Stools in the sunlight. waiting for a customer, not going anywhere embedded in the cement. stools enjoying the light, enjoying the shade. together. always together – stoic comrades.
Perhaps they share jokes, inside jokes about the butts they support. intimate knowledge, nicknames for cheeks and farts and whatever they find in all those back pockets.
Perhaps they are an old married couple. linked, supporting one another, no longer talking, nothing left to say. just enjoying the sunlight, enjoying the shade. never leaving. always there. waiting.
Mansion is a town up the hill, on the way to Hojancha. (ō HAN cha).
Incongruently, they have their own flatiron building. Who doesn’t love a wedge shaped building?
there’s no need to clear the streets when they are already empty.
cuz let’s face it, sleepy towns is what sleepy towns does.
who says a cloudless sky lacks drama?
is that something lurking in the shadows? a body? a dog, is it just a sleeping dog? how old is that tree? it must be really old, it’s so bent. is there something hidden inside the trunk, a treasure map, a locket, some snacks for later? does anyone ever use those stools? where are the customers? do they only come at lunch or have they moved on to a newer lunch counter in a mall, with air conditioning? is Imperial the only beer available in Costa Rica?
[ I hope you enjoyed this meandering post. There is something about this spot, this building, that stirs my imagination. However the truth is, my imagination is terribly rusty, super creaky, and so what came out is a little bit bumbly. I accept that. Tomorrow I can try and do better. ] Originally published April 5, 2015