90 Day Fiance

1

T his street takes us back to Nicolás Ulloa Central Park, Sam’s tour guide said, pointing ahead.

Sam could see the trees peeking up above the buildings, a welcome green amongst too many cold cement buildings. Wow, she commented, wiping at the back of her neck. She had already pulled her hair into a ponytail but that didn’t seem to make the heat go away. What is with this weather? When I read about Costa Rica online, it said it has a cool climate with lots of breezes. She wasn’t trying to complain, but she hadn’t planned to sweat her whole vacation.

Antonio laughed and Sam had to smile along with him. It depends on what part of Costa Rica you are in. If you go to the beach, such as Jaco, you will see it’s even hotter than here. A group of children in school uniforms passed by, laughing about something one of the children had said.

Sam’s eyebrows rose at Antonio’s comment. Good thing she wasn’t really a beach bum. What about cooler? She looked around hopefully. She had already discovered that many of the buildings didn’t have air-conditioning, except the bank. But she could only stand inside the bank for so long before the guard started getting suspicious. At least he fountain at the park ahead of them looked cool, water bubbling up in an arc before curving back into the basin at the bottom.

The mountains. Antonio pointed to the north and Sam could see peaks rising up over the edge of Heredia, the little town that had promised her an anonymous escape from her life back in South Carolina. It got hot in South Carolina during the summer, but at least there was AC.

Are there places to stay in the mountains? she asked.

Antonio came to a stop at the edge of the sidewalk and concentrated on checking for oncoming cars. Let’s go, he suggested, jogging across the street.

Sam rushed to keep up with him. Once they were safely in the park, Sam scanned the nearby benches for one in the shade. There were benches every two feet, but most of the shaded ones already had occupants. She settled for standing under a large tree. She crossed her arms and checked to see if her skin looked like it had burned during their hour-long tour. The smell of freshly baked bread from one of the nearby bakeries filled her nostrils and made her mouth water.

Antonio stood across from her, the sun falling partially across his face. What was it you asked me?

Oh, I was just thinking maybe I should cut my stay in Heredia short and go into the mountains. Is there anything to do up there? Places to stay?

Antonio frowned as he studied the mountains from afar. You won’t find a hotel up there. Many people live up there, but it’s not a touristy area. Except… Antonio’s eyes lit up. There is a very famous tourist sight, though. It is called La Paz Waterfall Gardens.

Sam’s eyes widened. A cool waterfall sounded like just what she needed right then. She had already spent too much money on her flight and hotel — but what was the point of all of that if she didn’t enjoy herself while she was here? Can you take me there? Do you have any tours scheduled in the next three days before I leave?

I can take you there tomorrow, Antonio agreed.

How much?

I don’t have a car, Antonio admitted. And the public bus here doesn’t run by the waterfall gardens. You have to take a taxi or private transportation.

Sam’s face fell as she understood what he was saying. It would be expensive. Okay. If it’s too much trouble, I guess I’ll just take a cold shower and pretend it’s a waterfall.

Antonio laughed. I can take you, but I’m just trying to make it possible in my head.

Sam chuckled at his way of phrasing the words. Antonio’s English was excellent. Sam had thought she knew some Spanish… until she actually tried to use it. When she tried to say something, it usually produced laughs or confusion. At least Antonio could understand her, and his accent was easy for her to understand as well.

I could take you on my motorcycle, he finally offered.

Sam was already nodding before she realized she was breaking all of the sorts of rules her parents had set for her safety as a kid. She would be going off with a strange man somewhere so remote not even public buses would be running up and down the road.

This was the kind of thing Ryan would do to try to—

Sam closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to free herself of the weight that settled on her whenever she thought of Ryan. She didn’t have service in Costa Rica, so she was leaving her phone on airplane mode and just using it to take pictures. Every time she looked at it, she imagined Ryan trying to contact her and getting madder and madder and madder.

Are you feeling dizzy from the heat? Antonio asked, touching her arm.

Sam jerked her arm away from him and took a step back before she opened her eyes and realized she was with Antonio, not Ryan. He peered at her in concern. I’m just tired. I think I need to take a nap and get out of this heat. Her hotel room at least had a pretty strong fan.

Can I have your phone number? I’ll call you about the gardens tomorrow, Antonio explained.

