We were having a pleasant lunch at our favorite street side cafe. It has four things that make it my favorite:

1) It is on the most beautiful street in Cochabamba, “the Prado”. You’d think it was a street in Europe. The front is open, so you can enjoy the fresh air, and watch the people pass by. You also can be accosted by beggars, shoe shine boys and pushy street vendors, but that is part of the charm. And no, I didn’t buy the $10 “genuine Rolex”.

2) The prices are cheap. If you stick to basic sandwiches and stuff, it is less than McDonalds. You also can get more expensive exotic Japanese dishes, prepared by a Japanese chef.

3) The service is excellent. Friendly, smiling servers who enjoy chatting, even with my clumsy Spanish.

4) They get the food right, and take care of my miserable food allergies.

Back to today’s story. We were sitting at an inside table, because workers were replacing the front awning with a more durable but ugly aluminum structure. The construction noise was irritating, but we were enjoying conversation with a minimum of shouting (gestures and lip reading help!). We were at the railing next to the sidewalk, my back to the street.

Sparks were starting to fly into the restaurant from the worker’s welding torches. They were working above us, and the sparks were landing on the table to my left. The manager reprimanded the workers and they moved a bit farther to the street. As they moved, a box containing a few pounds of sharp, 8 inch metal spikes was dislodged and fell into the restaurant – on me!

The spikes were used to anchor the metal awning to the concrete facade of the building. Had the spikes descended vertically, I would have been impaled and you’d be reading about my memorial service. Instead they landed sideways across my neck and upper back. My wife assures my that my shout of pain and surprise was very manly – but I haven’t pressed her on that!

The workers gathered up their stuff and kept right on working, pretending nothing had happened, with furtive glances at us to see what we’d do. The servers and manager rushed over to a) see if I was all right, and b) if I’d make a fuss.

We determined that I was OK except for some scratches and bruises. A graphic reminder that we are immortal until God is finished with us, so be bold for Christ!

Now, you may be thinking that in the States, the resulting law suit and settlement would make me a millionaire. However, this is Cochabamba! The manager had a free soft drink sent over, and then presented me with the bill for our meal.