We Gotta Get Out Of This Place

It's that time, folks! Who wants to play the Where To Next Game? Will it be San Francisco? Berkeley? Portland? Sayulita? Vancouver? Naha? You want to throw out a suggestion? Lay it on me! Know of a good place to live in Mexico? Have a work hook up for me someplace? Because San Juan Donkey Balls Cosalá is a pit of misery and I'm through.

Last night a group of men in a vehicle pulled a gun on my husband. They weren't trying to rob him, they don't know him, as far as we can figure it was a bunch of guys just looking for some Wednesday night fun. He and his buddy jumped off the malecon into Lake Chapala and fled. Who knows if the little gang bangers would have pulled the trigger, but I'm glad no one found out.

My husband has been in his share of fist fights, but he never looks for trouble. I can say that here in town he's friends with everyone and their mom, and I mean it. He really is friends with their moms. And their dads. And their cousins. And their little brothers. He's not the kind of guy that stirs up trouble. But here in San Juan he's been attacked more than once from behind. It's never been from anyone he had any beef with. It's just stupid San Juanecos who have no prospects in life except to grow up to be the biggest asshole on their block. We've been hollered at and followed and he's been attacked, even when he's been with me. In fact, they use me to try to get him to fight them. If they insult me while we're walking, they hope he'll get mad enough to engage them in a fight. When that doesn't work, they just come up from behind and try to hit him in the head.

Hernan seems sure the assholes last night aren't from here, though. He says he doesn't think they're from El Chante or Ajijic, either. Maybe Jocotepec. He doesn't know. He just knows they pulled up, yelled some obscenities and aimed the gun at him.

We're not telling his family because his mother might die of worry, and his older brother might try to get involved. He is going to have a talk with his teenage brother about staying safe, though. We think they were probably looking for just anyone, and we're not in any danger of these guys stalking us or anything. But shit.

This last week I was already gearing up to make a move. I've been thinking of going back to the Bay Area to look for work. I'm too lonely down here. I'm tired of just killing time. Now I'm wondering if I should pick someplace else so I can drag Hernan with me. We both hate this town.

Now, I do of course realize that there are hoodlums with guns everywhere. I do think that in other places we've lived, though, we could usually avoid violence by minding our own business. In San Juan, that doesn't seem to be true.

I don't know what comes next. I do know I'm ready to move on. I hate this town.