Magic box

So long story short, I end up having to check into this no-tell motel, or auto hotel/love motel as they call them down here. This was in Salvador. So the idea behind these love motel is so people can drive there and have their secret rendevou without ever been seen by anybody. I must cofess I don't get out much and just didn't get the idea that one can check into a place without ever seeing anyone. At this point I was wearing the entire road's dirt and mud, soak to the bone from the all day rain of an almost hurrican that just hit central america, I was trying to figure out how much this love motel was going to cost me. The three kind hearted yet half witted stooges that took me there just can't seem to smart enough to explain to me how this motel system works, or I was just too thick to understand. Anyway I final figure out that it should cost no more than $6 per hour and $23 for the night, the place is deluxe. So I checked myself in by roll my sad looking bike, loaded with mud and rain into the garage and close the garage door behind me.

So as I am stripping out of my wet closes, trying to organize things of what is not yet wet and what must be washed first, I hears this knocking...let me describe the room first, it a seemingly normal hotel room, except with lots of mirrors surrounding the bed...cleaning supplies are very much within reach, the air purfumed, and romantic music automatically came on as I enter the room, the light is generally dim and pinkish. There is a big TV enbeded into the wall opposite of the bed and below it is this wooden box extrudding out of the wall. I have no idea what that box is suppose to be for at first glance. So there I was, with my gears spread through out the room, semi naked trying to find some dry/clean cloths to wear after the impending shower. The large ceramic floor is all wet with water at this point and slippery like a skating ring. As I am gliding around the room, I hear this knock, I ran outside, nothing, open the garage door, nothing, so I went back to my cleaning chore. More knocks, I check all the doors again, nothing, the knock again and it certainly meant for me but where was it coming from??? I was scratching my head big time. It was then I realized the knocking was coming from the extruding wooden box, what the %&%$"?????? so I scrambled over to it, slipped and fell for my effort. It can be opened from the top, so I did. It's two way box where money and supplies and be exchanged without bothside seeing each other's face. She gave me the towel and the remote control for the TV while I was trying to confirm how much the night was to cost me in my now excellent spanish, not! She said something 13 and I thought it was 30, Ok I gave here 40 and she instantly gave me back the extra 20 and said "un momento". So I waited, standing there wet and semi naked. She came back, with 2 beers... what the...!!!! more confusion ensued as I am bend over trying to stick my head through this box to get some face to face interaction so my crude spanish can be better understood. Eventuall she got tired of trying to explained how it works to me and told me to call the secretary and lied to me that she will be able to speak to me in English. So I let her go, and made the phone call. After much exchange in my broken Spanish and confusion, I finally figured out it costs $20 for the entire night, the $13 was for the first 4 hour and somehow they will come and collect the other $7, the beers are complimentary:)

So that was the magic box. my dinner also came through it the same way, I order it though the phone, there was a knock from the box, food came in, money goes out, changes came back...life is a faceless exchange of money and services.