I was trapped in a hotel room in SLO for two days. The on and off ramps were flooded, and the parking lot was so flooded that cars were floating away . When I went out to move my car to higher ground there were hundreds of frogs happily leaping from car to car.
RIBBIT
RIBBIT RIBBIT
RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT
When I went to check out I asked if we were going to receive some compensation for the power being out. There was no delivery service to our hotel so we lived off of vending machine food items.
” Are you compensating us for the power outage?” I asked.
“ Sure.” Said Stan a rotund bald man with a foot long obsidian black beard. He resembled Black Beard .
He hands me a Lean Cuisine frozen Lasagna .
“ Have your next dinner on us. Lovely to have you.”
“ And? “ I asked?
“ And you are checked out!
“ I was at hotel Vanlencia and they waived all my mini bar charges and gave me two nights for free. cuz the power went out for 2 hours. “
“ Mister, we are not a high end hotel on Satan’s row ok.”
I left. Waded through the high waters. Frogs swimming everywhere. There was a friendly littke frog on my car.
‘ I”m leaving. So you may want to get off my car Freddy the Frog”
He hopped off immediately.
As I passed through Buellton. I heard something.
RIBBIT
Turned down the music.
RIBBIT RIBBIT
I looked in the rear view mirror and there on the back seat perched on my Yellow Stussy hoodie was Freddie the frog.
“ Get off my sweatshirt Freddy!” I told him.
RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT
I called my God Son who loves frogs.
‘ Jah it’s me. YOU still like frogs?”
“ Yeah! I love frogs. “
“ Want a pet frog?”
“ Yeah but my parents won’t let me have one. Cuz my dad is scared of them. “
“ So this frog jumped into my car and I need to either find him a home or set him free. “
“ Set him free ! Set him free at Echo Park lake. “
“ Good idea! “ I shouted.
I didn’t want Freddy to dry up so I put some water in a large tupperwear container. But he didn’t want to get in.
I show up to Echo Park. Jah is there with his parents, they dug up fresh earth worms to feed Freddy. But he wasn’t hungry.
I let Jah release Freddy into the pond.
“ Bye Freddy!” Shouted Jah.
“ Laters Fussy Freddy “ I barked .
He jumped on a Lilly pad then nose dived into the murkey waters .
Jah gave me a big hug.
“ Yay!” He cheered. Freddy is free! Freedom is happy time!”
Jah is right. Freedom fuels happiness.
As Jah and his parents said good bye, we heard RIBBIT RIBBIT. We turned around.
It Was Freddy. He was staring at us. I guess he wanted a bigger pond? Sometimes, after a rough journey , we need expansive space.
Alex C. Muñoz 