Huatussi, Sinaloa

I heard someone shuffling around in the kitchen and decided to get up even though it was only 4:30 in the morning. I hadn’t gotten much sleep that night given that the weather was pretty humid and still I had wrapped myself in a blanket. Ever since I can remember I’ve never been able to fall asleep unless I was covered, and in this case it was the same. So the last few hours had become a battle with the entangling sheets and night long sweats. I couldn’t wait to get in the shower and wash away my troubled sleep. His parents had let us take up residence in the guest bedroom which housed two twin sized beds and a dresser we could use for our things. I was stoked we were to have our own room during our visit, but his mother was more cunning than she let on and made sure we would not be in the same bed. I suppose it was best, the last thing I needed was to be caught in the middle of the night with my shorts around my ankles and with their son pounding away from behind. That definitely would be something difficult to explain. I stepped out of the room and found his mother in the kitchen preparing breakfast. By the looks of it she was making huevos con chorizo and frijoles, with flour tortillas of course.

“Buenos días” I yawned.

“Buenos días, Miguel. You hungry? Want me to whip you up some breakfast?”

“I’m not really that hungry yet, thank you. But I would die for a cup of coffee. Do you have any ma’am?”

She motioned for me to take a seat in one of the white metal stools she had up against the bar that divided the kitchen from the dining room. She was quick in pulling out the coffee, sugar, and a mug from one of the many cupboards that lined the entire kitchen. She set the items before me and filled the “World’s Best Mother” mug with boiling water from a red kettle I hadn’t seen on the stove.

“Here you go, milk’s in the fridge, help yourself” she stated as she returned back to the pans on the stove.

Instant coffee is not real coffee as far as I’m concerned, but beggars can’t be choosers so I hastily prepared my coffee and watched his mother slaving away at the stove while I drank it.

“You always up this early?” I asked as I felt the hot coffee make its way into my body, waking any nerves that were still in deep slumber.

“I’m afraid so, my husband likes to go for a walk before the sun is out. So I make him his breakfast while he’s out so that he has something to eat when he gets back.”

Now that was devotion. You wouldn’t find me cooking breakfast at this time, no matter who asked me to. That’s what McDonalds is for after all, they like to see you smile, as for me I like to see you leave me the fuck alone while I sleep.

Three cups of coffee later and after her husband and Helio had joined us, we found ourselves discussing that day’s agenda. We had no solid plans, I just knew I wanted to get to know more of the area. As it would turn out, his mother wanted to go visit a friend of the family in the neighboring town of Huatussi. Helio explained to me it was a waterfront town where the main trade was fishing and supplying fresh seafood for the area. Sounded interesting enough, then again anything to get out of the house sounded interesting enough to me.

We all took turns jumping into the shower after breakfast and I found myself homesick all of a sudden. Showering alone was no fun at all. But like I mentioned before, it was just the way things had to be, at least for now. Once we were all ready we piled into our car and started the drive out to Huatussi. I was somewhat bored since the stereo was off given on account that his mother would much rather talk the whole way there. And I found myself nodding in agreement and giving my “Oh, that’s so interesting” bullshit replies to her while I puffed on my cigarettes.  

Soon enough I saw a sign stating we were arriving in Huatussi. The town was build on a mountainside and given that, we would not be able to drive the car all the way to the friend’s home. We parked the vehicle at the base of the mountain next to a crumbling church which appeared to have been yellow in color at some point, but now it was caked in salt from the sea and pigeon shit. We started our ascension on one of the many paths that wound their way up the mountain leading to the various homes. I use the word path because that is exactly what it was, a dirt path, more like an alley to be honest, littered in lose stones and trash that hitched a ride on the winds.

The homes all appeared to have sprung out of the ground one day to another much like unattended weeds as there was no particular order to them. They zig -zagged from side to side as did the alleys we walked through. I felt as we were walking through some sad, pathetic apartment complex as the homes were all but four feet apart from one another. They all however were connected to each other, like a twisted network by the multitude of wire lines with moist laundry still hanging from them. We must have decided to visit on laundry day since I noticed many a women outside on their patios wringing clothes on stones, beating the dirt right out of them. Most homes had their doors and windows wide open, to let in the breeze I’m assuming. But I was baffled as to why anybody would want THIS breeze; it was hot and stank of fish. But I suppose one becomes accustomed to the stench after living here for so long. As for me, I found the rancid odor appalling. But it seemed quite ordinary to the number of dirty, little children with tangled hair running around playing a game of Las Escondidas.

I could begin to feel the strain in my calves as we continued on our way uphill. I found myself wondering if the friend happened to live on the very peak of the mountain, knowing my luck they most likely did. Along the way we passed a tiny shop that had chips and sodas displayed for sale and a sign that let people walking by know they sold other things like Chilendrinas, Elotes, and Raspas.

"We'll come back in a bit" Helio whispered to me noticing I was eyeing the store. "They sell some Chicharrones with Chamoy that will make you orgasm!"

"You don't say? I'm overdue for an orgasm" I laughed in response while poking him in the ribs.

