An Australian in Costa Rica

Part 11 

Sunday I got back into Garza with a sense of maybe I will get kicked out of town this weekend and shunned . . . ?
I arrived into Garza and wondered off to the bar where a new found Dutch friend was waiting for me with a beer. So I had sat and had a beer and about eight Ginger Ales. When my bladder just couldnt take the pressure anymore I returned home and did some preparation for classes for the first time, in a long time!

Instead of kicking me out of town Ma and Pa took me to the hidden illegal bar behind our house, and bought me a beer. At the bar, Pa broke the news that Bonnie and Rich´s boat had sunk that evening. It´s a 31 foot yacht. Not exactly an easy thing to sink!

I get up Monday morning, and as I am leaving the house for school Eduardo walks in the front door, and says in English - I would like to take you to Ostional (a neighbouring village) this week if you like. I turn and look at him and say that I am not sure if I can go . . .

Monday is a GREAT day at school. I am teaching clothes, and it was hysterical to watch the kids try on my swimsuit! In the afternoon I run into my new "boyfriend" and he asked me when we were going to talk. I was like, well whenever you like. He said later? I said after class about 7.30pm.

However when I got to the bar (Bonnie and Rich´s bar being the only bar that I hang out at), all the Mora family were there offering to help pull the yacht out of the water. Also my new Dutch friend was also there.  A little bit of gossip to catch you up here. The Dutch man at this point is dating a friend of mine who is the town whore - Patricia. Patricia rented an apartment to Eduardo and his first lover after he got Lucy pregnant, and so is absolutely detested by my house mother.

So Dutch man buys me a beer, and I help translate for B and R, and then I get home. But I dont get home until 8.30 and so my "boyfriend" who lives right in between the house and the bar has gone to bed angry with me and doesnt show up to pick me up!

Tuesday is another great day in classes. Bonnie and Rich are running aruond buying barrels which they will put under the yacht in order to lift it out of the water, and suspicion starts working its way out of the woodwork.

Garza is made up of three main families. Barrantes, Mora and Rodriguez. None of these families get along, they do not intermingle or socialise with each other, and they certainly dont intermarry - so more often than not they marry amongst themselves. It´s gross.

I belong to the Barrantes family, and my grandfather is a very bad man. They say that when he was younger they sent his own family to kill him so he couldnt have any children and pass on his bad genes. Apparently he has calmed down now and only gets involved in property wars.

Bonnie and Rich bought a lot on the beach in Garza a couple of years ago from a Canadian guy. They thought they were being careful, they went through Costa Rican lawyers, and followed all given guidelines. As it happens Grandpa Barrantes used to work in the Municipality of Nicoya (which is my county) and he still has a lot of different friends in high places. After B&R bought their land, Barrantes had a friend slip a piece of paper into the file saying that the land belonged to him. Which therefore negated the sale to the Canadian, and doubly negated the sale to B&R. However the form that he put in the file is dated 1984, but the form that he used didnt actually come into existence until 1992.

When B&R came to CR four years ago they were rolling in dough. Bad deals with a bum partner who took away half of their business, a yacht with bad machines that they havent been able to fix for two years (sport fishing being their main source of income, ´cause the bar just doesnt pay) and incredible amounts of bad luck have meant that their saving have dwindled down to practically nothing. In fact they were down to their last $20 as of Thursday.

Grandpa Barrantes hates B&R, he has tried all sort of intimidation techniques to scare them out of Costa Rica, steal back the property, and destroy their valuables.

So people were very suspicious about Grandpa sinking the yacht intentionally. Interestingly enough my house mother has become very interested in the actions and movements of Bonnie and Rich. She has also become very closed about gossip on the Barrantes family, when the previous week she was practically foaming at the mouth about how much she hated her father in law.

Tuesday night is pizza night in Garza, where all the gringos go out and have pizza (obviously) for dinner, and catch up on gossip! My friend the Dutchmen has dumped Patricia, and offers to buy me dinner. So when i get back from adult classes that evening (at 7.30) he is waiting for me in the bar having a beer with . . . Eduardo. So we are all joking and laughing, and I teach Edaurdo a few choice phrases like wine, dine, sixty-nine, and FBG (fuck, breakfast, gone) so he can be in on the jokes.

