Between Here and There- American Tourists, Family Edition

My husband and I were in Cozumel with a large group of family members and planned to meet some of them at a restaurant. The problem was, we didn’t know which restaurant—only the general area of town.

Our taxi dropped us off nearby and paused in a small parking lot to make sure we were okay getting out there. When I looked up, I saw a member of our group standing outside.

I was genuinely impressed.

How thoughtful, I thought. I assumed they’d been tracking us on a Find My app, saw we were close, and came out to make sure we didn’t miss them.

Later that evening, I mentioned how touched I’d been that someone had been watching for us. That’s when I learned what had actually happened.

Everyone had been inside a tiny, locally owned restaurant. At some point, two siblings disagreed over a taco. Words were exchanged. Then tempers flared, and punches flew.

Their mother intervened and sent one of them outside to cool off.

That was the person I saw.

He told me later, “I wasn’t out there waiting for you. I was in time-out.”

Which is funny, because these were not children.

You’ve got to love family.

I’ve never really wondered why other countries sometimes dislike American tourists. I’m sure there are many reasons—but bringing our family drama to someone else’s dinner table is probably one of them.

Sorry, Cozumel.