THE GRINGO AND THE WORM(S)
The abandoned airfield at Poco Solo, next to an unnamed river, was hidden deep within the Nicaraguan Jungle. I found the place by accident. I adjusted the aircraft’s engines and made a slow descending approach to its’ muddy runway—the landing? Yes. It was rough.
I taxied the Twin Beach to the far side of the field, parked, and got out of the cockpit. Hector was there to greet me.
“Me sentía un poco solo antes de que aparecieras.” Hector removed his hat.
“Sorry, Gringo. I’ll speak English. I was feeling a little lonely before you got here.”
He turned, looked around, pointed in the distance toward the lush emerald green jungle mountains and the river valley below.
“I love it here. Few are those with eyes who have ever seen this place. It’s the place of the quiet, crazy, but gentle wolves.’
He handed me an almost empty bottle of Mescal. The golden worm lingered near the bottom of the bottle.
I took a large drink, the worm lodged in my throat, but I gulped it down anyway. That bottle of Mescal was now empty. Hector turned to me, holding up another bottle.
“I am a true Yaqui warrior,” he said. “I never worry about the worm or the childish thoughts of a young gringo like you.” He smiled and put on his hat.
“Open this one, Gringo.”
I took the second bottle and opened it. Hector quickly grabbed the bottle from me and blew into it. He took a big gulp from the bottle. He smiled and handed the bottle and the floating worm back to me.
“I saved him for you, Gringo.”
The next day was the first time I woke up in Central America, in jail, wondering how I got here.
Navigate To Other Tosh Articles . . .
- Page 1: Growing Up Fast: Two Events I Witnessed
- Page 2: The Cubans and an Old Power Plant (1958)
- Page 3: A Cold War Incident
- Page 4: “A Mechanical Monster”
- Page 5: The Day Before that Dreadful Day
- Page 6: The Lady Saboteur
- Page 7: The Gringo and the Worms
- Page 8: The Death of a Reluctant Skydiver
- Page 9: A Bogey Over the Florida Straits
- Page 10: I’m Too Young to be Shot
- Page 11: The Last of the Mohicans
- Page 12: Two Good Friends: A War Story
To Go to Tosh’s Novel Page “Thinking That is Out of This World” Click HERE
LBJ: Master of Deceit 