January 9, 2022 Stuck in Mexico

Positive. 

A word and a feeling I have always tried to pursue. I haven’t always been very good at it but I have tried.

Now it is a word that I read with dread.

My daughter and my wife got their covid test results by email first. It was our last night in Mexico, we were scheduled to fly home at three o’clock the next day. It had been a wonderful nine days of fun in the sun. 

Where were the results? I had been feeling fine, just a slight sniffle but other than that no problem. But we hadn’t been as careful as we should have been. We got caught up in all the energy and excitement that is Cabo San Lucas. Still we felt good, we felt healthy, my kid had heatstroke and we all had a touch of diarrhea, but who doesn’t in Mexico? 

My families results came by email at 6:30 pm. It was with great relief we saw the words – covid test results: Negative. My wife was first then my daughter. But where were my test results? If they were negative, I should be fine…

I hoped.

But still where were they?

The email arrived at 8:10 pm. I opened it up looking to see what it said, fear and hope tumbled together. 

Only to be reached with a crash of anxiety – Covid19 PCR test results for Victor Barr : Positive.

Positive? How the… what the… now what the fuck was I going to do?

The girls were negative but I wasn’t? Wow, it was a crash of reality that brought the whole situation to a halt. I looked at my family and felt a huge lump in my stomach. I knew right then what had to happen. They needed to get on that plane without me and get home.

Despite my recent joke that I couldn’t think of a better place to get stuck than Mexico, I didn’t really mean it. I was ready to go home. I was ready to see my kitty cats and see my friends. I wanted to go skiing again. I didn’t want to stay behind. 

Apparently, I had no choice.

My whole body shook with frustration and stress. I paced the room, I couldn’t sleep. I tested positive? Fuck, fuck, fuck. 

I wasn’t even sick. I tested positive for the sniffles… Vaccines work to keep us from getting really sick, but they don’t keep us from testing positive. 

Nothing made any sense.

So I did what I could and made sure the girls got home. I searched airbnb for a place to stay, I sat on hold with RBCrewards so I could change my flights. I paced and fretted. Was it going to get worse? I had no symptoms any more, My sniffles were gone, but still, I couldn’t fly home with my family.

I so wanted to hug them, to hold them… but I didn’t want them to get infected – even though they quite possibly could be. 

I booked an Airbnb by the airport with the idea of being close so they could drop me off and go take the car back. They went and got groceries for me and off we drove toward the airport. They were checked into their flight and would soon be jetting off. On the way I told my wife I would drop them at the airport and go to my Airbnb on my own then take he car back. I didn’t want them to miss their flight.

I saw the emotion in my daughters eyes as we said goodbye. I knew this wasn’t how her sixteenth birthday trip was supposed to end. But there we were at the door to the SJD airport. My wife smiled at me and we hugged. We couldn’t just leave without some form of connection. 

Off I went to the Airbnb.

When I drove into the neighbourhood that housed the Airbnb I knew I made a mistake. Sure it was close to the airport, but that may have been my first mistake. The building looked run down on the outside and I feared what I would see on the inside. I have heard about people booking Airbnb in Mexico and having the picture not match the place – I got to see that first hand.

It was filthy. The fridge still had food particles in it and nothing was clean. I didn’t want to sit on the couch let alone sleep in the bed. I told the guy that met me I wasn’t happy. He just smiled and said to talk to his boss.

I managed to get on the wifi and found another place close to the tourist zone that looked much better. There was no way I was staying even one night in this dump. I reached out to the man who rented me the place and asked for refund. He said it was economical. I agreed economy was ok but dirty was not. No reply.

Lesson learned.

Never take a place that is cheap in Mexico… affordable maybe but cheap – not so much.

I had no data left on my phone but the GPS still worked so I used it to make my way across town to the other Airbnb I booked. I need a kitchen and wanted a quiet place to hide until I was negative. The GPS led to a nice area of town and I felt better already. 

I parked in front of the place that the GPS took me and got out of the car. I called out to see if someone was there. They should be expecting me. But there was no one. At least it was close to the hotel we stayed in the night before, so I went there and got on their wifi. I reached out to the person renting and got her number. I called her and she described where she was.

Man I wished I’d taken more Spanish lessons.

I drove around a couple more times. The street was confusing. I tried to call her again, but only got a strange recorded message. Phone calls don’t always work in Mexico. My stress level was rising, I needed to get the food in the fridge and find this place. 

I tried to phone again.

And it worked, we were able to figure out where she was. I felt a sense of relief as I pulled up to the house. It was nice. It was clean, it even has a laundry machine. 

I was home for the next six days and I was able to drop off my stuff.

Back to the airport I went to return the rental car. A strange and surreal bus ride later and I was settled in for the night. 

Now I can contemplate life from the quiet of my one bedroom place. My adventure is not over, but my family made it home.

They were selected for a covid test and now have to isolate until they get the results. I sure hope they are still negative. 

Was it worth it? Should we have canceled and stayed home? I said I wouldn’t regret going… now I’m not so sure.

My daughter certainly had a sixteenth birthday she will never forget. We took the chance and now we pay the price. At least I have insurance and can make the most of my time alone. 

I’ve been given more time to reflect and heal. I have no choice but to take the time I am given and do something with it.