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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License
MAC-10
I’m still writing about my vacation to Mexico. Every time I think I’m done my husband reminds me of something else that happened worth writing about.
So this occured in Playa Del Carmen, during our day long stay walking up and down 5th Avenue. The shops that lined 5th varied from selling tequila, to t-shirts, to cheap crap (the vendor’s words, not mine), to sterling silver, more sterling silver, restaurants, a pharmacy where I should have stocked up on anti-anxiety pills (for flying of course), and a Starbucks.
When the day was nearing the end, we found this leather store that sold stuff like cowboy boots and belts with gigantic buckles, we walked through that store just because it offered shade and the shop owner wasn’t standing in the street shouting to us “Hey! Canadian! Come look at my cheap crap!” As we walked out of that store we noticed a uniformed guard holding a MAC-10 submachine gun standing guard in front of the next store. When we looked up we noticed there were actually two guards, one on each side of the store front.
Our curiousity was of course piqued. What could they be selling inside that needed armed guards? Well, the answer was expensive watches like Tag Heuer and Rolex, as well as a smaller version of a Sephora with lots of different brand name perfumes and cosmetics. The sales staff inside were all dressed in white, with black silk scarves tied around their necks. The ladies had their hair pulled back tight in a sleek pony tail, looking very posh and stylish. The entire place was spotless, I’m sure I could have eaten lunch off the display cases.
In my normal life back home this would be the shop for me. I mean, all they needed to do was have a section dedicated to designer purses and I’d have made my husband stand there all afternoon while I decided which one I couldn’t possibly live without. However, neither of us looked like we belonged in such a luxurious store at this particular moment. After a day walking the streets of Playa Del Carmen in the 90 degree heat, we looked nothing close to what their target customer was.
There were security officiers at the front of the store, as well as the back of the store, and they were facing each other and talking to one another through their Secret-Service-wanna-be earphones. Happy to be experiencing some air conditioning, we slowly walked all the way to the back of the store, and then to the front again, but when I got to the front door I realized my husband wasn’t with me. I figured he was looking at the men’s watches, so I stood in the front and waited for him. Since I was facing the back of the store, I could see the officer in the back was talking to the officer in the front,.
You know how you can kinda tell when someone is talking about you? Well I totally got the feeling they were talking about me. And then they started to laugh, and dart their eyes back and forth — first looking at me and then looking to where I figured my husband was standing, and then back to me again.
Then I started to wonder: Did I have something on my face? Or maybe on my butt? Is there a Kick Me sign on my back? How can I check out my appearance without making it obvious that I’m checking out my appearance?
So I quickly found my husband and said: “Those security officers are talking about us! Do I have something on me???” And I didn’t, but they sure did make me paranoid about it. Quite honestly, it was the oddest store there because it was so opposite from all the others — like it had air conditioning, and it a roof, and armed guards. Perhaps I should have asked to see the bathroom just to round out the experience and get the full impression. I’ll bet they had toilet paper AND stall doors.
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