When I arrived for breakfast the next morning after ‘my fabulous day’ I noticed several books behind the counter. One of them, The Reader’s Digest, was in English.

‘Who reads the English books?’ I asked.

‘I do’, she said ‘I love reading but can’t get enough of them’.

Her English was perfect. She’d lived in the States for twenty years and had returned to Honduras to visit her family. While she was here her handbag was stolen. Inside it was her USA Residency Card.

That was seven years ago.

Despite many and repeated attempts the US authorities have never issued her with a new card so she is stuck in Honduras and is unable to go back into the US.

Not unsurprisingly she no longer wants to live there but would like to go back just to tie up loose ends.

She told me how twenty US RV’s had parked in the hotel grounds on their way south and when they learnt she loved to read they’d got a collection of books together for her, including ‘The Digest’.

She was longingly eyeing my ‘Uncommon Grounds. A History of Coffee’ by Mark Prendergrast that I was half way through. It was interesting but a bit too ‘America is wonderful’ for my liking however I still wanted to finish it.

I paid my bill and went back to complete loading my bike before leaving for Nicaragua.

As I was walking across the gravel to my room I had a change of heart. I thought I’d be easily able to buy another copy in San Jose so I turned around and went back inside.

‘I thought you might like this’ I said as I offered it to her.

Her eyes lit up with pleasure as I handed it to her.

‘Don’t read it too quickly’ I said, ‘Make it last’.

I bade her farewell and returned to my packing.

I now had to choose which of three new books to read next.

It seemed almost greedy when Manuella had none (apart from a coffee book).

I put myself in her position. How would I feel if I was stuck in a country unable to find or afford a constant supply of books?

I love reading and generally get through one a week.

I took the cellophane covers off two of them and had a quick browse.

I went back to Manuella and asked her if she’d swap ‘Lost Discoveries’ by Dick Teresi and ‘Under The Volcano by Malcolm Lowry for a litre of water?

‘Is that all?’ she said.

I took the litre of water.

‘You are an angel’ she said, ‘These mean more to me than you can possibly imagine’.