Read, Ride, Repeat: The Weblog of a Student Athlete: A Stranger Encounter

Ok. This has to be told.

So today, Lucas and I ride to Savaya Coffee, for straight up the BEST espresso I have ever had. We are sitting on the patio "chilling out, maxing and relaxing all cool." When this grubby looking Mexican guy goes strolling by mumbling to himself. I could have sworn he introduced himself, to himself, as he walked past.

The man made a quick hook and was standing next to our table. He starts talking about tamales, and produces from no ware a bag with half a dozen fresh made tamales. "Hey man. Fresh tamales. Not too spicy. Still warm even. I sell you half a bag for 7 dollars, huh?" He looks from me to the tamales and back to me. "What you think, huh? Seven dollars."

For what ever reason I figure this guy is on the level. I'll play ball. So I offer him ten dollars for the whole bag. He seems a little taken aback, perhaps because I am negotiating or perhaps because I need no more convincing. "hmmm, yea OK. One bag $10. Thas goood." As I reach for my wallet he sets a second bag of tamales on the table freeing his hands for the transaction.

I only have a twenty on me. I ask him if he can change a twenty. "hugh. Oh yea twenty dollars no problem." He takes out a wad of bills and flips through to find ten. He puts the ten on the table and I hand him my twenty. He flips through his wad of bills and hands me two fives. I do a quick double take. Before me on the table is two bags of tamales and ten dollars, in my hand is ten dollars. I look for the tamale-man but he has already scampered off. No where in sight.

I look at Lucas for the first time throughout this process. His mouth agape he is staring at our bounty rather perplexedly. Luc says to me, "I'm really confused... what just happened?" I must have looked just as puzzled as he did. We burst out laughing. We sat with our coffee for some time trying to put an order on what just transpired. I scanned across the plaza for my tamale-man, but he was neither to be seen nor to return.

What was there to do? We rode home with a payload of a dozen free Tamales! I had some for lunch. They were delicious and authentic. Grifter-Tamales, WORD!