What day is it?" the man asked in passable Spanish.
"Sabado," the young boy cleaning his windshield said with a laugh.
Saturday. Lee had been on the road for 7 days if his hung over brain was working correctly. The week was a blur of driving and drinking himself into a stupor nightly. Lee had been traveling alone and well off the tourist path.
The whole self-destruction thing had started three years earlier. At a partners birthday party Lee announced to his friends and long-time girlfriend, he was retiring from the business for good this time. He was not getting any younger and had achieved his goals.
"Time to quit and enjoy the fruits of my labor," he had told them all.
His partners and friends took the news well and wished him well but he didn't get the reaction from Sandy, his girlfriend that he had hoped for. Their relationship was crumbling and Lee thought getting out of the business was what both of them needed to reconnect on the level they had been before. She became distant and began to drink heavily the remainder of the evening.
The next afternoon when she woke up she found Lee eating lunch in the kitchen. She sat down and told him everything...
Lee dismissed the memory as he walked into the little store to pay for his gas. It was 9:00 AM but the heat was stifling already with a hot humid breeze blowing off the Gulf of Mexico.
He walked to the coolers in the back and almost reached for a few bottles of beer before he saw his reflection in the dirty glass. He looked haggard and strung out. He chose a few cans of coke instead, holding the cold cans against his forehead as he went to the counter to pay.
"Buenos Dias Senor," the smiling man behind the counter said.
"Good morning," Lee replied.
As he paid he had a Q & A with the store owner. He learned he was about 800 miles from Yucatan his final destination, further than he remembered.
When he inquired about a decent hotel, he was told up the highway around twenty miles was a small village with a nice beach and a simple but clean hotel.
Lee thanked the man and walked out into the blazing heat to his old, but very reliable Pathfinder SUV.
He handed the small boy a dollar for cleaning his windows, he got in and got back on the empty highway.
Heading east, the sea to his left and scrub land to his right, he drove on auto pilot.
He felt terrible, the drinking was catching up on him. He should stop, pull himself together and start to feel again.
Lee was not on a time table and he decided to dry out, take a shower and sleep.
He slowed the SUV when he saw the sun bleached sign that said Madero.
It wasn't much of a village as far as he could tell, a gas station and a small church and some small shops. More a fishing village, he thought to himself, as he looked for the hotel the shop keeper had told him about.
Lee soon found the seaside hotel. It was a welcome sight.
Walking inside, the place seemed cool compared to outside. He patiently waited as the old woman behind the counter held up a finger as she watched a Venezuelan soap opera on the small TV on her desk. When the show finally went to a commercial break she turned and smiled.
"Buenos Dias senor! How can I help you?"
He checked in and he dropped his travel bags on the floor of his room. He went for the air conditioner and turned it on. It hummed to life and he felt cool air coming from the vents.
Next he examined the bed pushing on the mattress. "Not bad," he thought.
He stripped off his clothes and turned on the shower. The water was warm but not hot. He relished the shower as he washed the travel dust and sweat off his tired body.
Refreshed, he lay on the bed in a towel. Lee picked up his phone and looked at some photos. As the slide show ran, he reminded himself he was looking at his past life and nothing would change that.
Fatigue over took him so he closed the phone and drifted off into a deep long sleep.
The next afternoon, well rested and his batteries recharged, Lee decided to take a walk on the beach and get his bearings. He was lost in thought as he walked along the beach. The sound of loud music brought him back to earth.
He looked up, he could see what appeared to be a bar.
As he got closer he recognized the song playing, "Honey Hush" by Johnny Burnette.
The bar was a shabby old structure open to the air with a thatched roof and huge deck facing the sea. The smell of grilled steak made his stomach growl.
Taking off his shades, his eyes adjusted to the roomy bar. The place was empty save for two guys in baseball caps having an animated discussion with the stunning but mature looking blonde tending bar.
All three were Americans which pleasantly surprised Lee.
He sat down on a stool as the blonde approached and said "You're early."
"Excuse me?" Lee said puzzled.
"The buffet. We won't be ready for about another 20 minutes. Want a drink while you wait?" She grinned.
"Hmmmm, I think something none alcoholic till I get some food in me. A Pepsi, Coke, whatever," Lee answered.
"Wise choice you two could learn something from?" she smiled and directed her comment to the other patrons. She paused and looked questioningly at Lee again. He knew she was asking his name.
"Lee," he offered his hand, "How did you know I'm hungry?" He added.
"All the Gringos eat here, I'm Charlene but call me Charlie and these two vagabonds of the western world are Tim and Wes," she said her southern accent showing a bit. They all shook hands and Tim handed Lee a card that said "SIRENS FISHING CHARTERS."
"Lee, see if you can settle the argument for us, who is better Elvis Presley or Johnny Burnette?" Tim asked sipping his Carta Blanca Beer.
