bittersweet couple of days

i was totally stoked that right off the bat i'm able to get 13 cabrilla from fishermen and pull their otoliths. two of them were big females (60-70 cm) and FULL of eggs. the males weren't that big but when someone put in ice chest on top of the fish in the crate the crate just filled up with milt. so they're definitely doing it out there right now.

but it's also been kinda sad because one of my "boyfriends" has died. and it was weird how everyone was kinda nonchalant about it. when i first showed up the filet guys were all "hey michele!!! welcome back!!" and we were just talking and then all of a sudden one of them said "you know you're widow right?" and i said "HUH?" and they said Cuate died and all of them proceeded to tell me at once something an accident in the panga and about ribs and lungs it was all in spanish and i was trippin' so i didn't catch it all.

when i finally ran into Chico (boyfriend #3) he told me what happened. Cuate fell in the panga and hit his side on the side of the panga. he didn't think it was that big of a deal but he wasn't getting better. People kept telling him to go to the doctor and he kept saying no big deal. well it was a big deal. he had broken some ribs and they had punctured some stuff internally (he didn't specify what stuff...) and got a major infection. by the time he went to the hospital (which is 100 miles away) it was a month later and he died of a heart attack. Cuate was the dude that had asked me for the pistachios. when i told chico he said we can take them to the cemetery and drink beer and leave a cup of pistachios for Cuate.



That's a photo from last year at the filet table. Cuate is on the right and on the left is boyfriend #2, Antonio.

Cuate was a great guy. He was hecka funny and as a captain he knew how to handle the gringo fishermen when they were assholes and still get a great tip out of it while putting them in their place. He was also the most requested captain from Arturo's. Fishermen would come in and have nothing but great things to say about him and they request him every year and if they don't get Cuate they're not going to fish. Last year before I left he invited me to his house for tamales and then gave me extra for the road.

Cuate, if there is a heaven, i hope that the fishin' is great and the tecate always bien fria.