Friday morning, I once again had to take some kids to Teleton. I took my mom's Trooper because Jorge told us that the Mitsubishi was 2 qts low on oil and that he thought it had an oil leak. I wanted to put the oil in it before I drove it to town. So down the mountain we went in the Trooper. First stop, gas station. After we left the gas station, the trooper stopped 4 times as I was driving. When it stopped, nothing worked on the car, not the breaks and not the steering wheel. I would manage to get the car on the side of the road and get it started again. I told the kids when we got to Texaco, I needed to check something on the car. A attendant there checked all of the fluids and told me all was todo cheque with the inside of the car, but that my tire was about to blow out if I drove it much further. I looked at the tire and could see that it was litterally busting at the seams and did not look like it could go much further.
I could not call anyone because my phone was not working. I knew I could get the tire changed across the street, but I did not know what to do with the car and its stopping problem. Fortunately, the only number I know in Honduras is my dad's. I asked a man if I could use his phone, and when my dad didn't answer, the man left. I was sure I wouldn't get a hold of anyone to help me untill they passed me by on their way to the farm in Zamorano. Evidently, the nice man that let me use his phone, called my dad again and told him where I was and that I was having car trouble.
I went across the street to get my tire changed and asked the guy who changed my tire for only 20 limps or $1 if I could use his phone. My dad told me that Milton and Luis were already on their way to rescue me and that after they got there to take a taxi to Teleton. They showed up in the infamous green truck. Milton told Luis he would take the Trooper to the shop that was unable to do anything to help the car, and Luis told me not to worry about the taxi, that he could take us to Teleton.
Luis did not drive us to Teleton, but rather flew us. I was unaware that the green truck could move so rapidly. As we zoomed through traffic, I was having to hide Guadalupe under my legs so that the police did not see that I had a child in the front seat. We made it to Teleton in record time from the Texaco in Loarque. Unfortunately, we did not make it there quite quick enough, because we completely missed Lupita's appointment and will have to try again another day.
Fernando's appointment was so quick I barely had time to use the bathroom and reschedule Lupita's appointment. We were told after we were done at Teleton to go to Mall Cascada and wait. We got to the mall just as stores were opening. Knowing that Byron, a friend of ours, generally uses the free internet at one of the Coffee Shops, we went there hoping that he might be working. There was no such luck to be had. However, there was another kind gentleman that let us use his phone. My dad said entertain the kids until 11:30 and we will be there.
Ok kids, we have an hour and a half, lets have some fun. First we went to the mall playground and played a few minutes. Next we went to Dunkin Donuts where I bought each of the three of us a donut and some coffee for myself. I, however, only got a couple sips of my coffee because 9 year old Fernando and 6 year old Guadalupe drank most of it before I ever got the chance to drink it. We then went to Wal-Mart.
Imagine taking two kids that didn't even know what Wal-Mart was into a store like that. Fernando thought everything was cool. I mean everything. He ooohed and awed over the Christmas decor. He counted every flatscreen TV. He touched every towel. By far, however, the best part of Wal-Mart was the toy section. Both of the kids thought every single toy (both the boy ones and girl ones) were the best things they had ever seen. Fer really loved the Star Wars and Iron Man toys. When we got done looking at the toys in Wal-Mart, I told them I knew of a store with even more toys.
After every toy in the entire mall had been carefully examined and tried out, we went to the wing place downstairs to wait on my dad and the group. As things go in Honduras, it was not 11:30 when they showed up, but much closer to 12:30. I think my dad meant to tell me that he was going to leave the farm at 11:30 not be back in the city then. We walked around a little more and waited a little more. I was very glad when I saw a group of 10 gringos walk through the door because Fernando and Lupita were telling me how hungry they were.
We enjoyed a nice lunch with the group and made it back to Casa just a mere 4 hours after we had planned on being there. It was just another typical day in the life here in Honduras.
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