Just been kickin' it the last day or two. Painting at the beach and getting some sun. This morning after my visit to the cafe for a big ole cup of joe and some wee fee (Wi Fi), I decided I'd pick up a couple of items and surprise Tio.
Shopping here is fun because it's all new too. I needed some toiletries so I decided to visit the pharmacy thinking it's just like CVS. Uh, it's not. I walk in looking for some soap and toilet paper and what I got was a boutique with a very serious pharmacist. She looked like a doctor more than most doctors I've visited in the U.S. I was expecting the type of atmosphere where they make you sign your life away if you buy over the counter cold medicine because you know, phlegm=meth.
Everything is segmented here. You want fruit? There's a fruit store. You want meat? There's a meat store. You want soap and toilet paper? There's a store for that.
Now after working in retail advertising, every trip to a new store is fun. You may think that items are just haphazardly placed around the store. They're not. Companies put just as much thought into where they put a product in a store as when they come up with that cute fluffy annoying bear to sell you fabric softener.
For example, go into a cereal aisle. All sugary kid-loving cereals are placed on the bottom shelves cause that's where the little critters can spot them and throw a tantrum in the store until they get it. It's interesting to see how a store thinks you need to see things.
I look around and see black maxi pads. Then I see Nair hair remover right next to the Raid. Ok, there's an unwanted item aisle - hair and roaches. I find the body soap and it has all kinds of new flavors. People here love their yogurt and there's a yogurt smelling soap. I go through a few and find one and the TP and head over to a pastry shop Tio likes.
I want to surprise him with a selection of postres. Here's the thing, since I've been here he won't let me do any house work or pay for anything. I secretly sneak in washing dishes when he's not looking cause when he finds me, I get a lecture. "This is my work. My duty." he says. I try to explain that I want to help and it's no big deal. The lecture continues till I give up. I even tried rinsing the dishes and it gets the same result.
I have offered to help him farm and he just laughs. "You don't know how." he says. I tell him "Teach me!!" Then I get a serious "No." Damn it, I'm not used to this. I'm not used to not earning my keep in some way. After meals I look at dirty dishes like a work junkie - I just need to scrape off that rice. Just let me, it's just a little cleanin' can't hurt nothing. twitch twitch.
So here's my counter attack, I'm going to get him something I know he loves and bring it home for the mid-day meal. I go in to get a selection and smile to myself, happy that I can do something nice for him since he's done a great thing for me by opening his home.
The lady behind the counter tells me it's five Euros and as I start to count it out, I feel a slap on my arm. It's Tio and he comes out of nowhere.
"You've got to be kidding me!" I say in English shocked as he waves off my money and pays for it. I have no words in Spanish to meet this and I just laugh. "This is supposed to be a gift for you!" I finally say. He just waves me off and tells me he's got his car which is parked in the middle of the street. Tio does whatever the hell he wants.
I can't stop laughing and he laughs too. "Damn it!" I say as I shake my fist at him. He tells me later that my intention was good and thanks me. I said "Don't mention it, you paid for it!"
I show him that I also bought some toilet paper and he freaks. Good thing I didn't show him the soap.
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