An Australian in Costa Rica

Part Ten 

I´ve been having an affair. He´s a married man. He has three chlidren. He is the older brother in my host family.

Shocking I know.

Let me tell you what the town gossips tell me about Eduardo, and then I will tell you about me! About five years ago, Ed had a one night stand with a woman named Lucy. Lucy consequently got pregnant and they tried to have a relationship. However, Lucy turned out to be one of the worlds biggest cows, and in the space of nine months managed to turn the whole of Garza against her, including Ed.

Everyone in Garza loves Eduardo, he is charming, he loves to laugh, he is incredibly goodlooking, and most importantly he is kind. The perfect victim for a woman like me to comfort right? So when the town kicked Lucy out because nobody could live with her, nor wanted to rent their houses to her, they were thrilled when he started his first affair and Lucy went back to San Jose.

Teresa (his mother, my house mother) had met her first grandchild Steven and had fallen in love. So she took Eduardo aside and said, I want my grandchild. If you do not go get him for me, you cannot live here anymore.

Let me quickly interrupt to say that this is not a travelling culture, most people in Garza haven´t got any concept of their capital city, let alone moving away from their homes. For the majority of people who didnt finish primary school (like Eduardo), leaving their family to start another life is simply unthinkable.

Lucy said if you do not stay with me, then you will never see your son. Laws in this country favour the mother 100%, there is no such thing as visiting rights. So Eduardo brought his wife and son back to Garza, and built his family a house 4kms away.

The say she violated him for the second child, and the third child was after they made up. The fourth child they had she lost after being five months pregnant, because she went dancing when she was warned to stay in bed.

And then there is me. When I first me Eduardo way back in January, i knew that he was dangerous. He is so sexy, funny, charming delightful an funny. And he wants me. Anyway about three weeks ago, we had sex for the first time on thebeach. It was amazing, trash novel stuff. The next day my parents arrived, so that kind of put a damper on the whole love affair and it was put on hold for a week.

The following Sunday, Lucy was away. At ten in the evening Eduardo showed up and  we took the slats out of my window in his (our?) parents house, and had sex with his parents asleep next door. The next day I found a cigarette butt on the floor. I put it in the trash and didnt think anything more of it.

In the next week, things got really stressful. Eduardo was around, and he wasnt really talking to me but he kind of was, they changed my hours at school so I am teaching 8 minute lessons with three levell grades at once, and I start drinking every night.

It got to a point when one Sunday I was sleeping in a friends hamock and I was really close to tears. I just wanted to get out of there. I wanted to go back to London and hang out with my best mate Vic, I wanted a hug, I wanted to skating, I wanted to work 8 hours day in front of a computer, eat bangers and mash and drink a large pint of Hoegaarden.

Monday school was unbearable, I was told that my horario would just have to be adjusted to or it was bad luck. Monday night Teresa was worried about my homesickness, told Eduardo who took me out for beers to cheer me up. I showed up for adults class tipsy. After classes, the owner of the bar proceeded to tell me that I was going to get my wish. Teresa was going to oust me out of Garza as the town whore, and make sure that everyone knew that they didnt want me teaching their kids. I got very drunk that night.

Tuesday I didnt show up for school, and I told the town that I was homesick, and I wanted to go home. That day I went with a couple of guys into the mountains, to see stunning views of my area. One of the gentleman I was with had been living in my area for over ten years.

He asked me how I was enjoying living here, and I said that it had gotten pretty rough recently. That I was having an affair, and that i was really homesick.  I wasnt really happy.

He said that he was sorry about the affair, because it really made a difference to life here. He said that the family would definitely know about the affair. But the fact that Eduardo is the oldest son is paramount to them, and as long as I was keeping him happy they would say nothing. The moment I make the son unhappy the parents would speal up. Ending it was definitely recommended because he was certain that I was being solely used for sex and that nothing would come of it. I hope you dont have feelings for this guy, he said.

Feelings would be a bad idea.

His recommended course of action was to take another lover, because then the family would tease their son for not being able to hold his own, and find different accomodations. Or. Well no or.

That day I proceeded to get very stoned. Very drunk. And not very happy.

Wednesday I spent the day with my host family, hanging out with the grandkids, sleeping, swimming etc. I snuck over to the bar for beer at 9, 11, 1, and 3. An afternoon swim found me daydreaming about drinking so much that maybe I could get accepted into rehab, so then I would at least be able to talk about it to someone, because nobody understood.

My next door neighbour got dumped by his girlfriend on Tuesday, and so he showed up at my house on Wed also drunk. We went out together that night, and he announced to everyone that I was his girlfriend. i got so drunk I threw up on the beach.

Thursday. Bad headache day. Not good. My house mom made me so much yellow food - egges toast with butter. I was almost sick just looking at it. Lucy came over on Thursday to wash clothes. She´s actually pretty good with her kids. Yells at them alot, but its not like she has anyone else to talk to.

The hangover was really bad, but I was due to leave on the 1pm bus to San Jose, and so I had to clean my room. Under my bed I found more cigarette butts. I thought thats strange why would anyone hide cigarette butts in their pockets? And then I found one with lipstick on it. In between Lucy leaving, and ten in the evening Eduardo had been with yet another woman.

All of sudden the hangover temporarily lifted. Lucy was outside rocking her baby in the hamock, a breeze drifted in through the window, and my life for the first time in a month twinged into focus. He deserved her, and I was worth more than this.

It´s over. The only time anything has happened has been when I have made myself avaliable, and I will no longer do so.

This weekend I went white water rafting, I jumped from cliffs, they let me be the guide, and I fell off the back of the boat in the middle of a rapid, we floated through canyons and swam under waterfalls. I spoke in french, I spoke in Spanish, I even spoke in English, I intorduce my french to salty licorice, I explained the ending of the Count of Monte Cristo.

When I go back to Garza tomorrow morning, I am taking guitair strings for my mates guitair cause she said she´d teach me for free. I am taking photocopies for my school kids, and god damn it they are going to learn while laughing.

If that man come within inches of me, I am going to be charming delightful, and well untruly avaliiable. But if he knocks on my window the earphones will be in, and fly net will be closed. And if they call me the town whore - well then I think my new drunk boyfriend (NOT!!!) might have something to say about that!