Paco, who lives round the corner, always brings us tasty morsels he has grown in his huerta. Over the past few months we’ve enjoyed: tomatoes, aubergines, cucumbers and courgettes… oh yes the courgettes.
At the beginning of my first yoga class Paco turned up at the door armed with various vegetables, fag hanging out of mouth and looking crusty. I had one eye on my watch and the other on my students as he lent on the door frame and sighed.
“Os gusta calabacin?”
He’s asking if we like courgettes, I whispered to my yoga-clad mum.
She smiled and nodded, “Mucho!”
Paco’s face lit up, “Mucho? Well in that case I’m off to get you some more.”
My heart went out to him for being such a geezer and my heart sank as I thought about my patient students waiting to start their Surya Namaskara A & B.
Today, we passed his house and Joe felt the need to shout the usual greeting, “Right, that’s it, we’re taking the motor bike.” Followed by, “Come on! Pass me the keys!” Ha, ha, ha. This time Paco collared us and we shared a tour of the house (including roof terrace, with magnificente views). He then gave us pears, olives (this year’s and may I add VERY fuerte {strong}), covered in herbs and garlic, then he produced a huge vat of ‘last year’s crop’ which he proceeded to laboriously untie. Once he removed the stained wooden lid the stench hit me. Phewee. These olives smelled like no other.
Thank you Paco for all your gifts.
I’ve tried to (re) pay Paco for his produce, but he just waves me off saying, “I’ve got plenty and you haven’t got any - so ‘ave ‘em!” Gracias hijo!
Emma Bell runs a guesthouse in Arcos de la Frontera