Saturday, December 15, 2012

A Mexico City Christmas Story



We had tickets to hear Tony Bennett in concert at the Teatro Metropolitan last Monday and our friends Stan and Bill came down from San Miguel de Allende to join us.
The most recent success of the 86-year old singer, an album of duets with the likes of Lady Gaga, ranks in the top 20, so we were curious to hear him live and wondered about the audience--I'd never heard his name mentioned in Mexico.
After warming up at home with a few tequilas, we planned to grab a cab to our favorite Chinese restaurant in the centro--just around the corner from the theater.
But I forgot about the traffic.
Everybody's on the move in Mexico City during December, so the caos vial is even worse than usual. At 7PM the traffic at Insurgentes and San Luis Potosí was melding toward gridlock. Lots of people were waiting for cabs, which all passed by full or off-duty.
Despair was imminent when Nick called out to me, "Do you know this guy?"
He was pointing to a large sliver grey SUV. In the driver's seat a doughy faced, middle aged man was gesturing energetically for us to come to him. I'd never seen him before in my life.
"Where are you going? Get in, I'll take you!" he called out in Spanish.
Nick and I looked at each other bewildered.
"Are you a car service?"Nick asked.
"No, I'm just on my way home from work and I have some time to kill. Get in."
Stan and Bill drew near. Taking one more scan of the taxi-less street, we did a quick calculation--four against one--and got into the car. It was a very comfortable vehicle.
Our samaritan clearly knew the city well and made a few crafty detours to avoid traffic. We talked about his family (his son in La Jolla sells vacuum cleaners), about Chinese food, about Tony Bennett ("Of course I know him!").
He insisted on taking us directly to the door of the restaurant.
"Can we offer you something for your services?"
"Nada más un saludo," he replied.
The four of us got out of the car feeling remarkably happy.
We shook his hand and thanked him for the first present of Christmas.
The Chinese food was excellent, and Tony Bennett knocked our stockings off.





7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't know how you do it, but you make the whole world seem like a small town. This is a beautiful and classic Christmas story - did you hear little bells as you got out of the car? AO

Anonymous said...

I love moments like that! Thank you for sharing this wonderful story of compassion and connection!

Anonymous said...

This made me shed a tear...so simple, so warm, so human. One of a million counterpoints to the wars and shootings on our planet. If we could weigh each side, I am certain that the "light" would far outweigh the "dark". Janine

Rafae Zayas said...

Just thought that in the rear seat of the SUV was Mr Bennett on the way to the Teatro Metropolitan!!! That would be like the Visa promo: Priceless!!! Nice story...There is always a good samaritan when we need it...

NG said...

A great Christmas story; thanks for sharing!

Learn English said...

I've been enjoying your blog a lot, thanks very much for posting! I used to live in Mexico City, and reading about experiences like this bring back great memories.

Saludos desde Inglaterra!

Monica

Anonymous said...

Mexicans can be *AMAZINGLY* nice in ways that you seldom, if ever, see in Gringolandia.

Saludos,

Kim G
Boston, MA
Where we did change a stranger's headlight bulb outside of an auto parts store yesterday for her. Yes, we believe in karma.

Post a Comment