I had an American guy in my cab the other day. He was pushing 60 and had a face like an alcoholic attorney. As I was transporting him, my wife, who is Mexican, called me on the phone.
“Hola guapa,” I said.
We talked for a minute.
When I hung up the guy said, “You call your wife ‘guapa?’”
“Yes.”
“Well,” he said, “I speak Spanish fluently and that is not a very nice thing to say to your wife.”
“’Guapa’ means pretty,” I said.
“‘Bonita’ means pretty,” he said. “‘Guapa’ means slutty, like something you’d say to a street whore. Your wife should be insulted.”
“It’s strange,” I said. “She’s not.”
“Well, she should be.”
“What do you call your wife?” I said.
“I’m divorced,” he said. “Haven’t talked to the bitch in 14 years.”
***
This is an excerpt from Mather Schneider’s new memoir, 6 to 6. You can purchase the book from Terror House Press here.
Mather Schneider is a writer living in Puerto Peñasco, Mexico. He has had many stories and poems published and has four books on Amazon. Mather is also the author of 6 to 6, available from Terror House Press.
