little boys and a younger girl. The boys were crying.

The had little backpacks on and it looked like they were going to school. The mother was yelling at them. I heard some English thrown in from time to time "come on"! Her yelling seemed to make the crying worse.

The mother kept walking and one of the boys stayed behind. The pretty sex worker called to him, also in some language that was not Spanish with a few words of English mixed in - I heard "big man". She went over to him and gently touched him on the back to encourage him to walk with his mother. It was such a sweet gesture.

I finally went to the bank and got my ATM card. Turns out the postman returned it as undeliverable. I thought I knew my address. At least I have it now and can get money from the bank. I don't know if I lost money by converting all of my money at once, but now I don't have to search for banks that will exchange money for me or worry about daily fluctuations.

Walking back, I passed the bakery where the grumpy guy seems to not be working anymore. I went in on Wednesday and a woman was working. They had prepared food. I got chicken with vegetables and meatballs. Both were really good. I also bought soft cake in a bag. It was yummy. The woman was nice. She didn't snarl at me.

Further down on Feria Street was the Thursday flea market. I passed it last week on my bike but didn't stop. Since I was on foot, I thought I'd check it out, especially to see if there was any food being sold. Verdict? A bunch of junk. Like any flea market anywhere. Used shit that somebody doesn't want being sold to someone who probably doesn't need it.

After walking a block, I turned around and came home.

The four sex workers stayed outside until siesta and then they disappeared.