journey into mexico, pt. II

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CHAPTER II

I had rescued my new guide, Paulo, from a life of servitude to the vilest, most unreasonable cantina owner in all of Mexico. But out of the frying pan and into the fire; we had neither food nor money, and the locals were stubbornly opposed to accepting the finest of the arts, haiku, as legal tender. Even from the one true Haiku Master!

"What are we going to do?!?" I wailed, clawing at the dusty ground in a hunger-fueled madness. "Oh dear lord in heaven, I must eat! I must eat!!!"

"No worries, senór," Paulo said with a rakish grin. I then noticed he was carrying a chicken in each hand; one white, one brown and black. "We eat good tonight."

"Good god, man! Where did you find those?"

Paulo shrugged. "Down the road a bit. At my cousin Pepe's house. He raises chickens. And the cocks. I went and visited him while you were having your tantrum."

"Look, leave the dirty talk at home," I said. "And I wasn't having a tantrum -- I was balancing my 'qi.' Still, good thinking on getting two. I don't know that I've ever eaten a whole chicken before. This should be fun!"

Paulo blinked slowly. "No senór," he said. "Only one for eating. Other for making easy dinero."

"Come again?"

"Is no chicken," he said, raising the brown one aloft. "Is cock -- cockfight, si? Big money. Big fun!"

The Champ Prepares For Battle

Ahh, now we were on the same page...one that would catapult us to the highest peaks of Mexico's nefarious cockfighting underworld before it was turned!

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