Finally his mother turned right on one of the intersecting paths and started climbing some steps. We had reached the friend's home, close to the top of the mountain I might add. The home was small in size like were many of it's neighbors. It was made up of giant cinder blocks painted a hot pink with lime green curtains blowing in the putrid air. Who picks out the color schemes down here I laughed internally. We were greeted at the door by an older woman named Esperanza, she was short and withered, time had not been kind to her. Her copper skin appeared to be stretched tightly over her fragile bones. She was dressed in a navy blue skirt with a white belt tied around her tiny waist and a blouse of the same white. Her auburn hair, tied up in a bun, was accented by many silver hairs that shone in the sun. But her eyes, I don't think I had seen kinder eyes before. A mesmerizing steel blue, and you could tell by them she indeed had seen plenty in her lifetime.

She greeted us all with a warm smile and invited us into her home. The front door led into a minuscule living room crowded by two green sofas and a black center table. You had to walk sideways just to squeeze through into the next room. The kitchen however was gigantic in size and I was astonished at how a room of this proportion could possibly fit in such a tiny home. Never the less, there we stood, next to a gigantic wooden table that sat twelve. The counter tops and counters were set against the back wall with a chrome stove and fridge. I could smell that Esperanza was preparing some sort of seafood in a large pot that lay on the stove.

"Do you like Ceviche? It will be ready soon" she asked me, noticing I was sniffing the air.

"Absolutely!" I lied.

Just then his mother interjected, "Helio, didn't you mention Miguel has never been to the ocean? Why don't you take him down to the docks and see what he thinks of it?"

It was true, I had never had the opportunity to visit the ocean before and I was quite excited at the chance to do so now. I turned towards Helio and I'm more than sure that my eyes said it all as he nodded in agreement.

"We're going to stop at the store first, is there anything I can get you?" I asked his mother and her friend.

"We're fine young man" Esperanza replied. "You go on down and see the ocean, it is quite beautiful this time of year."

Helio and I made our way back out of the crowded home and headed straight for the shop we had passed moments ago. The shop was dark and stuffy and we were attended by a tall, thick man dressed in blue jeans and a green, checkered shirt. He wore a brown baseball cap with the Nike logo on it that that looked two sizes too small for his swollen head. But he wore a smile that made you feel welcomed and so we proceeded to order two bags of Chicharrones with Chamoy. We devoured the treat on our way back down from the mountain. Helio wasn't lying, they were delicious! Apparently they make about 30 different kinds of Chamoy in these parts opposed to just the one kind back home.

We found ourselves at the ocean front soon enough, it was a long walk as I found out that Huatussi was a peninsula and the beach wrapped all around it. The ground was moist from the occasional wave that washed up and I found myself somewhat struggling as my feet would sink into the ground. I soon found myself fighting of the hundreds of gnats that flew around in the air, all determined to assault my face. One of the draw backs from living this close to water I suppose. But, I didn't care really, I was too busy enjoying it all. Suddenly, I didn't notice the stench of fish in the air, or just how much poverty surrounded me. For at that moment, Huatussi seemed the most beautiful place on Earth!

The water edge was lined with numerous small speed boats, all tied to wooden poles, some of which were being prepared for a ride out into the deeper waters by the locals. Out in the waters I saw more of these speed boats bobbing as the occupants hauled giant nets filled with that day's catch onto it. The sky was filled with seagulls and sandpipers soaring, and all around me men in black, rubber fishing boots were hauling bags full of shrimp. Off in the distance I could make out some mountains, deep in the water. Helio told me it was a small island which no one had set up residence on. It was still in all it's natural state, overgrown with trees and shrubs. He also mentioned that during the summer, the locals all take boats out to the island and spends days doing nothing but drinking and dancing to music next to raging bonfires. Pity we hadn't come in the summer, I would have rather enjoyed the primitive festivities. The sounds of the waves crashing onto the shore were calming and even the cries of the birds over us seemed a soothing melody.

"I could definitely see myself living here" I stated to Helio.

"Are you crazy, the fucking mosquitoes would eat us alive!"

"Oh, fuck the mosquitoes! This is what it's all about. Look around you, these people are happy. And why shouldn't they be, with this amazing view!"

"Your first day at the ocean and already you're thinking of moving here?"

"It wouldn't be a bad thing, that's for sure and besides how much could it cost to rent one of these tiny cinder block homes?" I laughed.

We continued on our walk and eventually came upon a dock. I ran out on it and sat on the edge looking out into the churning waters much like you would expect somebody in a movie to do.  I would have taken off my shoes and stuck my feet in the water if it had been higher. I took out my cigarettes and lit one.

"What are you doing?" Helio inquired.

"Unlike you, this is my first time here. I'm going to enjoy every last minute of it."

Back on the beach a midget of a man rode a bicycle with an ice chest attached to the front.

"Cerveza fria, cerveza fria" I heard him calling out.

"Is he selling beer?" I asked Helio.

"Why do you act so surprised? This is Mexico after all" was his reply.

I shot up and ran after the man, calling him to stop. Once I caught up to him I proceeded to order a six pack of Tecates that set me back 50 pesos. How convenient I thought to myself. I took the six pack and made my way back to the dock. I handed one to Helio and took one for myself before taking a seat once again.

"We best hurry, Esperanza was making Ceviche and fish fillets for us to eat" Helio stated to me while taking a swig from his beer.

"Oh, she can wait. Who knows when I'll ever have another chance to enjoy a beer and a cigarette on the beach again."

Helio sat down besides me and took my cigarette from my lips. He took a deep puff and handed it back to me. Everything was perfect in that moment. I didn't have a care in the world. I had everything I could possibly ask for just then, a man by my side, a cold beer in my hand, and that amazing view.