i came across the humble man that is respectfully known for consistently shaping and glassing the best surfboards here in puerto escondido. he was retrieving mangos off his tree with an extension pole connected to a metal bucket. i had never met him, but i knew who he was. in person, i was surprised how much he resembled the decal he uses on his boards. before asking for my name, he asked if i wanted some organic mangos.
we talked about earth, wind, fire, and of course surfing. i told him that i am new to town again, and that he and i were going to be neighbors for the next six months. his beautiful daughter came out in the street to watch her daddy be nice and gentle to a “middle-aged man pretending to be a kid.” i mentioned that i am saving up all my pesos in my very own piggybank so that one day, when i grow up, i can buy one of his boards.
he handed me four mangos. he told me that the milk like substance oozing out of the skin can potentially wreak havoc if it got on my skin. i told the nice man that i am indestructible, despite my left foot being swollen 2x the size of my right one. i noticed his daughter was wearing a pink shirt, and on it was Mickey Mouse playing the piano. “No se que Mickey Mouse toca el piano?” I said. she squirmed and looked at Pa.
her father said that his daughter really wants to learn how to play a musical instrument, and all indications seem to be pointing towards the piano. “the ‘pro-lame’ Aron, there isn’t really anybody in town that has a piano, and certainly nobody that is willing to teach her to play,” said the talented surfboard shaper. that sucks i thought. i thanked the man, ‘pounded him out’, and rode my bike without brakes down the steep hill.