Joe O’Donnell – Memoirs of a Roatan Diver – Part 15
Tuesday 29th June 2011
Que Pasa Gringos,
I am still running around town trying to buy dive equipment to open my own dive shop and you won´t believe what happened while I was in the process. Yesterday I found out a friend who runs another dive shop may be selling some gear so I went to his shop to talk to him. He wasn´t there so I thought I should call him. While I was talking to him a woman from the shop next door started demanding I move my bike off her property. I just ignored her because my bike was on the road. She then demanded I get off her property so I pointed to the dive shop and mentioned I was on the phone with the owner of the dive shop. She started shoving me so I kept pushing her arms away while trying to continue my conversation with the dive shop owner. The woman then went inside her shop and the next thing you know a man came out and hit me on the leg with a plank of wood!
I was shocked and in pain so I reacted by throwing punches at the man. Then the woman started scratching me all over since I had no shirt on. I pushed them out of the way and I ran onto the street. My mate on the phone was wondering what was going on so I tried to tell him but this little episode wasn´t over just yet. Then the woman grabbed my bike and put it in front of her shop while the man walked towards the back of the shop. I then went to get my bike and the woman grabbed the plank of wood again. I shoved her into the front door of her shop pretty hard and I think the window smashed (but I´m not sure). Then I grabbed my bike and ran away but this time with the whole family chasing me down the street with machetes!
After I got away I was able to tell my friend on the phone what happened (because he could hear it all but didn´t know what was going on). He told me that the woman in the shop next door, Rosita, was the main reason he was shutting down his dive shop. I´ve heard a lot of stories about how crazy this woman is but I had never experienced it until now.
I hope I don´t get into any trouble off the police or anyone for this. I just wanted to buy some dive equipment and the next thing you know I’m throwing punches at someone for the first time in as long as I can remember.
Since this little violent episode I´ve been wondering what to do. I have told a lot of people the story and shown them the scratches all over my body. Some people have suggested I go to the police but I´m unsure if I should. I can´t speak Spanish well enough to make a statement without a translator, and I´d prefer not to get the police involved in case it turns back against me. The guy I was on the phone with during the whole ordeal said they keep asking him for my details and their son is after me. Apparently the woman knows the chief of police and is related to the mayor of Roatan. I don´t think this is a battle I can win. What should I do? Do I hide and stay low for a few weeks until it all blows over? Should I leave the island for a while? West End is such a small town that it would be hard to hide from them for long. I don´t want to cop a machete in the back when I´m least expecting it do I? This is such a screwed up situation and I don´t know what to do.
Well just in case this is the last edition of my blog, remember…… to live every moment like it´s your last……
Cheers,
Joe