Monday, 8/13/01 (evening)

At 6:20, I was back in my car, heading south toward the border. I was a little concerned, because the ATM network was down and I needed cash. I left my car at World Parking, then went looking for an ATM. Still no luck; every machine I found spit out a piece of paper saying, "unable to process transaction - try again later." I was having visions of being forced to tell Elisa that I had no cash on me. After running all over San Ysidro, I finally found a machine that worked, at the McDonald's near the trolley stop. My watch said 7:00. Shoot.

I ran (literally) back over the pedestrian bridge, through the gates and to the taxi stand. It was 7:20 when I entered AB, and I was relieved to find that Elisa was not there yet. I sat down in a booth near the men's room to catch my breath.

I now had the cash I needed, but my mind was still not at ease. So far during this visit, I had been playing the day shift/night shift game with impunity. But there was too much overlap between the two shifts for my comfort.

I was also aware that this was my last evening with Elisa on this visit. I would be able to spend the following afternoon in TJ, but I would have to leave well before her shift began. I knew my battery was not yet fully charged, and I began to regret doing that session with Veronica. I recalled last time, when a similar situation occurred that caused the whole trip to end on a down note. In short, I started to over-think.

I looked around the bar. Tanya was still there, and I watched her leave with a guy who was about to become a very happy man. My watch said 7:35.

I have a high tolerance for lateness, which is a very good quality to have in this environment. Finally, here she was... my eyes caught her leaving the dressing room. Elisa saw me right away; her locating ability never ceases to amaze me.

I stood up to greet her; the entire corridor in front of the upper bar was clear. A radiant smile crossed her face. She swept along the entire length of the bar like a tiny model walking down the runway. She looked stunning; she was wearing a red dress with a wide black stripe around the middle. We embraced and sat down in the booth. The waiter quickly brought us drinks.

We snuggled up and engaged in some small talk. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Veronica. She stopped and positioned herself about fifteen feet to our left. I grew uneasy.

Directly in front of us was a chica whom I had been checking out for a good part of this visit. I saw her several times during my last TJ trip as well, though I've never been given an opportunity to approach her. I had, however, exchanged glances with her on a number of occasions. She was Evelyn, a dark-skinned hottie with gorgeous curly brown hair, a killer body and glasses. I grew more uneasy; these chicas seem to know exactly how to position themselves to obtain the most dramatic effect. Or, perhaps I was just being paranoid.

Eventually, Veronica sought out a different place in the bar. Evelyn paired up with a guy, and they departed the premises. She seems to go upstairs as often as any girl in AB. I breathed easier.

My full attention returned to Elisa, and stayed there. A few minutes later, we headed upstairs for what would be the defining session of my second TJ visit.

At the desk, my absent-mindedness caused me to make an error that could have been disastrous. Elisa and I had pretty much adopted an hour as our standard session time, so at this point, I didn't even think about it. But earlier today, I had done two 30-minute sessions. Out of habit, I handed the desk clerk $11. Muy stupido. Elisa exchanged a few words in Spanish with the clerk, that went right over my head, and we started down the hallway.

Thinking I had paid for a full hour in the room, and wanting to set a different tone for this session, I began it by pleasuring her unreciprocally for about ten or fifteen minutes. Her rather enthusiastic reaction to that approach had me wondering why I hadn't tried it earlier.

Then, she decided to go to work on me. She reached down and grabbed me; I was in a half-erect state at that point, still not quite up to par after this afternoon's action.

She sat up and straddled me, and rested her toosh on my lower abdominal area. The perfect position for initiating some cowgirl action... or for delivering a lecture. And unfortunately, it was the latter that she had in mind.

She looked down at me with a serious look on her face. "Tell me the truth," she said. "You were here this afternoon."

Busted... but I kept my composure. I realized that either her own intuition had tipped her off, or I had been done in by the chica grapevine.

"I have never lied to you," I said, which was the truth. I acknowledged my presence at AB that afternoon.

"Is that why you only want 30 minutes?" she asked. Then it hit me. I had made a terrible blunder earlier at the desk. I apologized profusely, telling her that I would gladly extend it to an hour when the knock came, and that one hour was my intention all along.

Elisa continued to look at me; I found the expression on her face impossible to read. I guess she had been testing me to see if I was honest. It's the only way I can explain what happened next.

Slowly, she leaned forward, her face approaching mine. She planted a soft, luscious, lingering kiss directly on my lips.

Of course, that resulted in a predictable series of events. Within seconds, we were making out like a couple of teenagers, trying to inhale each other's tongues. Eventually, she rolled over onto the bed, lying next to me. A few more kisses of the soft variety, then she turned over and spooned into me. I wrapped her up in my arms, and we just lay there for a while without speaking.

She broke the silence. "No sleep," she said, giggling. But believe me... I was wide awake.

She continued, "Next time you come here... 24 hours of sex. No sleep, no eat, no drink. Twenty-four hours of coochie-coochie."

