“He’ll be fine. We call him La Miquina. In English that’s—”
“The machine. I like it.” Josie grabbed a shot as soon as Álvaro put the tray on the table. “Salud,” she announced, before taking her shot and slamming the empty glass back on the table. She seemed keen. Michael wondered if this was going to be a repeat of the night before. Somehow, she’d seemed to have recovered quite well, whereas he still felt rough. Perhaps he had misjudged her, he thought as he took his shot of rum. The best way to get over a hangover was to start drinking again. He could worry about the consequences tomorrow. As the rum hit his tongue, the depth of flavor surprised him—sweet, aromatic, and complex, with a hint of something spicy.
“Honey rum. Good, no?” Álvaro nodded in encouragement and picked up two shots and passed them to Michael and Josie. “We don’t see so many tourists these days,” Álvaro made it so his and Josie’s chairs were touching.
“And why is that?” He had piqued her interest.
“It can be dangerous.”
“Like what kind of dangerous are we talking? Mugging? Kidnapping?”
“Things are changing. Places used to be safer y’know. Tulum, Cancún, Acapulco. Tourists are a lot less off limits than they used to be. It wasn’t worth the hassle. The media shit-storm. These new gangs. They don’t care. The cartels broke up into so many different gangs y’know. Now it’s just one big cluster-fuck. This place, no one cares. People do what they want. Not to scare you, but just stay alert, y’know.”
“Yes. Of course.” Josie straightened up. She had let herself get too comfortable.
“Where are you staying anyway?”
“Mono Loco, just down the road.”
Michael wondered if she should be giving them the name of where they were staying. He got good vibes from them, but why take the risk?
“You’ll be safe there. Julio always pays on time. Very agreeable.”
“Pays for what?” asked Michael.
“Protection. Some of the people, the businesses, are still resistant y’know. It’s not worth it. Just take the hit.”
“What do you know about the taxi companies here? Are they safe?” Josie probed.
“There is only one. It’s safe, so far as I know. You should be able to take taxi, no problem.”
“Well, thanks for letting us know. We should be getting back to the hotel.” Michael looked around for Eduardo, but he must have disappeared out back.
Álvaro waved his arms in protest. “No, we’re just getting started.”
“Michael’s right. We got barely any sleep last night.”
“Oh.” He looked surprised and contemplative, like he was working out if they were a couple or not, but then deciding he didn’t care. “But your food is just coming.”
“I don’t know. I feel so tired. It’s really hitting me now.” Josie scanned the room for Eduardo.
“Okay. Eduardo,” he shouted. “These guys want their food to go. See. No point wasting good food. I can walk you back to the hotel.”
“It’s not even dark yet. We’ll be fine,” She looked back at the kitchen.
Álvaro’s lips turned up slightly in a strange grin. “Why the hurry?”
Josie changed the subject and started talking about things to do in the area until Eduardo emerged from behind the bar and walked over with two cardboard takeout boxes. “Enjoy.”
Josie gave the money straight to Eduardo. “Keep the change.” She grabbed the boxes and stood upright.
“Let’s go then.” Álvaro gave his friend a nod, and they had a shot of rum each before getting up, leaving the rest of the rum on the table.
“Adios Eduardo,” Michael called across the bar, and they headed for the exit. A warm current of air whooshed in as they opened the door. The once light, clear sky outside now drained of color as a thick gray shelf cloud loomed overhead, blocking out the sun, making it look much later than it was. Murky brown water still sat, stagnant in potholes from the last downpour.
“There’s a storm coming,” said Jorge, looking up. He had been so quiet all night that it was almost jarring to hear him speak. He could see his face better outside, and committed it to memory. His left cheek was dented with acne scars, but somehow, it worked for him. They crossed the road. “So what do you do for the rest of your trip?” he asked as he put his hands in his pockets.
“Not sure yet.” Michael looked around. The main street was devoid of people and looked like something from a western as grit from the road was kicked up in the air by the wind. He almost expected to see a pair of old-wooden saloon doors. As they got further down the road, Michael spotted Luis at his cart. He felt sorry for the guy, he couldn’t have much business. He waved at him from the other end of the street. A motorcycle’s buzzing engine tore through the silence as it whizzed past, kicking up more dust in its wake.
“This is us,” Josie said, preparing to cross the road. Looking both ways, despite how quiet it was.
“Nice to meet you. If you need anything, let us know. Give me your phone.”
“What?”
“I’ll put my number in. You need anything, give us a call.”
“Oh, yeah. Sure.” Josie slid her phone out of her pocket and unlocked it for Álvaro to input his number, seemingly unfazed. What could it hurt Michael decided, and he took his details as well.
“Good luck on the surgery tomorrow,” said Michael.
“What?” Álvaro said, looking up from the phone.
“Jorge said you are performing a C-section tomorrow.”
“Ah, yes.” He turned to Jorge. “We should go home.” They headed back to the restaurant in a hurry, leaving Michael and Josie stood on the sidewalk looking at each other with an uneasy look that turned into a smile.“
“Well that was… something.” Michael laughed.
Chapter Eleven
There was something about standing in front of a mirror and brushing his teeth that always sent Michael
