Down Mexico Way

My Firefighter son was telling me about a group of young Firemen who have a condo in Rio. The dollar goes a long way in South America and the senoritas are beautiful and wild. It is party time all the time. It made me smile. I thought of all the different things Firefighters do to have fun. Years ago there was a Detroit Firefighter who used to go to Mexico City every winter. He was a loner who enjoyed being with the ladies. He was the original imposter. I will not tell you his real name to protect the innocent, but I will call him Clarence.

Clarence would fly first class into Mexico. He wore the most expensive clothes he could buy. He stayed only at the finest hotels. When he signed in, he used the fake title of Doctor.  When he met someone at a party or by the pool, he introduced himself as Doctor Clarence. His reputation grew and the most gorgeous women in Mexico City flocked to his side. It was a fun time for Clarence. His routine worked like a charm.

One evening he came out of the hotel and was walking down the street to a local nightclub. A beat up van pulled up next to him and out jumped two banditos. They threw Clarence into the van and pulled a burlap bag over his head to muffle his cries for help. Next thing Clarence knows is he is in a shack somewhere out in the desert.

A wild eyed, dark skinned man was sitting across a table from Clarence when his assailants pulled the bag off his head.  The man told Clarence he had been kidnapped for ransom. Surely his American family would pay big bucks to get him back. Clarence tried to explain he was only Firefighter trying to have some fun.

"Do not lie to us Senor. We have been tracking you for two years. We know you are a doctor," the bandit chief told him.

Clarence said it took a long time to convince his captors that he was not a doctor. Then he spent a long time begging for them not to kill him. They finally put the bag over his head again.

Clarence said his heart was racing a mile-a-minute as he waited for a gunshot to end his misery. The room grew quiet and Clarence managed to get untied and he found himself alone. It was a long walk back to town. Clarence said he was glad to be a Firefighter once again. It was more fun than being a doctor anyway.

A true story from the 7th Battalion.

Stay safe my brothers and sisters.     


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