I haven’t talked to you all in a while and I apologize for going missing off the map. I had a quick trip to San Diego and Baker City this last month, with an opportunity to present the documentary and the project in both places. It was a really good time to see God work and see some friends. After my trip, I came back to Honduras and we started the second phase of construction. We are building three more classrooms and the bathrooms! Thank you to all of you who have supported the project, these are the results. There is a whole community excited about the next classrooms being finished, and a line to enroll. I promise to write more about the project and its progress, and send photos even, but yesterday I bought a new cotton blend button-down, long sleeve. green like a pine needle forest, shirt. I bought it because a year and a half ago, after moving down to Honduras, I met Rina.
I was at the church to take photos of a Quincenera when Karen, my good friend who helped me find my apartment in her neighborhood, introduced me to her sister. We said hi and we talked about dancing. It really wasn’t much of a conversation but it was the first time I talked to her. As months progressed, I was hanging out at Karen’s house almost every night. It was more fun to eat dinner with her family than to eat dinner alone on my electric stove. Rina would be in the house with her boyfriend Rodolfo, who never wanted to do anything but watch TV. It wasn’t until her birthday last year that we connected. We had a big celebration with the family, with cake and presents and everyone happy. Rodolfo pouted outside the door for some reason, and so Rina and I hung out. We kept everyone entertained until the last crumb of cake had been eaten.
Two months later Rina had broken up with Rodolfo and had started a new job at a bank. She had to do training in San Pedro, which meant taking a bus there every day and returning at night. I overheard that she was going to go to the fair with her friends after work one night and I invited myself along. I really wanted to talk with her more and I wanted to see the fair. I made sure that I left in plenty of time to find the bank she was working without getting lost.
I jumped on a crowded bus and stood the whole way to San Pedro. When I got off it was raining. I had no idea where the bank was and tried asking everyone running past me, who was smarter than me because they had an umbrella that I wish I had at that moment, where I could find Banco Bamer. After a few wrong directions, typical for when you need to find some place in Honduras, I arrived on the steps of the enormous building soaking wet.
Rina, was late. I should have known from that day on that she would always be late leaving the bank. But this was the first time to be outside her work, so I happily waited. After an hour of the guard eying me suspiciously and asking me several times who I was waiting for, She finally came out with a new friend. Because of the rain, we could no longer go to the fair, so we settled for the next best thing, Wendy’s. We entered the chilling, air-conditioned restaurant with wet clothes and ordered Rina’s favorite hamburger, the Jr. double. Knowing I needed to be a gentleman, I invited Rina’s friend to dinner with the rest of the money I had and Rina paid for herself.
We had a good conversation, despite the fact that I was dying to just talk to Rina alone, and in the end I got my wish. Her friend lived in San Pedro! She would not be going on the bus with us back to Puerto Cortes. With quick goodbyes, we caught the last bus and grabbed the last seat available in the back. Because of the rain and cold, Rina snuggled up to my arm. Her head rested on my shoulder. She smelled sooo good.
My heart was pounding so hard I thought I would bump her head off of my shoulder with one big bang! We started talking. I promise the ladies reading this that I was concentrating on the conversation, I just remember what was said because I was also thinking of how I wanted to kiss her more than anything in that moment. Rina cannot be mad at me, because in that moment, as she was talking that night, she was only thinking of how she wanted to kiss me too. We both had thought it would be wrong because we were just friends. But as the conversation continued, I found her perfect lips a bit closer, and a bit closer, and a bit closer, to mine. And as we touched, the lights went out in the bus for the long stretch of highway leading to the port. I kissed her like I have never kissed anyone in my life!
Rina told me that she was sorry, she never meant to kiss me on the bus. She thought we should just be friends. I told her that was better. I couldn’t really date Karen’s sister could I? Besides, Rina’s family was the family that took me in, that showed me how to live in Honduras, that helped me. They had been so nice to me that I could not go out with her! Something could happen and I would ruin everything I had here in Honduras… I only kissed her three more times that week.
