Silvia and I arrived at Moondog's hotel early, and secured a table in the richly appointed bar adjacent to the lobby. Moondog would join us shortly, followed by Adriana the Webmistress, her business partner Ricardo, and Moondog's date, Elizabet. We would get acquainted over a drink or two and then head out for some as yet unnamed destination for dinner and whatever.

But for now, Silvia and I were alone soaking up the ambiance. Silvia approved of the bar, which, though new, had been made to look old through the use of woods of various types and hues and by the aged plaster on the walls. The focal point of the bar area was a grand staircase leading to some unknown destination on the second floor.

The tablecloths were stiff with starch and the black uniforms worn by the waitstaff helped to create an atmosphere of subdued sophistication. Silvia, as direct as she is unpretentious, sipped her cafe and took it all in. Silvia is a 20 year old wisp of a girl ( she is pictured in the Argentina section of the Gallery) from one of the provinces of Argentina. She is a small town girl, unaccustomed to big city ways and luxury hotels, but not out of place here in the midst of five-star elegance.

Silvia moved to Buenos Aires out of economic necessity, to support herself and her year old son. Her life's ambition is to save enough money to buy a house and a car and return to Tucaman, her hometown. I hope she makes it out of Buenos Aires before the lifestyle of a compania in a pick up bar hardens her otherwise tender nature.

I think what I like most about Silvia is that she is so forthright.(Well, that and the fact that she screams like a banshee while having sex in a certain position...but that's a story for another time and place). You never need to wonder what's on Silvia's mind. Without malice or guile, she will tell you what she thinks.

The first time I was with her back in August Silvia told me that my breasts were larger than hers, and that maybe I should take her bra. She giggled when I told her that I didn't need to pay girls to insult me. I informed her that her job as a compania was to make me feel good about myself, lying through her teeth if need be to build up my ego and secure a large propina for herself. She found this idea not to her liking, and with a shrug told me I could tip her or not but that she said what she thought and that's the way she was. Period.

So it came as no surprise to me that as Moondog joined us the first words out of Silvia's mouth were, "Look at his big ears. They stick out!" Moondog did not understand what Silvia was saying at first, as his Spanish language skills are minimal. Not to be deterred, Silvia reached over and touched his ears and made appropriate gestures until Moodog caught the drift of her comments. Ah, Silvia. I can't help but like her. Luckily, Moondog found her comments highly amusing as well.

Thankfully she would spare the others in our party her candid assessment of their physical attributes, but before the night was over Silvia, true to form, would inform me that I was to shave off my beard before my next trip to Argentina because the gray in my beard made me look old. Never mind that I have had a beard since long before she was born! It probably says something about my insecurities concerning age that one of the first things I did after returning home was to ...you guessed it...shave off my beard.

Moondog was still chuckling about Silvia's comment regarding his ears when the others arrived. We completed the introductions, ordered a round of drinks, and sat down to size each other up before moving on to the next phase of our evening together. Moondog speaks almost no Spanish, Silvia and Moondog's date Elizabet speak no English, & my Spanish is barely intelligible, so for much of the evening we spoke through Adriana and Ricardo who, though not fluent, were more skilled in the use of both languages than any of the rest of us.

After an hour or so of sometimes labored conversation we decided to head to the casino at Tigre , about a thirty minute ride outside of Buenos Aires. We would eat in the restaurant and then play the slots for awhile.

All of us would not fit into one car, so Silvia and I took off in a taxi and the other four followed in Adriana's brand new Peugeot. Sitting in the backseat of the taxi I whispered to Silvia that Moondog's date had big tits and that, in fact, every picture I had ever seen of one of Moondog's girlfriends had been a girl with large chi chis. Silvia said she guessed Moondog would not like to date her, and wondered aloud if Elizabet's pechos were real or enhanced.

I detected a slight note of disappointment in Silvia's comment about Moondog not wanting to date her because her breasts were not large enough. Moondog is a people person who compensates for his lack of linguistic skills with a big grin, lots of eye contact and appropriate physical touch . Silvia's comments about Moondog had reminded me of an important fact regarding human communication.

While words are certainly an important piece of the way we humans communicate with one another, words alone are often overrated. It is how we communicate non-verbally that ultimately determines whether or not we connect with others. So a guy like Moondog can get along in virtually any culture because he connects with people with his eyes, his smile, and his touch.

Silvia had responded to Moondog's obvious kindness. She liked him and wanted him to like her, despite the fact that they did not understand each other's words. I, in contrast to Silvia, am sometimes sneaky, so I chose not to tell Silvia that I was wondering if I Elizabet would like to date me even as he was wondering if Moondog cared for her. The life of a monger is sometimes very complex.

next up: Part 3. The wit and wisdom of Ricardo.

Ezy
Thanks for spending the time to write such well writtent reports. I enjoy your writing tremendously. The rule of 3 by Moondog is about right as the fourth time the ladies of the night start to take more control and get more possessive while before she was just happy to get picked. Wow advancing money, paying airline tickets, way out of my league.

Athos,

Yes, Moondog is a wise man. I agree with the 3x's rule, interpreted flexibly. And I do not usually have a problem moving on to a new chica. In fact, I usually like new chicas!

So entire experience with Lucia snuck up on me. Not unlike a guy who takes his first hit of cocaine intending to enjoy a momentary high, clueless that before long he would be willing to drain his bank account and risk losing his family, his friends, his job just so he can experience another moment of drug induced euphoria. When I was with her nothing else mattered, and when I wasn't with her I could think of little else but seeing her again.

I was aware that I had a problem, and that it was unwise to get involved with a working girl. I even forced myself to seek out other girls, hoping to break Lucia's hold over me. When Hombre posts the pictures I took of several of these girls, you will see that they were often much, much prettier than Lucia. But nothing worked, until she took off, my money & my heart in hand.

I will be more wary in the future! Thanks for your kind words.