A month ago I had two ATM cards, one for our business account, one for my personal account. Somehow in the last two weeks I have lost them both.
Each time, the cards disappeared after I drew cash from one particular machine at an Oxxo. I know I didn't leave the card there, I've gotten very paranoid about machines eating my cards, after it happened once in Obregon. Yet somehow while I was putting pesos and card away in my wallet, the card vanished. Vaporized! Disappeared into a black hole! ¡Esfumarse! (I love that comforting Spanish expression, it means it made itself disappear, in a puff of smoke.) Poof!
This time, just to reinforce with a little extra pain the lesson that I must become more mindful, I will to have to pay my US bank $45 to wire funds to my Mexican bank.
From now on, when I go to the ATM, I will make believe I'm going to a shrine. Well, isn't it, in a way? Before sticking in my card, I will say a prayer that the machine works, has the funds and will part with them. I will carefully watch each phase of the transaction on the screen, while also checking that I (and my PIN#) am not being observed. When/if the cash comes out I will say a prayer of thanks. I will then put the pesos in my wallet, take deep breaths (good in, evil out) while waiting for the card, and then if/when it pops out, I will kiss that #%@& little piece of plastic reverently, and carefully slip it into its designated slot in my wallet, with another gratitude prayer. Just in case, I will look at the floor around me to make sure it hasn't somehow escaped.
