Would you like to go out sometime?

By Milene

February 20, 2009

We already know that our town is not very big, but recently we learned that it is not that small either. Basically, most people have seen us around town and know that we are there to do volunteer work. That does not mean that they know we are a married couple. A few days ago, I was walking to the “gym” (think Soviet-era Eastern Bloc Arnold Schwarzenneggar gym…half the roof missing, a few aerobic machines without electricity, oil that leaks out of equipment on to your head, and occasionally a car will roll in as half the gym is transformed into a mechanic shop while you are working out) in my site and a mototaxi driver stopped on the street right next to me to ask if I wanted a ride to wherever I was headed. I thought he wanted to ask me about teaching English or something, but I accepted his mototaxi offer to be nice. Here’s how our conversation went:

Mototaxi Guy: [driving up to me as I walked] “Hey, where are you heading?”

Me: [surprised/startled] “Oh, uh, just walking to the gym.”

Mototaxi Guy: [trying to impress] “Want a ride? I can take you there.”

Me: “Oh no that’s OK, it’s close.” [only two blocks]

Mototaxi Guy: “Oh that’s OK, I can take you anyways.”

Me: [trying to be nice] “Well OK, sure.”

[1 minute later arriving at the “gym”]

Mototaxi Guy: “Are you an English teacher here?”

Me: “Well not really, I teach some English but I do work with the youth here.”

Mototaxi: “How come I never see you out on the weekends?”

Me: [confused] “What do you mean?”

Mototaxi: “If you want sometime, we can go out to the plaza on the weekend…”

And that’s how I got asked out on a date to go walk around the plaza on the weekend. He was disappointed to hear that the other gringo guy I always walk around with is actually my husband, but I’m sure we’ll all see each other around town and maybe even do a group hangout at the plaza one Friday.