I’m borrowing some of Dick’s journals from this week. For one thing, my camera is acting up so I don’t have any pictures. For another, as I am getting ready to head to the States I’m finding less time to keep up with my writing. So this story comes from Dick:
After being on the road from Sunday through Friday I was looking forward to having a quiet weekend at home. Those plans didn't last long though because as I was ending my 6 day road trip and pulling into the alley where I live I received a phone call from Ronny's mom. Ronny is the 16 year old boy whose family we have worked with for years who passed away a few months ago.
Ronny's mom told me that her daughter Astrilla (spelling is not even close) had fallen from a tree and broken her arm. She told me that did not have enough money to get her to the doctor yet alone pay the cost of a doctor or x-rays. When I asked mom how long ago Astrilla had broken her arm she told me that it happened 2 days ago. A short time later I had Pat call to see if we could get more details and perhaps talk to dad who does not seem to dramatize things as much as mom. A few years ago mom had made called to tell me that another daughter was hysterical because she had fallen into a pond and almost drowned. It was only after a 2 hour drive to their home that dad told me that his daughter had fallen into a mud puddle and started to cry because she had gotten her new dress dirty.
However after talking to dad this time we were convinced that Astrilla's arm could really be broken so early Saturday morning Pat, 3 of my boys and I headed down to the coast to see if we could find a doctor that we could bring Astrilla to on a Saturday. Oh yes there was always the option of going to the national hospital in Esquintla but after some of the experiences that I have had with National hospitals I much rather pay for a doctor.
To make what is becoming a long story a bit shorter I will condense things by saying. We got her to a doctor. X-ray's were taken. Mom claimed that we were taken as well because the visit with the doctor, the x-rays and the cast that was put on the arm that was indeed broken came to a whopping $80 American. I wish that I could get taken like that in the USA. Anyway Astrilla is now back home and doing fine.
Her broken arm does not seem to be slowing down Estrella too much. We stopped for lunch at Pollo Campero in Santa Lucia before taking the family home. Estrella managed to pack away quite the food, and still had room for ice cream. (Ice cream makes everything better, doesn’t it?)
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