We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic cords of memory...will yet swell...when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angles of our nature. – Abraham Lincoln

British invasion! The red coats are coming, the red coats are coming…or at least returning as I am awoken just before 7am to an all too familiar voice that prides himself on the proper pronunciation of the English language but lacks the fundamentals for personal hygiene and etiquette. Welcome back, Marc, my brother from across the pond. After more than three weeks of travels to the States and the UK, the reunion has been long awaited in the onset lull of the quiet season in SJDS and we decide to catch up over breakfast at Barrio Café. The last busy weekend for the small Pacific beach town is coming to a close after the Nicaraguan Independence Day celebration and the mass exodus of Nicas to Managua is visible in the streets. Taking a table towards the back of the open outdoor café in the shade, there is little on the day’s agenda and Marc is reintroduced to the slower pace of life that is synonymous with Central America.
Celebrating the return of anything but a king, I figure it is time to introduce this poor bloke to the awesomeness that is the NFL and American Football. As the relative cool air of the late morning gives way to the heat of the afternoon, we settle in to dual rocking chairs on the upstairs terrace and begin with the Jets versus Pittsburgh game. As the hits begin to pile up with each play I attempt a lengthy explanation of the game and with it, we begin betting on various plays and quarters. Beginners luck has afforded three straight victories to my ever so humble counterpart, but things begin to even out as the sun disappears over the ocean and I am reminded of football Sundays back home with friends. Calling it an early night after the previous uncomfortable night’s sleep in hard wooden beds with paper thin mattresses it is good to have this good friend back at the start of a new week.