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. I thought that ended it. But now we were going back for more, whatever it was.
Our second session with the Commandant was short. He told us that we would see the immigration judge at four that afternoon - the court with that jurisdiction; there was no separate immigration court. In the meantime here was a list of what we owed - arrange payment with the judge.
Margrethe looked startled as she accepted a piece of paper from him; I demanded to know what he had said.
She translated; I looked at that billing.
More than eight thousand pesos!
It did not take a deep knowledge of Spanish to read that bill; almost all the words were cognates. 'Tres horas' is three hours, and we were charged for three hours' use of I aeroplano'- a word I had heard earlier from Margrethe; it meant their flying machine. We were charged also for the time of Lieutenant Sanz and Sergeant Dominguez. Plus a 'multiplying factor that I decided must mean applied overhead, or near enough.
And there was fuel for the aeroplano, and service for it.
'Trousers' are 'pantalones'- and here was a bill for the pair I was wearing.
A 'faldo' was a skirt and a 'camisa' was a blouse - and Margrethe's outfit was decidedly not cheap.
One item surprised me not by its price but by being included; I had thought we were guests: two lunches, each at twelve pesos.
There was even a separate charge for the Commandant's time.
I started to ask how much eight thousand pesos came to in dollars - then shut up, realizing that I had not the slightest idea of the buying power of a dollar in this new world we had been dumped into
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