Pay Day is a hassle here in Mazatlán. I wake up groaning on this day.

You might be thinking at this point, "What on earth is wrong with this lady? Pay Day is a good thing, a day to plug your bank account with (hopefully) lots of pesos to get you through the next days."  Well, this is not the case.

Pay Day here is ME doing the paying. Yes, that's right. Unlike in the States where I would write checks to pay my different utility bills, phone, you name it... here, there is no check writing. There is no mailing the bills. It is a day to spend in the car or on the bus going from one bill collector to the other. 

I remember several years ago when my friend came to visit me in Washington State. She came from Mazatlán. We were about to leave the house for the day when at the last minute, I remembered to grab my stack of envelopes. I started the car, and I drove to the bottom of my driveway. There, I stopped the engine, and left my friend for a moment to put my bills into the mailbox, and raise its red flag. 

When I returned to the car, she looked at me curiously, "What are you doing?" She was confused.

"I just paid my bills," I replied.

That was the day I learned how bills are paid in Mexico.

I have certain bills that are due on the 15th, and another one that is due the end of the month. No big deal... just once a month, I need to drive to these different offices and give them my pesos. Oh, that would be grand, but not the case. I had another lesson to learn.

A few years ago, I had a dinner party at my home. It was quaint, around eight guests if I remember correctly. It was nearing the time all dinner guests’ love, I was ready to serve the food. But one lady had still not arrived. She called and in her panicked voice, cried, "I am so sorry, I will be late! Today is the last day to pay my electric bill!"

Here, if you get your bill delivered on the 11th, it is due by the 16th. Then, on the 17th, if you have not paid the bill, your utility will be turned off! Hence, my dinner guest was panicked to pay her bill before coming to my home. "What?!" I was amazed at the audacity of these companies, but then I got thinking... "Wow, now that’s an amazing way to insure that folks don't get behind in their bills."

When I first came to this magical city, I had a friend who parked in the Golden Zone, but in a no parking zone. When he returned to his car, his license plate had been removed! "What?!" He was forced to go to the office and pay his fine before they gave him back his plate. Again, that sounds preposterous, but hey. It works for the city.

Pay Day... it comes two times a month for me, but like all things, it is now the norm. If I were to visit the States and see a friend with a stack of bills ready for their mailbox and their red flag raised, I might look at them curiously and ask, "What are you doing?" I might be confused. Boy, have I ever become Mexicanized! Such enchantment.
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Also enjoy my feature in Mazatlán's monthly paper, the Pacific Pearl... http://www.pacificpearl.com/pdf/pacific-pearl/low-res.pdf
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You can read all about drama in my novels. Check them out at www.cmichaelsbooks.com, author of Twisted Thrillers.
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