A Trail of Tears and a House of Not-So-Ill Repute

Fort Smith, Arkansas was an interesting city indeed. Less than a couple miles from Oklahoma, it was once the home to thousands of Native Americans as well as an acclaimed house of prostitution. There is an overlook by the river separating Arkansas and Oklahoma, where a sign tells visitors that all the land you can see was once Indian-owned land. The forced emigration of five Native American tribes is what we know today as the Trail of Tears. Not far from this piece of history is a famous former bordello, known for its high-end ladies of the night, as well as their more cultured entertainment of visitors. A couple of the girls bought shirts from Miss Laura's Social Club boasting, "Our brothel still takes care of its visitors!" But, no. They don't.

We also struck gold with thrift stores, a used book store and a great Mexican place, which is my more contemporary idea of a good town. The Mexican place, La Huerta, was incredibly cheap, and each of the three times I went (in as many days), the food was brought out by this tall, dark guy we nicknamed Fabio, who presented each dish with a deep, accented voice that made it sound even more delicious. We called him the "food presenter" and kept going back for more. Last night, we even closed the place down in our sadness to say "adios" to Fabio and his delicious food.

I have also begun a little side job these past few days, and no, it is not as an extra at Miss Laura's. We have a Bulgarian family traveling with us, and they work for our merchandising company. Well, on January 1st, I began tutoring their son, Junior, in English, Math and Reading. He is a quick study and really enjoys learning English. It's been fun for me to work with him and also gives me less time to sit around watching tv. It was a bit tricky, though, remembering how to divide fractions. I can't say that's had much practical use in my life lately...

We drove in to Texas today and are here for the rest of the month. Not here, in Wichita Falls, but here in Texas. This weekend we hit Dallas, where mi amor is coming to visit me! The tallest, handsomest, finest Mexican chef I know and love. Yo estoy muy cansada!