How much will it be? Sam asked, trying to bring herself back to the conversation.

I can take you for sixty dollars, and that includes your entry fee into the gardens.

Sam didn’t think about it for long. Sixty dollars wasn’t too much and she needed something to do. Let’s go. Just not too early in the morning.

Is eight too early? Antonio asked.

Sam laughed. That was definitely too early normally, but with the two-hour time difference, it wouldn’t be bad. Fine, eight. But my phone isn’t working here, so you’ll just have to just meet me at my hotel.

You don’t have a chip for your phone? Antonio asked.

Sam shook her head. She didn’t know what he was talking about; she hadn’t researched how to get cell service on her vacation. But then, she hadn’t wanted to be contacted anyway.

Let me see, he said. I can help you get phone service.

Sam’s hand hovered protectively over her pocket. It’s okay. I like being disconnected from everyone in the US.

If you get a chip, it gives you a new phone number, Antonio told her. No one in the US can contact you unless you give them the number.

Sam’s eyebrows rose at that. In that case, sure, she agreed. Once it was decided that he would bring her a chip the next day, she hurried off with a quick See you in the morning. Her hotel was only two blocks away and she desperately wanted to be alone for a little while.

As Sam passed a bakery, the smell of fresh bread drifted out and stopped her. She was going through money faster than she ever had at home — but then, Ryan had been paying for everything back then. That had come with its own price, though. It was worth it to spend a month’s pay on this vacation, just to get some space.

Sam bought a fresh empanada and bit into it, savoring the flavor. Would she really be able to escape him when she returned, or would he find her? She touched her nose ring, spinning it in a circle as she always did when she started worrying too much, and caught herself. She needed to stop thinking about reality and enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime vacation in Costa Rica.

2

The next day, Sam was wide awake by eight Costa Rica time. She had already downed one cup of coffee and was on her second. She wondered what Antonio thought of her as she readied herself in front of the mirror. Her medium-length blonde hair made her stand out from the typical Latina she passed in the streets. Her nose ring made her look tougher, something she didn’t exactly feel most of the time. What did Antonio think of the fact that she didn’t even have any friends willing to come with her?

Did he think she was cool or lonely? Sam brushed through her shoulder-length hair and shut her eyes. It didn’t matter anyway. At least he was nice to her.

She exited the hotel and looked up and down the street but didn’t see Antonio’s longish black hair and dark skin anywhere. The streets were alive with movement as people went to work on bicycle. Children in school uniforms strolled toward the school she’d noticed not too far from the park.

Sam checked the time again and saw it was already 8:10 a.m. Where was Antonio? Had she told him the wrong hotel name? Maybe he thought they were meeting at the park where they’d met for their tour? Sam started pacing up and down in front of the hotel as she finished off her coffee.

Ten minutes later, she heard a motorcycle engine and turned to see if it was Antonio. Relief filled her when she saw that it was.

Sorry about being late, Antonio said as he pulled the motorcycle to a stop and leaped off in one smooth movement. My sister needed help this morning, and it took longer than I thought it would.

Do you live with your family? Sam asked, looking around for a helmet. Antonio didn’t appear to have one.

Yes, Antonio answered. In our culture, it is normal.

Sam nodded. She hadn’t asked Antonio how old he was, but she was pretty sure he was older than her, and she was twenty-seven. She couldn’t imagine living at home with her parents forever. Even just a couple of weeks at their place had started to wear on her.

Are you ready?

Yes, I guess so, Sam said. She waited for him to mount the bike and then climbed onto the back behind him, it felt warm underneath her. She cautiously put her hand on one of his shoulders, her other on the back of her seat.

Antonio took off down the street and Sam nearly flipped backward off the bike. She quickly got over her self-consciousness and grabbed Antonio’s shoulders tightly with both hands. The roar of the motorcycle made it hard to talk, so Sam took in the scenery around them. Trees with little bunches of oranges, lemons, and an unrecognizable fruit lined the roadway. Sam peered deeper into the foliage to see if there were any wild monkeys like she had read about before coming.

Antonio quickly left the heart of the city and started traveling up into the mountains. The road presented a host of hairpin turns and Sam noticed that the higher they climbed, the fewer cars she saw.

She