The Latin America Diaries Entry VII: Learning About Letting Go
Blonde, stubborn, and too chicken to admit I’ve caught feelings – El Gigante slid right into my soul like a cheeky one-night stand.
I was supposed to write a love story. You know the type: blonde, blue-eyed girl gets wooed by a local. But it felt a little generic, and I’m too stubborn for clichés and too chicken to admit when I’ve caught feelings.
I did consider a surfboard analogy, but instead I’ll tell you about something else I fell for…community. Because falling for El Gigante feels a lot like falling for someone.
At first, it’s awkward and new. The kind of first date where you spill beer on yourself and the chair wobbles. You fumble introductions, pretend you’re cooler than you are.
The bay is one single street that dead-ends into the sand, but it makes a hell of a first impression: boats launching full-throttle at the shore like untrained dogs, fishing hooks hiding underfoot, pigs rooting around like nosy neighbors.
Author's summary: A story about unexpected feelings and community in El Gigante.