We go to leave for pizza, and Edaurdo announces that he might come and join us for a beer a bit later, and we are both like yeah, you should definitley be there! Luckily (I guess) dues to the way the bar is set up, I am able to sit next to the Dutchman, and Eduardo is unable to get to me for even a little bit of recreational chat. Dutchman and I have laods in common, and we spend hours talking about music, food etc! Eduardo leaves early, and Dutchman takes me home - and believe you me - nothing happens and nor do I desire it.

Wed, and I show up for my private lesson with Patricia, and she is crying. Despite the fact that she has about seven different boyfriends, a bunch of one night stands, and hasnt seen this guy for over seven months, her heart is apparently broken. So we agree that all men are complete and utter idiots, and when she asks me if I will go out and drink with her, I tell her that I cant, but I dont say it´s because I am going out for dinner again with the Dutchman.

I go home and tell Teresa that Patricia and Dutchman have broken up and that he has invited me out for dinner. Teresa is very excited for me and encourages me whole heartedly to go out! She asks for an update of the B&R situation, and I think nothing of it and fill her in!

That evening, everyone in the bar is really upset. They almost got the yacht out of the water, but the Mora´s rigged one of the barrels up wrng and a part of the yacht snapped off, and everyone watched on as the yacht almost surfaced and then went tumbling back down into the depths of the deep blue sea.

Eduardo is in the bar as I am on my way to adult classes, and asks what time I will be back. I say 7.30 but that I am going out for dinner. He looks resigned, and says - with the Dutchman. I am angry at the intrusion of my privacy and get up to leave and say yes, I am going out for dinner with friends.

Dinner with the Dutchman was hilarious, not because spoke to him so much but because all my gringo friends were out in Nosara that evening, and I got invited to play in bridge games, and was filled in on all sorts of gossip.
Nothing happened once again.

It´s Thursday. I didnt sleep well . . . funny night mares. There is definite evidence that the yacht has been sabotaged by my grandpa, and it´s starting to dawn on me that his source of information may well have been . . . me.

After classes Teresa and I were chatting and she asked with a funny glint in her eye if Patricia had seen me with the Dutchman. No no no I said.

hang on a second say what?

I tell Teresa that I need to go find Bonnie and tell her something, and that I will be right back. Teresa comes running after me and asks what do you need to tell Bonnie? At this point I am paranoid. If she can get to Patricia through me, then is it possible that she would use  me to get information about B&R from me? I avoid answering, and run out the door.

I get to Patricia´s house, and she is NOT pleased to see me. Apparently my boyfriend who I havent seen all week, and who lves in between the bar and my house has been filling her ears with an exact itinerary of my movements with her ex boyfriend the Dutchman.

As I start explaining to her that nothing is going on, reality hits with a vengeance, and I start crying because the parents that I have trusted with a whole lot of stuff since January are using me as a means to their own ends.
I feel worthless, betrayed, and simply, devestated. Patricia gives me a hug, and promises me that she believes me that nothing is going on and says that if I ever need a place to stay . . .!

I go back home and Teresa come running, she has heard that Bonnie is leaving for the States and did I know anything? When was Bonnie leaving? I looked her in the eye and told her I didnt know, and went to pack my stuff to leave for meetings in San Jose.

Eduardo arrives, and I am still upset and he gives me a filthy look. His Mum leaves him alone for five seconds, so I walk up to him and I told him that I had just spoken to Patricia. His face lights up, and he´s like sit down, tell me what happened. SO I told him that nothing was going on, that his mother was hoping to get to her through me, and that I wasnt anyones toy.
 
The relief on his face was tangible, and he wasnt suprised about his Mum. I was like, I am sick of everyone being so angry with me. Even my "boyfriend"  is mad at me I said. Oh really, he asked, so you two are really ready to be together. I dont know, I said. What do you think? I asked. At that moment his mother walked up with a piece of paper in her hand and said this is what we received. Eduardo glanced at it, and said ok and handed it back. No longer having an excuse to hover she walked away in a huff.

So, what do you think, I asked. I cant say, he replied. Yes you can, I said.

He looked at me, looked away and very subtly blew me a kiss.