Socio

"Socio."

Yes, we started school today. Yes, we went on adventures to find a gym, and find meals, and discover new streets we hadn't yet walked down, but today's story is not any of these things. I could write about the school (which I will at some point, I promise), or the friendly restaurant owner that I chatted with in Spanish (!) briefly tonight, but I won't. Today's moment was our meeting with Jesús and his Socio.

Last night, the air conditioner in my bedroom started making the most horrible noises. We called Juan, our property manager, and left a message detailing the problem. We emailed the property owner in the US, expressing our concerns, and I shared a bed in a cooled room with Alexis. This morning, we woke up to a reassuring email from our property owner that Juan would be by this afternoon to fix it. We called Juan this morning, and he said he would come by. He didn't tell us that he was bringing Jesús.

Enter Jesús. Seven years old, dressed in a red shirt, denim jeans, a belt and loafers, Jesús entered the room with his father, held out his hand and declared in proud English, "My name is Jesús." That was as far as his English went. But Jesús had an immediate presence in the room. While Juan inspected the air conditioner, Alexis told Jesús he could watch tv. Instead, he began to instruct Maggie on how to use the remotes, and how to find Cartoon Network. When we asked Juan to take us to the grocery store, Jesús rode in the car and talked to his dad. Maggie and Alexis sat in the back with him, and chatted a little, and when we arrived at the grocery store, Juan said he would pick us up in 15 minutes. "Do you want to come with us?" Maggie asked Jesús. He smiled and climbed out of the car.

In the grocery store, Jesús was our guide. He instructed us to get baskets, but later changed his mind and made us go back to get a cart when we had too many things. He refused to let Maggie carry anything, declaring it was too heavy for her. In the beer aisle, Jesús explained the different sizes of beers and told us that different sizes could add up to equal amounts. All in Spanish, Jesús explained how we could get two small six packs, or one larger six pack, or if we wanted to get the largest of sizes, we'd really only need two or three bottles total. When we made our decision, he took them off the shelves for us and placed them in the cart. He insisted on pushing the cart around. Jesús helped with our Spanish, insisted on carrying things for us, and carried himself like a man.

When we got to the check out line, it was clear we had done something wrong. In retrospect, I think we were supposed to weigh the fruits and vegetables before checking out, as I had done in France, but the cashier explained it too quickly for us to understand. Whatever she said, even Jesús looked at us confused, as if to say, "Um, aren't you the adults here?" But once resolved, Jesús returned to being the man.

In the car, Jesús called his father Juan, socio! Socio means business partner, associate, and his father laughed and explained. "Yes, sometimes Jesús calls me socio, you know, like business partner." And today, Jesús was definitely that. He had taken us around the grocery store, and instructed us on toilet paper brands and types of fruits, and he had acted like a grown man the entire time.

Except in the car, in the last moment, when he said so clearly in Spanish that even I could understand it, "This was the best day."

el socio de Juan

The walk to dinner