PEOPLE FROM THE PAST

YESTERDAY, was ecoturist day in the COUNTRY OF CAGUAS. I went to visit the dentist, Dr. Hector Davila in the same office since the beginning of times. I was a little disconcerted at the radio station selection. To such a point that I called to find out if
he was actually in his office. Once the doubt was settled, I just look at the pictures of
the typical magazines found in such offices.

Fifteen minutes into the waiting some familiar fellow entered with khaki shorts, a blue polo some boat shoes and white puma socks. He was let in by the doctor something
surprising since one believes one should be called first. I could not recognize the voice since the conversation was kept very low. Until I asked the doctor's assistant if this person was the brother.

And he was. Victor Davila, I had seen him 25 years before in PLAZA the monster mall. I recalled the conversation and so did he. A great rare encounter in
a dentist office. By the way the visit went fine. Our conversation went briefly by the
memory lane and Dr. Davila was kind enough to change the corny bachata music by something more stimulating, the voice of GINA MARIA HIDALGO.

I left the office in a great mood and walked the ten or so blocks to Mr, CABANAS Flea Market on Georgetti St. It has been probably the only worth visiting market of that
kind anywhere in Puerto Rico. The idea came after his visits to USA. In the beginning people thought him crazy, but he has developed a niche like no other. One can find LPS, antique radios, door knobs and so on. We met in high school and went to college. It is one of the few people I grew up with still able to keep a conversation
and a great sence of humor, an easy smile and laugh.

Miguel Montanez, came after that. This guy has cut my hair approximately since 1969. His original barber shop was a beauty with those antique barber chairs no
longer in existence, cozy and comofortable. At any rate, Miguel is a great conversationalist and has kept his agreeable nature for all this decades along with Dr. Davila, a basketball, music mentor, Cabanas, and Miguel Montanez.

I went later to visit Mr. Moreno, who owns an almost empty cavernous furniture store. I had a nice conversation with his employee, Luis, about the great possibility e to convert this huge space to rent by the hour and play table tennis. There are no places to practice such elegant, exciting, fast, requiring of great reflexes and imagination
sport. Something I have missed for decades. It can not be done alone.

All these conversations are probably a world record for this humble servant or yours
truly. When they take place the misanthropic germs fall and hide for some time.. Memories from yesterday, a nostalgic trip to better times.. When the houses, buildings, sidewalks of downtown CAGUAS were not the induced coma, ghost town, boarded up front stores, business, cemetery it is know.

If I was able to cry, I would. Just as when I walk through Ponce de Leon Avenue, or visit Rio Piedras. The concrete asphalt spread, in Puerto Rico is like an incurable skin cancer spreading through out the four cardinal points, an incurable disease, without remedy.

No one mentions it, everyone is resigned.....Lest hope the rest of the world wakes up.