I’ll never forget the first time I was short on tortilla money and the guy in the tienda was like “just get me back later”.
“En serio??”
“Si. No preocupes.”
And you know what happened? I made darn good and sure to get that 4 pesos to him ASAP. I was so honored that he trusted me. I couldn’t believe it. That does not happen at Safeway, amigo.
But over the last few years it has begun to happen constantly.
For example, maybe once every few weeks I get into this cycle where I never have the 25 pesos for coffee in the morning. I always have either 500 peso bills that no one wants first thing in the morning, or I don’t have enough.
So I just walk in and say I don’t have any cash. Can I get you later?
I’ve racked up 4 days worth of coffees before, and no one has ever said a thing.
They seem to trust me. I value their trust, so I always square up.
And if it’s yet another day I’m stealing coffee from them, I will at the very least proclaim my thievery loudly: “I now owe you for DOS DIAS!!!” And I always wish the Count, from Sesame Street, were behind me at that exact moment to echo: “DOS DIAS, HA HA HA.” (lightning bolt)
It’s my funny way of accounting I guess, but it’s also my way of being accountable.
One day soon after my place was robbed and all my jewelry was stolen, I went into the neighborhood silver shop to buy myself some new adornments. I picked out 9,000 pesos worth of things I liked, but I only had about 3,000 pesos on me at the time.
SHE LET ME WALK OUT THE DOOR WITH ALL OF THE THINGS I WANTED, AND I PAID NOTHING.
She didn’t ask me for the pesos I did have, she didn’t even give me an accounting of what I took. She just told me to get her back when I could. She sees me all the time. She knows I’m around.
WHAT.
Tonight I went to a favorite restaurant, one I went to the other night with my friend who’s visiting from Seattle. He left a really nice pair of earplugs, they must have fallen out of his backpack or something.
Anyway as I was leaving, the host snaps his fingers like he’s just remembered something, goes digging in a bowl full of wine corks, and out pops this little metal titanium bullet looking thing which contains two space age ear plugs that probably cost a hundred bucks, and will presumably block out any noise, including cats in heat.
A wise choice to bring on this trip to my house, amigo. I commend you on your foresight.
And something anyone in that restaurant could have kept for themselves. But they didn’t.
Last time I went to the salon, I accidentally gave her a 200 peso tip instead of 100. She messaged me later to tell me. I’d been wondering all damn day how I lost a whole 100 pesos.
I know there is always a lot of talk about how “Mexico is not safe”, and “You can’t trust anyone there”.
But, I’ve personally never been allowed to walk out of any store in the States with $300.00+ worth of jewelry in a store-branded bag without having paid for it.
No one has ever gotten back to me to let me know I tipped way too much.
Starbucks does not trust me to “get them back later” either.
That guy didn’t have to let me walk out with the tortillas I didn’t have the cash for; Safeway would have made my ass put something back.
There seems to be a lot of trust here, for a place that’s “not trustworthy”.
Sometimes it really hits me hard that I’m not in the place I grew up. Sometimes that’s a rude awakening.
But sometimes it’s just the sweet, soft smack of “girl, you’re in a good and happy state of love and trust.”
❤
“State of love and trust as I busted down the pretext
Sin still plays and preaches, but to have an empty court, uh huh.”
Pearl Jam
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