“This yard is starting to look terrible,” Sherry said. “We need to get it cut and raked.”
“I like the way Mario takes care of it,” I said, “but he never answers his phone.”
“Why don’t you go pick him up at home?”
“O.K.” I said. “I’ll go over to see him after lunch.”
When I reached Mario’s house he was on the porch with a small suitcase.
“Hey, Mr. Dennis,” he said. “What’s up?”
“Can you come chop the yard and rake it for me?” I asked.
“Sure,” he said. “I just can’t do it today.”
“How about tomorrow?” I asked.
“I have to go to a wedding in my little village on the mainland,” he said. “How about day after tomorrow on Tuesday?”
“All right. I’ll pick you up at eight a.m.”
On Tuesday Sherry said, “I thought you were picking up Mario this morning.
“I drove by his house,” I said. “He’s still not back from the wedding.”
The next day was the same. On Thursday I went to Mario’s house and he was just returning home.
“I’m sorry I didn’t make it back when I told you I would,” Mario said. “I got caught up in some wedding stuff and I had to stay longer.”
“Wedding stuff?”
“In my little village we have a traditional wedding raffle with three prizes.”
“And you won?”
“Yes, I got second prize. The prize was to spend three nights with the bride.”
“What?!” I exclaimed. “Second place? What was first place?”
“A quart of rum and a dozen tamales.”
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