Chickens

We were making love in the morning when we heard a noise outside our room.

A few days earlier, Jim had been driving on the highway when she saw a truck transporting chickens in terrible conditions—likely destined to be killed within days. She stopped the truck and bought as many chickens as she could with the cash she had on hand. She brought them back to the house.

So now, we were living with three chickens and a dozen dogs, in the middle of the pandemic, in a beach town in Mexico.

The noise outside sounded like a dog chasing a chicken. Mariela, naked, got out of bed, opened the door, and confirmed my suspicion. She walked outside and tried to catch Juana (the dog) who was chasing the chicken (name unknown).

What I remember is Mariela (still naked), chasing Juana (barking), chasing the chicken (squawking), all of them running in circles.

Dalí once said that Mexico is the most surreal country in the world. I couldn’t agree more.

Puerto Escondido, 2020