Eye opening events
As I mentioned before drugs are rife in our little village. I was totally shocked by that, being maybe a little naive about this type of thing at the beginning, although have wised up now.
The first summer it caused a few issues, namely I took offense to people buying and selling drugs outside our bar, which also meant outside the swimming pool, with all the village kids right there. Somehow this was resolved very fast and easily, I think the following event may have had something to do with it.
A French family came in with a local estate agent that we knew, the Father spoke amazingly good English, it turns out they were to rent the house opposite us, until their property in a tiny little place about 7kms away was reformed.
All seemed fine to begin with, they introduced themselves, he was in the French Army and explained that he spend a lot of time away. The two children seemed a little on the wild side, but that may just be excitement of moving.
We had a pleasant chat with them, until he made a phone call then, hung around right outside the bar, I could not believe my eyes, when I saw him pass over some cash and take a packet in return. I wasn't even stood outside, they were so close to the bar I could clearly see what had gone down.
I thought if you were in the Army you underwent random drugs tests, clearly not in the French Army.
I could not button my lip, it was all the kids, I really didn't want drug dealers outside the pool, peddling there wares, totally unsafe in my view.
I had to confront this head on, it wasn't good enough to explain no drug dealing here !
So I pulled him to one side and explained in English, that it was totally unacceptable to buy drugs, where so many children were and that if I saw him doing it again, I would report him and take down the car registration and report them also. And if I saw him doing outside my house I would do the same thing. He was very embarrassed and apologetic, I don't think he was used to people telling him what was what. Not a great start with the new neighbors. However we never had drugs being sold outside again, so something I said worked.
We thought that was that end of the matter, we could now just rub along and not get too involved with them.
What happened the next day was unbelievable, worse even than paying for drugs in front of children?
Suddenly this young lad about 8 years old, turned up. Crying. I recognized him from the day before our new neighbors boy, he spoke no Spanish, no English just French. I speak no French, at all, not a word.
Very luckily Gwen spoke a bit and so did an English lad that was round the pool, neither spoke that much but it was a damm site better than my none. It turns out that the poor little mite had been left in our care with the euro entry for the pool and nothing else whilst his Mum drove to Granada and back a good 3 hour round trip, that's without stopping. He had no food and no money to buy food and was confused and upset by the whole experience.
It was the only day that summer that it rained, so the pool was closed early, luckily my girls, who are just brilliant, played with him to try to help him feel better.
My locals were telling me to call the Guardia and tell them he had been abandoned, I couldn't do that, can you imagine how frighting that would have been for him. I think the locals thought he really had been abandoned and I would end up with an extra child.
Of course I fed and watered him, gave him sweets and tried my best to make him feel safe. But as time ticked by, I did start to wonder if the Mother would ever return.
The really daft thing is that if she had just asked I would have looked after him anyway and a lot of stress could have been avoided, mainly on the part of her son.
She did return about 6 hours after she had dropped him off, did she come in and thank me or make sure everything was ok, did she hell. She sat in the car and beeped the horn, she was gone before I had time to get out to her.
When I got home, I went to speak to her, I explained how distressed her son had been and how the locals had told me to call the Guardia. How I had refused, but if she had just let me know it would have been a whole load easier for all. She didn't see my point of view and thought I was over reacting.
We hardly spoke after that and I didn't let the girls play out when her kids where out, mainly as they didn't have the boundaries mine did. My girls knew where they could and couldn't go. The French kids at 8 and 2 would play out even when the Mother was asleep. In my mind a 2 year old is a baby, our house backed onto a fairly busy road, where the drivers drove very fast, it simply terrified me.
Luckily there house was completed quickly and they moved out, never to be seen again. Our sleepy little hamlet returned, much to the delight of all the residences.