A World Away From Across the Road

I stepped off the tour bus in a small Spanish town somewhere between Madrid and Almeria. While everyone else was immersed in conversation, I was nothing short of enchanted by what I saw. The sky was pale blue with not a cloud in sight. Giant mountains painted the horizon, standing like sentinels to whatever lay behind them. Dilapidated buildings and worn down hostels littered the one street town.
A lone jewelry vendor’s booth across the street caught my attention the most. I starred at it for a moment. It was a bright day, but the sun seemed to be shining directly onto the booth. Its frame was eight thin, rusted poles with dozens of blankets thrown over it to create three makeshift walls and a droopy ceiling. I turned to see where my group had gone, but they had already shuffled into the rest area to shop and eat. Feeling liberated, I decided to visit the booth.
I wandered across the dirt road to find the booth was without a vendor but, enticed by the jewelry, I didn’t care. Strewn across a black table were necklaces, earrings, and bracelets, all made from vibrantly colored beads and polished semi-precious stones. Every piece was vastly different from the last, all different shapes, sizes, and colors. I was fascinated by each hand-crafted masterpiece. So fascinated that I barely noticed a man had appeared in front of me. He did not say anything to me at first. I figured he knew I wasn’t fluent in Spanish and thought it was better not to talk. He just watched me for a minute as I continued to marvel over the jewelry.
Without speaking he reached under the table. He fumbled for a second, then held out a bracelet. It was particularly alluring, made from two strands of craft wire cloaked with bright beads and stones. I was immediately captivated by the many blues, reds, greens, and purples. The lack of any pattern or sequence made it even more charming. I couldn’t leave without it.
From around the side of the vendor’s tent ran a little girl, about five or six years old, with a puppy not far behind. She giggled and shrieked as the puppy chased her until the vendor said something to her I couldn’t understand. She stopped in front of me. Forgetting about the bracelet, I knelt down to say hello, but before I could get a word out her eyes widened as she let out a tiny gasp; she pointed to a glittering, gold flower pin on my purse. It was a tacky pin I’d had for years. I unhooked it from my bag and handed it to her. She held it up to the sky and the sun cast hundreds of sparkles to dance across her face. She was enamored with the pin, just as I was with the bracelet. I stood to pay the vendor, but he simply placed the bracelet in my hand and smiled, “Gracias, Guapisima”.