He sighs internally and thinks, ‘Damn these tourists with their foreign money and their rude, colonialist attitudes … wait … is that?’
He sweeps the coins off the countertop and drops them into his pocket before she can look down and notice what she’s done.
When the foreigner leaves, he waits until the shop is empty before sliding the thick coin out of his jeans. As he suspected, it’s shipwreck gold. That begs the question as to how it ended up in a rich tourist’s handbag in Ciudad de Mexico. Was there some newly discovered wreck in the Gulf? She hadn’t looked like a wreck diver.
The bell on the door chimes as someone comes in and he looks up, startled. Did she realize her mistake and come back to claim her coin? He clenches his fingers around it, the metal cool in his hot fist.
“José!”
He relaxes. “Hey, Lupita.”
“Mamí wants to know when you’re off work.”
He frowns. “Why didn’t she just call me?”
Lupe shrugs. “She tried. She said you weren’t answering.”
He checks his phone. It’s dead. ‘That’s weird,’ he thinks. ‘I know I charged it and I haven’t used it much today.’
“Well?” his sister asks impatiently.
“Um, I get off at 7.”
Lupe frowns. “Qué lástima! OK, well, you need to go home as soon as you get off work because she wants us all there for dinner.”
“Tell her I’ll be there.” He waves as his sister leaves the shop and then slides the coin out of pocket again to examine it. Even though it had been in his pocket and the air in the shop was warm, it was now so cold that he could barely hold it. His fingers tingling, he grabs one of the rags used to wipe down the counters and hastily wraps the coin in it. ‘Now what?’ he thinks.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2019-02-16 12:26 pm (UTC)He sweeps the coins off the countertop and drops them into his pocket before she can look down and notice what she’s done.
When the foreigner leaves, he waits until the shop is empty before sliding the thick coin out of his jeans. As he suspected, it’s shipwreck gold. That begs the question as to how it ended up in a rich tourist’s handbag in Ciudad de Mexico. Was there some newly discovered wreck in the Gulf? She hadn’t looked like a wreck diver.
The bell on the door chimes as someone comes in and he looks up, startled. Did she realize her mistake and come back to claim her coin? He clenches his fingers around it, the metal cool in his hot fist.
“José!”
He relaxes. “Hey, Lupita.”
“Mamí wants to know when you’re off work.”
He frowns. “Why didn’t she just call me?”
Lupe shrugs. “She tried. She said you weren’t answering.”
He checks his phone. It’s dead. ‘That’s weird,’ he thinks. ‘I know I charged it and I haven’t used it much today.’
“Well?” his sister asks impatiently.
“Um, I get off at 7.”
Lupe frowns. “Qué lástima! OK, well, you need to go home as soon as you get off work because she wants us all there for dinner.”
“Tell her I’ll be there.” He waves as his sister leaves the shop and then slides the coin out of pocket again to examine it. Even though it had been in his pocket and the air in the shop was warm, it was now so cold that he could barely hold it. His fingers tingling, he grabs one of the rags used to wipe down the counters and hastily wraps the coin in it. ‘Now what?’ he thinks.