Kites

January 26:

The other day, I drove my mom to work in our red Toyota. Usually, that’s where my journey would stop, but that morning, I finally got my driver’s license which I had postponed getting for almost two years. 

Embracing the newfound freedom, I drove around picking up some friends because Toro had suggested that we go to Pollo Tropical (quite underrated), and the rest of us had no better ideas anyway. 

I picked up Psi first. Psi is the most unbiased when it comes to rating driving experiences since he hasn’t gotten his license yet, just like me before that day. “Where to?”, I asked as he climbed into the passenger seat. “La casa de Dino” he said. One of the best features of the car I was driving was that it has this little screen as part of the car that lets you connect your phone to it through Apple CarPlay. Right there on the screen, you can see a pretty detailed map showing you the directions so you don’t have to worry about your friends feeding you the wrong information which leads you to a highway into the mountains with no exits for the next 10 miles. 

We called Dino a couple of times, no answer. When the call finally went through, all he had to say was, “I just woke up”. Toro was last because we had originally planned that he was going to get there himself, but plans change, and there we were, en route to his house. 

I must say, I was a very decent driver considering I didn’t make a single wrong turn even though I had never gone down those roads before. After picking up Toro, we finally made it to Pollo Tropical. A few remarks: quality food, good portions, affordable prices. Everything you could really ask for in a fast-food restaurant. 

We sat there for a while because Toro always takes 10 more minutes to eat than the rest of us. You’d think that Toro would have gotten faster at eating after being with us for so many years, but somehow he’s kept true to his 53 chews per every bite (trust me, I’ve counted). 

While deliberating our next move, I let them know that I needed to go to Viejo San Juan in two hours to pick up my mom from work, and that’s when Psi had the brilliant idea to just go there instead. 

When we arrived, I dropped them off at my mom’s store so they could go in and visit while I went to find parking in Puntilla. They had never seen inside a warehouse or a retail store, so they were quite amazed at the huge mountains of boxes of merchandise that we had organized. It felt nice to have some pairs of fresh eyes to remind you about the wonders you grew accustomed to. 

We walked to El Morro afterward. Dino bought a piragua. A blue one. I bought a kite, the cheapest plastic kind, “8 bucks for an experience”, I said. It took me a few minutes and a few failed attempts, but I finally discovered the trick to it and our kite flew high, higher than any other kites in sight. I let them take turns holding it. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a young boy near tears and his kite lying in defeat in the tall blades of grass. His mother tried to comfort him, but she didn’t know how to help him either. I walked over and offered my assistance. He smiled when the kite caught wind and learned how to surf the gusts. I smiled too.