After a long morning of running around town getting my papers in order, and a four hour Spanish class (where I am bombarded with Spanish non-stop), I was worn out and badly in need of a siesta. But Sara was in town and I wanted to go meet up with her and her Mom for lunch first.
When I got out of class Sara was just going to the dentist for an appointment in Las Arenas (town near Sara's house), so I decided I would head that way and meet her there. When I arrived, Sara was still busy so I decided I should find a place to sit and rest. At the time there was a Folk Festival going on. Tents with vendors lined the plaza and in the middle there was a large tent which was going to host a concert later that evening. I suppose the tents were out because it was raining a little bit.
On the other side of the plaza there were kids running around and parents enjoying lunch and coffee. I decided this was a prime spot to doze off for a bit. I looked for a bench but all of them were wet from the rain, so I laid down beneath an overhang where a few kids were playing soccer. I knew it would only be a few more minutes before Sara would be done and calling me.
A few minutes later I was awoken, not by my phone ringing, but by two women tapping me. I just laid there, looking up, trying to adjust my eyes to see the two women. They were about 35 and 40 and yelling at me in Spanish. I started looking around and realized that the sun had come out and that I was alone beneath the overhang.
I tried telling the two women that I was OK and was just sleeping. They knew I wasn't Spanish but they still kept asking me questions simultaneously which made it very difficult to understand either one of them. So I solicited that I was waiting for my girlfriend who was seeing the dentist. They asked for her name, I said Sara. Then they asked for my name and I said Stephen. Then one woman pulled out the phone and started calling someone... "Hola, Policia..."
I jumped up and started screaming "NO, NO, no policia. I am not a drug addict, I am not homeless, I am fine. I am just tired." The one woman on the phone wasn't listening but the other seemed to understand. She asked if I was okay, and again I repeated that I was fine, only tired. She relayed the information to the other woman who hung up the phone and then walked away. Apparently they were worried about me and thought I might be sick and needed medical attention (everyone is freaking out about the swine flu).
I told her again I was just tired and waiting for my girlfriend, and then thanked her for her concern. She left and went over to a huddled group of worried mothers and probably explained the situation to them. A minute later, I saw one of my roommates pass by the women. I called him over to see what he was doing there. I had forgotten that he worked in the town and, at the time, was currently on break. I told him the story that had just happened and pointed over at the women standing across the plaza.
The women seemed relieved and surprised. Relieved that I actually knew someone in town. Surprised that my girlfriend was actually a boy.
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