By Walter Agnew Moore II

There's a place downtown on the plaza where I like to eat. It's the "Hosteria del Bohemio", funky dive with lots of tables outside under the arcade. They have breakfast, lunch, supper... and if you want, you can order a liter mug of beer for about 2 dollars.

It was once after a liter or two that I walked inside past the tall waitress and saw that she was reading "El Buscon" by Quevedo. It's in 17th-century Spanish but hilarious when you can understand it, all about a raffish little scam artist on the make.

I stood over her tottering, in my best Butthead voice: "You're reading 'El Buscon'. I am reading 'El Buscon' too..."

I guess I wasn't as freaky-appearing as I later imagined I must have been, because she still smiles and makes sure I have plenty of coffee.

So one day I am sitting there, and this American kid at the next table is jabbering in his cell-phone in English, I am trying to concentrate on something I am writing, and I am all "Please, God. please don't let this spoiled trust-fund baby over there notice me", but he does, and keeps talking to me even though I am a little gruff at first.

His name is Daniel, and he is anything but a spoiled rich kid. Actually he's 30, and he works 10 months out of the year on a factory fishing ship off Alaska. Dad was from the states, a soldier, mom was from Vietnam. He's trying to get set up here in Colima when he's not working. Real nice guy.

So the other night I am sitting there drinking a little beer, and Tall Waitress and Daniel come walking up holding hands. I shoulda known. They look happy. They go inside, and after a few minutes Daniel comes out and sits with me.

"Hey, I didn't know you two were a couple!"

"Yeah, she's a real nice girl. We've been going out about a year now. But I have to go back to Alaska tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow! Damn, you ought to be in there with her instead of out here with me."

He just smiles and looks at the plaza. So I keep talking:

"It's got to be rough, going off for 10 months..."

"Yeah, but she understands. She knows I'm doing it to get ahead, to build something up for us here."

We sit awhile, then he says:

"OK, I'm going to go inside and talk to her."

I called the waiter over and paid my tab and left. I added 6 pesos for him to give Daniel a Diet Coke on me. Smooth sailing, Daniel.