Boundaries Crossed

 

Ernesto displaying his captured iguana.

Saturday morning I got something of a surprise. No, not the pool guys trying to raid my big mango tree. They always do that, and I never mind because I know they're only making 4 bucks an hour and this is a high cost of living area.

What happened is the iguana pictured above fell pretty far out of the tree, so far he was stunned. Ernesto and Jose decided this was prime meat just going to waste. They grabbed up the stunned iguana. I heard the shouting. Jim and I rushed out of the house just in time to see Ernesto grin and display his find, a large iguana. He told us he was taking it home to make 'iguana soup'.

So I know iguana soup is a thing here, particularly in the Nica populations, like Ernesto and his family. During the worst of the pandemic here we saw a dip in iguana populations here, hearing that many unemployed by the pandemic make soup from whatever iguana they could get their hands on. It's a cultural thing.

Ernesto asked for a short length of rope, which we got him.  Then he wanted plastic grocery bags and a machete. I thought he was going to use the machete to cut the rope to the correct size. Imagine my horrified surprise when he used the machete to lop off the iguana's head. Yes, I witnessed an iguana beheading as I was heading in to the house. Not what I wanted to see on Saturday morn.

Ernesto later brought us iguana soup. Jim tried it. I did not. I could not get over the fact that they'd cut the head off right in front of me. I'd been heading back in the house so I didn't have to watch them haul it away, so I could mentally pretend it was being taken away as a pet, a paperweight, whatever.

A definite boundary crossed with me. I'd felt so many things, watching something I found repulsive. Triggered and semi traumatized. Too sick to my stomach to eat much that day. But later I started to realize it's been that way the last few weeks. I've had a friendship, a close friendship, that the last few weeks has shown me that my friend is not at all who I thought she was. Why? How? Hidden racism.

Our conversations around a certain trial of a certain northern police officer involved in the death of a person of color. We'd been so simpatico over so many things through the years it was earth shaking to discover her stance on everything to do with the trial.

It's made me rethink a number of things, questioning the foundations I thought underpinned our mutual beliefs. Being exposed over the past two weeks to her thoughts on this was just about as shocking as witnessing that iguana being beheaded.

I just don't see how I'll ever be able to trust some folks now. My hard boundaries have been crossed.

Comments

amulbunny's random thoughts said…
Didn't you ever see a chicken give up it's life for dinner? Nothing like steaminb the feather off.
As far as that northern police officer, I wonder how his defense attorney sleeps at night? After that closing summation, I thought I was going to puke. I hope the jury finds him guilty of all 3 counts. /rant And I truly hope Maxine shuts her mouth as well. I live in her district and trust me if you're not her folks, improvements are few and far between. If the democrats ever raised a viable candidate I'd vote for them. Like the old white men in congress, Maxine needs to go. /rant over
11:11 PM
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