Valentine's Day

I walked up to the Boston Deli again for an early lunch. The owner and cook, Gigi, has become like a mother to me. She always loads up my plate or sometimes it becomes two plates. Once she gave me one plate with two huge slices of roast beef and homemade gravy and another plate with the veggies, rice pilaf, mashed potatoes and french bread. After I ate it all she asked if I wanted more!!!

She is warm and loving as if I were her daughter walking into her kitchen at home. I love Gigi. Once she looked at my plate before I threw it away, plastic plates, and she saw three peas on it. She looked sad and she said, You don't like peas?

I felt caught out, like a small child. I tried to explain to her that I have a hard time getting the peas on my fork as I am having to eat right handed. I am left handed. But it was too complicated for her limited English and my more limited Spanish.

She said, I won't give you any more peas. Now I am careful to clean my plate. I don't want her to think I don't like something. All her meals cost 35 pesos. I checked the currency converter today. That means they cost 2.42 in American dollars. Can't beat that. Who needs a refrigerator or a stove when GiGi cooks? She makes shrimps, roast beef, chicken and beef fajitas, halibut, meat loaf, and today I had filete mignon.

The case of Benjamen Button is playing at the movie theater next to her restaurant. I may see it tomorrow. Costs less than two dollars and it is a nice theater.

This week end the Mexicans call the week end of love. Flowers everywhere and candy and people running around with gifts. My friend and I are going to a funeral, a memorial service for a man who recently passed away here. His sons are going to take his ashes by boat at sunset to scatter on the lake. We will watch from the shore. A Mariachi singer will be on the boat and will sing his favorite song. They were friends. The man lived here for seventeen years. His son said to me that he was looking at old photos of his dad and in all of them he looked happy. He was in his early eighties when he died.

His son also said that everything went smoothly for them as far as all the legal things were concerned. If I stay here I am going to make my own arrangements. I don't want to make it hard on my son if I die here. At the Lake Chapala Society you can pay three hundred and fifty dollars and write out all your instructions and it is all in place.

This is as good a place as any to die. Better to live but we have no choice in that matter. The church bells are ringing now. It is twelve noon. Valentine's Day. If you are reading this today, I wish you a Happy Valentine's Day. I wish for you a life as happy as mine is here.