Last night, we celebrated Halloween at the Pub.

The first hour or two we prepared the decorations, candles for the tables, and I blew up a balloon for each chair, trying to focus on strengthening my lungs for diving.

I put on the Guinness Apron, Guinness ball cap, and some little red horns over the cap for my costume.

Lisa, the gringa, cut out a flashy palabra "A" to wear across her breast, being a sexy Nathaniel Hawthorne heroine/victim.

I cut my hand pushing the reading glasses out of their frames, for her character glasses.

Harry Potter donned a Witches Hat, and Lisa drew a lighting bolt on his forehead.

We couldnt get anyone to wear the unbreathable Shrek Mask, so it covered the empty beer tap by the end of the night.

When we closed, Harry, Hector, and I went across the street to Las Varitas disco. It was raining again (very unusual) and everyone wanted into the club at 3am. All of the other discos are open air and close during a rain.

Hector with all of his influence couldnt get us in so we left Harry to wait in line, and the two of us went down to the Malecon.

It turns out that Hector's relatives own the night spot 'tequilas y mariachis', so we went back stage. I met all of his relatives, his aunt-in-law, who goes to Las Vegas twice a year to gamble, sat us down in a back room with Hector's sister-in-law (i think).

A waiter brought us beers, and the aunt had another waiter bring in another chair, another waiter brought in a table, and another brought salsa, while yet another brought us REAL mexican nachos, covered in queso blanco, chiles, and somekind of carne asada steak.

A few minutes later a waiter brought in full silverware sets, napkins, guacamole, and the aunt followed, instructing "Andale!" Hector instructed me that in Mexico if you don't eat all of your food, it's insulting, making the hostess feel like you don't like it.

I did my best to eat like a good guest, as tired as I was at 4am, after diving the previous day at 7am all day, then bartending in the evening. I tried to follow along to the rapid spanish, at times, zoning out, looking around the back room at the bottles of liquor everywhere, cans of fruit juice, the sleeping boy on the floor, the wilting roses on the table next to the catholic prayer candle.

Hector's sister in law is a tremondous lady Mariachi singer, we talked about Selena, how selena's last album before she was killed was a mariachi album. The two of us sang "Como me duele" (Which has kind of an Aye Aye Aye painful refrain, followed by 'how it hurts me.' A very sad song. Other lyrics are about comparing herself to wilting roses, the sister getting meaning across to me through the previously said roses.)

The sister is an interesting character in herself, 3 children, divorced or maybe a widow, who's husband was a high ranking commandante in the Mexican Navy. A powerful and beautiful voice she has.

The aunt sings too, like any aunt in the world, in the states, doesn't matter. She wanted to see me eat enough, have a good time, and welcomed me back. Mexican hospitality can't be beat, and neither can the chivalry here.

A beautiful society at 4am or anytime of the day.

We left our hosts and went back to Las Varitas, crossing the flooding streets, Hector's shoes getting terribly wet, me in my issued boots not really an issue. We had no problem getting in at 430am now. We went up to the balcony, Hector bought us Jack Daniels on the rocks, and we looked over the balcony, looking for Harry and other friends.

We wen't downstairs, and while we were talking to some of Hectors friends, getting ready to leave, two waiters in yellow t shirts started pushing each other violently, no punches thrown, and a poor teetering drunk bystander went falling backwards down two steps and slammed his head against either the concrete stair or the iron hand rail. Blood gushed down his face and down his shirt as two security guards pulled him up to his dangling feet.

Hector and I decided it was time to go home.

I'm not sure if the ambulance ever came for him. The ambulance is inevitably followed by the police. The police leads to scandal and that's bad for business. An ambulance being called means bad publicity or bribes to the police to cover up the scandal.

Maybe the ambulance never came...