Jan Meets Comandante Raymundo Mercado

Paulina is a kindergarten teacher in Guaymas. She house sits for us and takes care of Teddy and Niko while we are away from San Carlos. She is a wonderful and sweet person and she is incredibly responsible. She's also one of those people who sometimes gets in precarious situations because she is so sweet and responsible. Bruce and I were going on a short trip to Phoenix to do a couple of errands. We asked Paulina to come over on Friday afternoon so we could talk about the house and the pets. The Caracol (our neighborhood) is up on a hill in San Carlos and there is a gate that opens with a code during the day and a remote control after 7:00 P.M. It's a security device adopted by the Homeowners Association. Naturally, as in any town, there is some controversy over the gate, but overall it does keep the neighborhood more secure. We like it.

Paulina was having trouble getting the code to work so she called us. Bruce talked her through the process and we waited for her. Several minute passed and we were getting concerned about her when she called again. She was crying and said she had been in an accident down at the gate. We said we would be right there. We jumped in the car and raced to the bottom of the hill. The first thing we saw was a small, white compact car with the front bashed in badly. I jumped out of the car and the police were there. There were at least three of them talking to Paulina and the lady she hit. Everyone was fine. The lady in the other car had pulled up behind Paulina and, as a resident of the Caracol, she had a remote control that raises the gate. Paulina was already really nervous and when the gate went up she gunned the car and accidentally put it in reverse. I can completely understand how this happened.

Paulina had been at her aunt's house just before she came up to see us. Her aunt threw her the keys to a friends' Hummer and told her to go ahead and drive it. Paulina said she hesitated because it was so big and she hates driving borrowed cars. The good news about the Hummer is that the accident did NO damage to it whatsoever. The bad news is this; the Hummer demolished the front end of the other car, it belonged to an American and had US plates, the Mexican insurance had expired the week before, the owner was in Texas, and Paulina had no driver's license. This was bad, and under other circumstances (i.e. not being pretty and nice and charming) jail would be a possibility because here in Mexico you are guilty until proven innocent. That's just the way it works here and it's complicated. I have mixed feelings about it, but that's another story.

The lady whose car was hit was very nice and very understanding, though it was obvious she was upset and why wouldn't she be? She had just driven down from the States and was going up to her house. Her dog was with her and thankfully they were both fine. Bruce helped her unload her car filled with "stuff" and drove her to her house and unloaded her and her dog. Her car was going to be towed to the San Carlos police station. In the meantime I told the police that I would vouch for Paulina and I would go down to the police station with her. I did not want her to go to jail. One of the officers drove me up to our house to get my purse (in the Hummer) and off we all went to the police station. I could see that this man was loving the drive in the Hummer. In the meantime, Paulina was beside herself. She knew she was responsible and was willing to pay whatever it cost even if it took years. She had her paycheck with her from her teaching job. She makes about $600 US per month as a university educated teacher. Let me just add that this woman works hard, has several jobs and is so responsible in every way except for that driver's license thing. In her defense, it doesn't seem like getting a license is a priority here. After all most of the people have only been driving for a generation or two.

I am on my very best behavior with the police. I have learned in Mexico that being belligerent (even if you think something is really stupid) gets you nowhere although sometimes crying works a little. At this point, I know that my goal is to keep Paulina out of jail. I feel a little responsible for having her come up to the Caracol in the first place. I am doing my best to speak Spanish to the police. I know that shows respect and goes a long way with them. I understand most everything but my conversational skills are marginal. Still, I can put key words together and, in a pinch, I do pretty well. Paulina is a little calmer when we arrive at the station though she is pretty scared about the outcome. So am I, especially since I know several laws have been broken. The police are all saying that it really was an accident and that sounds really good. They're smiling a lot and being very friendly.

We are summoned into the the Comandante's office. He seems nice and introduces himself as "Comandante Raymundo Mercado". He has three phones; two cell phones and an office phone. One of them has a siren as its ringtone. He begins to interview Paulina and finds out that he knows her family in Guaymas. This is really good too. He has been a policeman here for 27 years and has worked as a bartender in San Carlos off and on for many years. He doesn't do it anymore because his wife wants him home. First of all, he issues Paulina a temporary driver's license dated a few weeks earlier. He lets us know that it's illegal for a Mexican national to be driving a US plated car without written permission so that will need to be cleared up. Paulina's aunt needs to get in touch with her friend and get permission faxed down from Texas. It turns out that two of Paulina's uncles have a body shop and mechanical shop. They will be able to fix the other car. This can all be worked out between the two parties. Everything is looking very positive and in the long run it all worked out. Paulina got her driver's license, she drove my jeep with written permission while I was gone and she doesn't have to use all of her money to fix the other car. She took great care of Teddy and Niko and she was much calmer when we returned. Unfortunately, the night before we arrived home, she and Teddy were out on the back terrace and a skunk approached. Paulina ran and Teddy wanted to play with the skunk so he got sprayed. Other than that, things went well.

The San Carlos Police were very nice. Comandante Raymundo and I became friends. While Paulina was out getting her belongings from the Hummer we had a good talk. He and I are about the same age. He doesn't speak much English. He couldn't get over that I am a grandmother. He asked me if I like to dance. Oh my. He did know where to draw the line though. Though Mexican men are usually pretty chauvinistic, they are generally very respectful of women and they appreciate women (at least until they marry them). Bruce had called while Paulina and I were in his office and I asked the Comandante if Bruce should come down. He said no need. He also said I reminded him of his wife. He called her the Pantera Negra (black panther) and he put his fingers out while making a grrrrring sound. I nearly fell out of my chair. That was a good one. That was the end of our encounter. He walked us out and told Paulina not to worry, shook my hand and told me to come back anytime and the police would watch our house with vigilance. Paulina was to come back the following morning at 10 to meet with the lady in the white car and iron things out. Her uncles were coming too. When I see the police around town now they honk and wave and turn their lights on. They know me and I think they like me. I feel very safe and I'm honestly glad they are around. I like them too.