It was after that fourth kiss that we talked again. I told her if we were going to date, there needed to be three rules. One, she had to accept me as I was, I would never change my personality. Two, she had to trust me completely. I was not going to stand for jealousy. If I said I was with her then I was with her and am not with anyone else, nor thinking about someone else. She had to trust my word. And three, she had to communicate with me. Communication is the key to any relationship, just like trust is. I told her that I would follow these rules too, if she accepted.
I thought, she’ll say no and I will be safe from having to tell her we won’t date because she would have decided for herself. I waited for the “your crazy” speech, and instead I got, “Oh, is that it? That’s what you want? I can do that…” I was so taken aback that she accepted, and I could not tell her no to dating after she just promised everything I wanted. So, we started to date.
Unbeknownst to me, dating in Honduras means you have talk to the girl’s father and ask permission, just to date! Otherwise he may show up at your house in the middle of the night with a machete and try to cut your testicles off. Rina’s father had left her when she was two, and she was raised by her aunt and uncle who live two doors behind me. It was they who I needed to ask permission. With nerves rupturing all over my body, I went in to ask Joli if I could date Rina. Rina went along and Karen filmed with her cell phone.
After playing like she couldn’t hear what I was asking three times, Joli smiled politely and told me no. I did not have permission. I thought she was joking until she started to explain why. I thought her reason was stupid, but who am I to argue with her? I panicked. I started thinking of what I could do to convince her that I could date Rina. How could I date Rina and still respect Joli? I would need to ask again in a month or something, after I cleaned her yard, washed her clothes, and maybe changed her baby’s diapers. At the moment that Rina wanted to kill her aunt, but was biting her toungue, and when I was ready to re-group myself for another day, that Joli burst out laughing. “You should see your face! Hahaa! Of course you can date her! We were hoping you would. I was just joking. We think you would be an excellent boyfriend. I just want you to name your kids after me…” I felt a wave pass over me as all my nerves just stopped panicking. Really? That’s great! I asked Uncle Kalin the next night his permission as well, and it went much smoother. We were able to talk man to man. I told him all the reasons why I wanted to date Rina and promised him to take care of her. Rina was brilliant. She looked so beautiful and inspired me as I promised her uncle for her safety. With a hug and a prayer, we parted and I began to “officially” date Rina.
I bought a shirt yesterday because three weeks ago I went over to Joli and Kalin’s house. Rina was in my apartment writing Elda an email on my computer, and I used the opportunity to sneak out. I told her, “Well if you are gonna type for a little bit, I am going to uh… run to the store and buy chicken to cook for dinner...uh, ok? Just wait here…” I ran up to Kalin’s house and asked Josa where his father was. I burst into the partially open bedroom immediately explaining, “Kalin, I don’t have much time, maybe only two or three minutes. Rina does’t know I am here because she thinks I am buying chicken for dinner. But I gotta ask you something.” It was after the explanation that I realized Kalin, who was sitting in the hammock watching TV, was naked, only his whitie tighties to cover him. He casually placed the pillow from the bed on his lap and asked me casually, what I needed. I told him that I wanted to ask Rina to marry me. “Yeah man! He said. We think that would be a great idea. Do you need anything else?” “Umm, no. I think that was it.” “Ok,” he said and started watching TV again. I waited a second and then got up and moved to the door. I turned around and said thanks, “Thanks for this Kalin, and uh, thanks for being naked when I had to ask permission… Bye!” I promised Margery, Kalin’s little girl who was eves-dropping at the door, chocolate if she kept the secret from Rina. Then I ran down to the store and bought the chicken and made it back to the apartment without Rina noticing a thing.
Today, on Rina’s birthday, I have told her we are going out for her birthday. She thinks we are taking the bus to go to the mall or something in San Pedro and just walk around, but I have reserved a table at the nicest Italian restaurant in San Pedro. In two hours, we are going to share an Italian lunch, because her dream is to see Venice one day and her favorite food is Lasagna, and then when she thinks the afternoon is over, I am going to ask her to marry me. I know I only have two hours left, but I cannot keep the secret any longer. So here I am spilling it all. Now you all know, but by the time any info could ever seep back to her, we will be on the bus to San Pedro alone, without cell phones and she will be the least suspecting of the fantastic surprise. I’ll let you know how it goes. But right now I gotta shower and shave. Talk to you more later…
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