Notes from a Spinning Planet—Mexico Read Free Page B

will figure something out for us by tomorrow.”
    “I hope so.”
    We sit there for quite a long time, and finally Sid gets impatient. “You'd think they would have brought us the bill by now. It's not like they're terribly busy.”
    I glance around the partially filled restaurant and nod. “And I was hoping we'd feel like taking a little walk on the beach, if it's not too late.”
    “I wonder if it's safe.” Then Sid sees the waiter and waves to him and asks him for the check in a slightly impatient tone. He explains to us in a mix of English and Spanish that Mexicans think it's rude to bring a bill before the customer requests it. He says they want their customers to linger over their meals and not feel rushed.
    “That's very nice,” she says to him. “Muy bueno.”
    “Si,” I agree. “Muy bueno.”
    Sid signs the check, and then I ask the waiter if it's safe to walk on the beach at night.
    “Si, si.” He assures me that two women together will be safe.
“No problema. “
    “Muchas gracias.”
    So we go down the steps to the beach, take off our shoes, and even get our feet wet. The water's cold but not as cold as in Washington. We walk a ways, and just as we reach the edge of the lit path, we see a couple of guys coming our way. At first I think nothing of this, but then I can sense Sid bristle. She nudges me with her elbow.
    “I think we should go back,” she says suddenly.
    The two guys are quickly coming closer now, and I can see they don't look like tourists and aren't dressed like any of the hotel employees. I'm not sure if it's Sid's reaction or my own instincts, but I think she's right. These two guys look a little suspicious.
    We turn and begin to hurry back up the beach, but I can hear them calling out to us, asking us to talk to them. The whole situation sends a chill down my spine.
    “They probably think we're a couple of hot chicks out looking for some action,” I tease Sid when we reach the steps leading up to the hotel. “You should be flattered.”
    “I'm a little old for them,” says Sid in a tight voice. “If they got close enough, they'd see that for themselves.”
    “Maybe they were just being friendly,” I say as we scurry up the stairs.
    “Too friendly, if you ask me.” Sid pauses to look back. I turn and see the two guys standing in the shadows, looking up at us on the stairs.
    “Well, I think they got the hint,” I say.
    “Even so,” says Sid, pausing to catch her breath at the top, “lets make sure they don't try to follow us or anything. No telling whether this place has much security or not.”
    So we wait in the shadow of a potted palm tree until Sid is satisfied that our two “friends” have moved on down the beach.
    “I know I probably seem paranoid to you,” she explains as we go to our room. “But as a journalist, I've covered enough stories about girls who've gone missing while on vacation to know this isn't something to take lightly. Be assured, I'm not about to let you become one of those statistics, Maddie.”
    I sort of laugh. “Hey, I figure since we survived Papua New Guinea, we can survive anything.”
    “That's just it,” she says as we turn a corner. “You start thinking you have things all figured out, and then something hits you from behind, something you never saw coming, even if you should ve. I've learned that to be a good traveler, you always have to remain aware. Listen to your instincts, Maddie. God gave us an inner radar that most people try to ignore.”
    “Yeah,” I admit, “I did get an uneasy feeling about those guys on the beach.”
    “Aha,” she says. “So what if you'd been alone? What would you have done?”
    I consider this. “Well, for starters, I doubt that I'd go out on a beach by myself down here—at night, that is. I mean, I've heard those stories too.”
    “Good answer. But what if you were with a girlfriend your age,maybe someone who wasn't so good at paying attention to her instincts? What would you do