The Big Day
Thursday August 28th 2008
Set the alarm for 5:30am but did not sleep well. Up, dressed and ready and waiting for the taxi by 7:15am. Bang on time, Jose arrives – only it is an ordinary taxi! He looks at me, by now outside on the road behind his cab, and mutters in Spanish, probably something about getting him out of bed at that time in the morning and then not being able to get in his cab. Anyway, with a flourish of his arms and a “No problema” he gets on his radiophone to the cab company. A couple of minutes later he is again telling me no problema and assuring me that there will be another one along in five minutes – where have I heard that before, I wonder? With that, he gets back into his cab and drives off down the road, leaving me feeling totally helpless in the middle of the road. Derek is standing in the garden doing what he does best (swearing) and saying that we might as well not bother to go and that he feels fine anyway. However, before I can even get back through the gate to argue with him, taxi number 2 arrives – wow that was quick! Could not have been more than three minutes. So we are loaded in and away to San Jaime; straight to admissions, we know where we are going this time, and all before twenty to eight in the morning.