Journal, July 11, 1976 AM (Sunday)

Today it’s back on the road again. Managua at 19:00 hours, more or less.

<I am resigned to leaving, though I haven’t seen very much of Sofia, never ‘til after 6:30 PM except for yesterday and last Sunday.> We made the most of the time vouchsafed us however.

Yesterday we had all day together, from eight in the morning ‘til after nine at night. It was too much! Really, too much, because in a whole day you’re bound to see more of a person than the side they try to show you! <I manage to show my idiosyncrasies and general strangeness to Sofia even in short encounters, but she is more able to keep up a front for say an evening.> Anyway, when turned loose in the Mil Colores clothing store she showed true materialistic greed, wanting every other nice thing she saw. She is making a significant amount of money for the first time in her life in her secretary job, and I think, quite naturally, she’s reacting by wanting to get all those little things she’s never had her own money to buy before. It’s her money; I know I don’t have any {money} for frivolities!

<Jaime {Olson} bought his wedding suit - a nice proper light blue - and it seems I’ll have to buy a suit for his wedding too, since my dark green jacket is not in tune with the climate, Jaime’s suit or Sofia’s tastes.> I think they were half expecting me to buy a suit on the spot yesterday too. Sorry folks, no cash, and it would have detracted from Jaime’s moment.

<Sofia bowled 73, 76, 74 - consistent if not spectacular - while I went 120, 118, 85 - peaking early.> I don’t think I ever did that before! Jaime & Mike Galbraith were the stars of course; they know how to bowl you see.

<We went to Basico’s {the Peace Corps training center} final fiesta {party} in the afternoon, and Sofia got her jollies out of rapping with 2 trainees (both decent looking).> She has already learned how to “feed” words they can pick up to gringos {North Americans} with very limited vocabularies. She says one guy didn’t know she had a “novio” {boyfriend} (that’s me!) and was disappointed when I called her away to meet someone. Oh the precious little vanities of a very pretty young woman!