Adventures After Dark

With the construction of the new cottage complete, there is scrap wood and scrap tin and scrap everything left. It has been gathered and piled in one huge pile near our garbage bin. People in Honduras, especially poor people, don't waste anything. Yesterday one of the guards, Jose Francisco asked Marc if he could have some of that wood. Of course, Marc said yes. And Marc said he would drive Jose Franciso home with the wood.

As 6:00 arrived, Marc said he was going to take Jose Francisco home and asked if I wanted to ride with him. Since I had been parked at the computer all day trying to catch up on some paperwork, I said I would like to ride along.

Jose Franciso lives several miles out of Ojojona. The road out of Ojojona climbs up into the mountains, much higher than we are in Santa Ana at more than 4000 feet above sea level. At different times, Marc and I both have taken Jose Franciso up and he got out of the car on the main road at the turnoff that takes him home. Last night, with the wood, we were taking him all the way home.

After we turned off the road, at first the road was not bad. It was dirt, of course, but not too bad. The further we went the worse the road became. And we had not gone too far before the road began to deteriorate. In fact, I am not sure it was a road. A wash might be more appropriate. A place, where in September and October during the heavy rains, through which the water rushes.

It is dark, but way off in the distance, we can still see the fireyness of a sunset sky. I was sitting in the back seat with my mouth open and trying not to be bounced through the window. I really thought I was going to burst out laughing that we were on a road like this after dark. I would not have laughed in front of Jose Franciso for anything.

When we got to Jose Francisco's house, we were not even at the end of the road or the wash or whatever we were on. We unloaded the wood and left it at the side of the road. I am sure he carried it all to his house before he called his day done.

This little jaunt took us 10 minutes by car to get from the road to his house. It was an adventure for us. But Jose Franciso has to walk this road every day when he goes to work and everyday when he returns. The buses don't drive down the wash. I am not sure any other car has driven down to Jose Francisco's house. This would not have been an easy walk for anyone.

As we neared Ojojona, we saw the bus on which Jose Franciso would have been had we not taken him home. It would have been at another 30 minutes at least before he would have stepped off the bus on the road, with that difficult walk still ahead of him. And I thought driving it after dark was difficult. I cannot even imagine walking it after dark. After getting off at 6:00 p.m., it would have been at least 7:30 before Jose Franciso arrived home. And that would be without the wood.

I am glad we took Jose Francisco all the way home. It is good for me to see where our employees live and how difficult it is for them to get to work and to get home.

I forget how blessed I am.

Terri