VIII
Romance was not altogether lacking in Tehuantepec, even for the casual traveler. As I was about to depart, the little hotel proprietor stopped me.
“You really should stay longer, señor. In time, I believe you could win Guadalupe, my little servant. Young men are scarce here, and she has taken quite a fancy to you. These girls do not throw themselves away upon one who flits from flower to flower, as does the tourist. If you were to wait, quien sabe, señor? She is small, of course, but eventually she will become a fine big woman, like my own wife.”
But I chose to flit. And one couldn’t take Guadalupe along. What would a Tehuana lady do if the traveler were to visit a country that grew no cocoanuts?