I like the way she thinks. But if that scenario ever came to pass, they'd be carrying me out in a body bag at the end.

Elisa reached back with her hand once again, to determine my state of readiness. One thing I like about her... she can be serious, she can be sweet; but sex is never far from her mind. But this time, she again found Mr. Happy to be in a half-happy state, although the rest of me was about as content as could be. She once again straddled me, assuming the "lecture position".

"Maybe I should try Viagra," I said. I was half-serious; the other half was trying to introduce a little levity.

"Won't help," she replied. "Your problem is... YOU... THINK... TOO... MUCH. With each word, she gently pressed her finger into the side of my head for emphasis.

Amazing. Hadn't Tanya uttered those exact same words a few hours ago?

I briefly thought back to my last visit, and how a nearly identical occurrence transpired. It had caused much consternation last time. But this time, we knew each other better.

"I see this all the time," she said.

"All the time?" I asked.

"All the time," she repeated. I thought that over, considered all its ramifications, and decided it was exactly what I needed to hear. I patted the bed, motioning her to lie down next to me, and she did so.

Then I realized that we had been in the room for over an hour, and there had not been a knock! I mentioned it to her.

"They forgot," she said, smiling. "That's fine with me," I said. "Me also," was her response.

We got to talking. I hadn't told her much about myself up to that point, so it was my turn to open up. Finally, we heard a knock. Elisa shouted something in Spanish, then lay down next to me again.

She asked me when I would be coming back. Oh, what a tough question that was. She counted the months since my last visit. "Four months," she said. "So you'll be back in four months." I wish it was as easy as she made it out to be.

The time continued to pass; miraculously, they had indeed forgotten about us. A little more talking, a little more cuddling, and a little more kissing, and then the second knock came. We wrapped things up at that point.

I looked at my watch as we were getting ready to leave the room. I had paid $11 at the desk, for 30 minutes. The total time of the session? One hour and fifty minutes. Unbelievable!

Well, I had taken up nearly two hours of her time, but of course, I hadn't expected to stay in the room for that long, either. So, we struck up a compromise. I paid her for an hour, and told her I'd like to do another 30-minute session later in the evening.

Next time I'm in TJ, I think I'll buy her that new dress, after all.

We headed downstairs, and hung out in the bar for awhile. It was a fairly slow Monday night. I bought her a couple of drinks, but she was more than content to sit with me indefinitely, and I wasn't complaining.

Well, I could feel a reaction building in my nether regions that hadn't been there earlier. So without any trepidation, I told her, "Let's go." She licked her lips, and back up we went.

This time, her outstanding oral skills did the trick, and I came pretty quickly. And it felt better than it had in a long, long time.

We parted the curtains downstairs, and as we walked into AB, she told me, "I need to go and look around." I didn't want to hear that, but those words had been long overdue. I told her that I wanted to buy her a drink before I left, and would wait around until she was available if necessary.

I went over to my usual perch at the upper bar, and just sat and watched. I saw Elisa moving about the bar, occasionally talking with someone, but finding no takers. Their loss. A chica or two propositioned me, but I declined. On this night, I had tunnel vision.

If all this sounds eerily similar to my last trip, it's because it was. Deja vu.

I looked at my watch; it was 12:15. I didn't want to approach Elisa, and initiate the series of events that would lead to goodbye. But neither did I want someone else to get to her before I could.

So I went up to her, and put my arm around her. She led me to a booth, and motioned to a waiter who brought us drinks.

There was a floor show going on, and the DJ was spinning American pop music instead of the more usual Latin fare. As Elisa bounced up and down in the seat to "Funky Cold Medina" by Tone Loc, I wondered if I was about to be hauled out onto the dance floor and forced to dance hip-hop style.

On my previous visit, I had heard a clock ticking in my mind. Now, I was watching the liquid level in her drink glass. Slowly but surely, with each sip, the level went down. Like the sand disappearing from the top half of an hourglass.

The waiter interrupted my reverie. Elisa asked me, "One more?" I nodded. "One more." I slightly stressed the word "one", indicating that this one would have to be the last. Full glasses arrived shortly; the hourglass had been turned over.

I watched her glass grow emptier by the minute. The DJ had pulled out a very curious musical selection... "Total Eclipse of the Heart." As the song faded into "turn around, bright eyes," Elisa rested her head against my shoulder, apparently by coincidence.

A few minutes later, it was time. She smiled at me; I smiled back. We stood and embraced for a few seconds. "Okay, baby," she said. "I hope to see you in four months."

The best reply I could give was, "I'll do the best I can."

She squeezed my hand, then let go. I watched her slowly walk away and disappear into the dressing room near the upper bar. Then, just as I had done on that April night, four months ago, I got up and immediately left the bar.

