Our first year in SMA was 2008. At that time, we were living in a neighborhood called Atascadero (now it is called Arcos de San Miguel). Atascadero was an easy walk to the jardin because it was all downhill. However, coming home at night was a different story. On a cold March evening we ventured out to centro in search of a place to have dinner. Here in SMA everyone dresses very casually. Bob always wears “smurf”, the nick-name of his blue backpack. We looked at several restaurant menus and decided to have dinner at Nirvana’s. Smurf was also welcomed to the table by Nirvana’s staff.
Nirvana’s is a very nice place. We were cold, dressed in jeans, sweaters, jackets, scarves, and gloves. We decided to sit inside for obvious reasons. We had a nice glass of wine (or two) and a very nice dinner of rack of lamb and venison. At the table next to ours was this very lovely couple. He was dressed smartly and she was dressed very elegantly.
We glanced at each other from time-to-time and traded smiles and pleasantries. After dinner we invited them to our table for a glass of wine. They declined the wine but still joined us. Their names are Don and Bea. They had just celebrated Bea’s birthday. Don is a retired dentist from Cleveland. He is an active Rotarian and is a past International treasurer for Rotary. We got along fine and enjoyed each other’s company. But when it was time to go, Sam, Bob and Smurf climbed the long hill back into Atascadero. Don and Bea took a taxi home.
Last year (2009) we were walking through the jardin and noticed a couple. Sam said to Bob, “I think that’s Don and Bea…you know the couple we met at Nirvana’s last year. They are from Cleveland”. Bob said, “Are you sure”? As we got closer, it was in fact Don and Bea and they recognized us. We stood and chatted with them for a long time. During our conversation, Don asked if we were coming back to SMA in 2010. We said, “Absolutely, but this year we will be living in Colonia San Antonio”. He invited us to celebrate Bea’s birthday on March 20, 2010. By the time we finished talking with them and others we knew, we had been in the jardin for over 2 ½ hours. Our original purpose of going to centro that day was to go to a couple of markets. Guess what? The markets will always be there. Your friends and other people you know may not.
Last week (2010) we were taking another walk in the jardin. It was Saturday afternoon. And guess who we saw? Yep, Don and Bea. They had communicated with us a couple of times during this past year via email about their SMA travel plans and we finally found them. This year they are extending their stay here in SMA. We sat in the jardin and chatted with them for about 2 ½ hours. We couldn’t believe how fast the time passed. Don and Bea are very active. Every day they are out and about enjoying dinner with friends, going to plays, concerts, etc. They asked if we had plans for Monday night dinner. We did not, so we arranged to have dinner together.
So Monday night we dined together: Don, Bea, Sam, Bob and Smurf. We took them to one of our favorite restaurants…Planta Baja. We know the manager, Juan Carlos. Juan Carlos and his staff took very good care of us and they were very attentive of Don and Bea. We had a wonderful evening. We arrived at the restaurant at 6:30 p.m. At one point Don asked Bea what time it was…none of us could believe it was already 10:10 p.m. The time flew by and a good time was had by all. Don didn’t know that Bob had secretly paid for the meal. Don clearly wanted to pay for half but we insisted otherwise. Finally he said, “I guess it’s kind of like buying a meal for your Mom and Dad”. Exactly right, which is a compliment to our parents and to Don and Bea. But, when it was time to go, Sam, Bob and Smurf climbed the long hill back into Colonia San Antonio. Don and Bea took a taxi home.
Don and Bea, who have been sweethearts forever, recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. Of course, we hadn’t yet been born at the time they got married or when Don joined the Rotary. Anyway, their extended smooch at the dinner table was a little hard on the restaurant staff who suggested, “Maybe you need to get a room”. Some enchanted evening, indeed!
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I loved this post!! You have always made friends wherever your travels have taken you, and that's so nice. It's hard to believe that Don and Bea are married 60 years .. they look fabulous. It was an enchanted evening, you are truly blessed to have so many of them. Salud!
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