Mateo draws air softly in both nostrils and exhales ever so slowly. He slides his phone out of his pocket leaving it unopened in his hand. Juan retrieves his phone from the dash, it lights up constantly with notifications from a WhatsApp taxi driver groupchat. He dials a friend in the chat.

1 Ring later

"Hola Juan que pasa mi amigo"

Juan looks to me earnestly.

"Mateo dijase hola"

Nothing comes from Mateo. Juan's eyes plead.

"Mateo..." he starts

"Hola que tal" Mateo bursts out.

The amigo on the other line cackles. Him & Juan delve into rapid fire espanol. This is not the first time. Mateo is lost. His brain aches. He has tried his darnedest to remember verb conjugations y palabras desde escuela ocho anos antes. Juan hits end call & types emojis into the group chat. Mateo sees crying eyes, open mouths, sick faces.

​

Juan's phone shows a call from an unknown #. They look at each other. The savior Mateo thinks. Her voice comes through the phone like sweet melodic honey. 

"Hola Sr Juan, mi esposo, Mauricio esta llegando al aeropuerto ahorita. Aquí hay un foto de él. Mateo" ella dice "estas bien?"

"Si senorita" Mateo sings into the phone. 

Martina comes on the line. 

"Matthew meet Mauricio at the airport and the 2 of you will take the bus to Cuernavaca. We will see you there. I love you please be safe." 

​

Mateo shouts "I love you too:)" and Juan nearly jumps out of his seat except his legs are paralyzed so it is more like a shake. He hangs up. Mateo clicks on his phone. No service it reads at the top. He clicks open the camera. Smiling ear 2 ear Mateo rotates the camera to face him and Juan. Juan holds up a thumb. Sadly. Mateo does the same with some gusto. 

Click.

1 photo for the journey of a lifetime. 

​

Juan types into google translate. "Lets settle this now between you and I" it reads. Mateo shakes his head yes. The phone reads out "Then we don't talk about it." OK Mateo agrees. Juan has $40 US from Mateo. Mateo has $100 US left for the trip. Mateo offers the $100 in exchange for the $40. Juan looks infinitely sad. Por favor Mateo says. Solemnly Juan agrees. They exchange the bills. Juan starts the engine to his yellow taxicab and navigates through traffic with no working legs. 6 hours after leaving Mexico City International Airport in a similar yet different yellow taxicab, Mateo has returned. 

​

6 hours prior

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Mateo lands solita in Ciudad de Mexico. Mateo clicks on his phone and quickly realizes the $15 t mobile prepaid plan does not cover international cellular service. Hopping on the airport wifi he finds WhatsApp messages from Martina. She arrived some 6 hours prior and has successfully navigated to Tezoyuca, the rendezvous point, for $22 US using one taxicab and one bus ride.

 

Mateo using very broken Spanish requests a ride to Tezoyuca at the airport taxicab window. 

$80 US!

He scoffs at the attendant and requests a taxicab to the bus station that will take him to Tezoyuca.

"OK" the attendant laughs.

$11 US and Mateo is cruising in a yellow taxicab through the streets of Mexico City practicing his Spanish with the taxicab driver. Every taco sign catches Mateo's eye.

At the bus station, like a good gringo traveler, Mateo asks the taxicab driver "Cual autobus va a Tezoyuca?"

The taxicab driver quickly convenes with another taxicab driver. His name is Juan. Juan says "No autobus a este estacion va a Tezoyuca."

Strange Mateo thinks 2 himself, maybe out loud. Juan offers his services, $40 US and he will take Mateo where he needs to go. After nearly 1 second of no thought Mateo's single bag is in the trunk of Juan's yellow taxicab and they are on the go. 

​

Juan races through traffic beeping his horn, swearing in Spanish at other drivers. Mateo tries to enter the address, of which he has a picture on his cellular less phone from the airbnb app stating a street name and city name, into Juan's phone. Nothing is coming up. Mateo simplifies the search to just the city name and gets a hit 3.5 hours South of their location. No No way Martina said it was an hour South Mateo thinks. Juan takes a glance away from the road No No way Juan says. That is not what he agreed to for $40 US. They look at each other strained. Mateo retypes and finds Tezoyuca 1.5 hours North of Mexico City. They both look at each other and boom! They are on their way.

 

Juan jams the pedals with his metal stick speaking 98% Spanish to Mateo.

"Mira la catedral. Oye puta vámonos. Tres hijos a la casa con mi esposa. Y mi accidente en el taxicab diez anos antes."

​

Mateo speaks 23% Spanish telling Juan about his partner Martina. His family at home. His work. The 2 of them cannot figure out the word for farm. 

​

The city becomes dirt roads. There are car accidents and armed police. Dust everywhere. Road signs on old brick buildings. They zoom past a hotel with women outside fanning themselves and a price on a small billboard, 55 pesos. As they draw closer to their destination the feeling of unease grows like a pit in Mateo's stomach. Fingers sticky from the oranges they shared he grasps his wallet and passport tighter in his sweat pockets.

 

The unlikely pair arrive in Tezoyuca, a small village that contains zero airbnb's. Mateo is playing with the directions.

"Uh Oh" he squeaks. He points Juan's eyes to the phone realizing now they have come to the wrong Tezoyuca. The southern Tezoyuca is some 5 hours away roundabout Mexico City. 

​

Juan shakes his head back & forth contemplating if he should kick this gringo to the curb in a not so friendly town a different state from the one he came to see in Mexico. Maybe it is his gentle demeanor or the look that he may cry or the bond developed on the 2 hour trip but Juan agrees to take Mateo to the correct bus station in Mexico City.

 

After 1 hour of trying to reach Martina on Juan's phone Mateo googles how to call a US # in Mexico. Google says put a +1 in the front. Martina picks up 2nd ring. She knows who is calling. The lovers are relieved 2 be in touch. Get back 2 Mexico City airport she explains. The guardian angel airbnb hosts' husband, Sir Mauricio, is arriving soon. 

​

Vamonos Juan! The duo hightail it back full circle after 6 hours of sightseeing around Mexico. They even drove past the pyramids. Juan has not pissed once.

​