I was a little downcast as I rode off in the taxi, but to be honest, I was in better spirits than on my first visit. This time, I have good reason to believe that I'll see her again. Almost as importantly, I was able to gain closure on a few matters that I feared were destined to remain permanently open.

If you don't want to read through some unabashed fawning over a favorita, then skip over this paragraph. "Elisa" was the chica who took my TJ virginity. Over the course of my two visits, I've established a special rapport with her. She almost single-handedly made my first trip one to remember, and she took pretty darn good care of me this time around as well. She has an amazing knack for bringing out a side of me that I keep bottled up way too often. She's an outstanding provider, a lady with class, and I'd like to think that she's a good friend as well. I am sure many mongers out there have one particular chica that just makes their pulse race a little bit faster than all the others. For me, that is "Elisa", and she retains favorita status with me.

I had gotten my second chance. And considering how long the odds appeared after my first visit, I can't ask for anything more than that.


Tuesday, 8/14/01 (afternoon)

I knew going in, that this afternoon would be anti-climactic. But I wanted to drop by AB one last time. My trip budget was almost depleted, and I was physically worn out. Therefore, I vowed to avoid going upstairs. I allotted myself enough money for a few (non-alcoholic, as usual) drinks for myself, a few chica drinks, and lunch.

I checked out of my hotel, threw all my belongings in my car, and headed south. I reflected on how things had changed. No longer was I the wide-eyed newbie. But, although the novelty aspect of TJ had worn off, the pull was no less strong. Am I a Zona lifer, albeit a long-distance one? I don't know, but I'd say I'm off to a good start.

I parted the curtains, and stepped into AB for the final time on this visit. It was even more barren than on Monday afternoon. But the female-male ratio was very favorable, and I took a seat, waiting for the inevitable chica parade to begin.

First up was Claudia, a tall girl with long, light brown hair and braces. She appeared in front of me with a smile, and offered to work some magic on me upstairs. She was a looker, and earlier in my visit, I might have taken her up on that offer.

Next up: Marie, a shorter chica with some extra poundage and Native American facial features. She reminded me about a fantastic massage that she had allegedly given me some time in the past… which of course, never actually happened. Apparently, she had mistaken me for someone else. I politely declined her offer for a "repeat."

The third chica to pass by was Maribel, a light-skinned girl with Anglo features and long, straight dark brown hair. She greeted me by pulling on the front of my shirt and blowing air down onto my chest. Hmmmm… interesting. But I remembered that going upstairs was out of the question, so I immediately informed her of that fact, perhaps too abruptly. She moved on.

I got up and started to walk around, and saw Maribel sitting in a booth. I joined her there, and bought her a couple of drinks. I had an interesting conversation with her; she's an intelligent lady who speaks excellent English.

Later, I found myself sitting at the main bar. I looked over at the area in back of the dance floor; it was practically empty. A short while later, I looked at the same area, and there was Tanya, wearing a gray sweater and a short black skirt. One minute she wasn't there, the next she was. I began to wonder if Tanya was some sort of ethereal presence at AB, assuming bodily form at random intervals.

She smiled at me, and I went over and sat with her. She seemed tired on this day, and didn't say too much. We watched the floor show.

The girl onstage removed her top. "Nice chichis," Tanya commented. I laughed.

Suddenly, out of the blue, Tanya grabbed my hand and thrust it up under her skirt. Let's just say that my fingers encountered nothing in the way of clothing. "No underwear today," she deadpanned.

All I could do was laugh out loud. God bless this woman. She's priceless!

I knew that she could sense that I didn't want to go upstairs. But I wanted to verbally let her know, so I motioned over the waiter, ordered a couple of drinks, and then explained the situation. Of course, she understood.

Tanya finished her drink, then told me that she needed to go and look around. The timing was good. I was feeling a bit Zona-ed out at this point, and it was high time for me to hit the road.

She was heading in the general direction of the exit, so she walked with me almost all the way. She gave me a hug and kiss. Is there any better send-off from Adelitas than a big, wet, sloppy kiss from Tanya in front of the curtains?

I can't overstate the important role that Tanya played in making my second trip memorable. I needed a diversion, and she provided it. She richly deserves all the accolades she gets on this board. Count me in as an enthusiastic member of her already huge fan club, and I'm thankful that I was able to meet her and experience her magic. I know that many don't get that chance.

I watched her head off into the bar. The queen bee of Adelitas, buzzing off to rock someone's world. She is, in a word, unforgettable. Then I parted the curtains, and ventured out into the daylight.

I spent the rest of the afternoon over on Revo, in tourist mode. I had lunch at Maria Candelaria, a place that's become a favorite of mine. I bought a few of those tacky souvenirs, then caught the Mexicoach bus for the trip back to the border.

As I boarded the plane for the red-eye flight back east, part of me was melancholy, but a larger part of me was content. Mission accomplished; now it was back to the life that I usually know.

Is a third TJ trip in the back of my mind? You bet it is. But in the short term, I'm content to let it stay there.