Gringo

H I S T O R I A S -- true tales told to the gringo

from the old gringo thief on the street corner, downtown San Diego

Hey, how you been? Ain't seen you for months. Yeah, last spring or winter sometime. How you holding up? Two hours to cross over, eh? Bad timing. Gotta do it real early on Saturday morning. Weekdays, forget it, but Saturday is good early. Yeah you said it, all the new security since the war started.

You know, let me tell you this. A couple months ago, before the attacks back east, I ran into this Syrian guy in Tijuana who asked me if I could help him get across. I thought damn what a sucker, I can take him. I said, Maybe, but let me just go talk with the guards up there at the gate, and I left him back in front of the drug store and taco stand, you know? And told him to watch me.

So I go up and talk to two of the customs guards standing there on the sidewalk that crosses over, you know? And I point back toward my little Arab, but what I say to the border guards is -- "Is that the direction toward Pueblo Amigo?" And they nod their heads and say yes, yes.

So I thank them and shake their hands and go back to where my Arab is waiting and say to him, Okay, but not for a couple of hours more. Meet me here with six hundred dollars in two and a half hours.

So he does and I take his money and say, okay, they're waiting for you, go on across. He starts off for the gate, and I just walk away back into Mexico.

Ha.

But then, just a couple weeks ago I see the guy, and damn if he isn't working at the McDonalds right here in Horton Plaza! And he sees me and says where's my money? And I say, You wanna call the cops and tell them about your immigration, eh?

That shut him up.




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Tijuana Gringo


Copyright 2001 Daniel Charles Thomas
email: thomas@masinternet.zzn.com OR tijuanagringo@yahoo.com