There is a down side though. It is straight up, through the heart of Port au Prince. We have not had to go there for quite a while because there are some grocery stores that have recently open that rival it. However yesterday we decided that we were going to go to this grocery store. This decision means driving an hour and a half of, starting and then abruptly stopping traffic. We get to see the sidewalk sales that are going on (there are few actual stores on this road but people bring their items daily and set them up to sell). We saw clothes, shoes, jewelry, sunglasses, pots, beds, couches, tires, propane tanks, generators, produce, and much more. It is like a buffet for our eyes. Always something new to see that makes us appreciate Haiti.
On our way back down the mountain (after we had driven for an hour and a half, shopped, and then eaten lunch) I noticed a man on the side of the road with hibiscus plants for sale. I said, "Shane! Look at those! Aren't they beautiful?". My husband, stops in the middle of the road, and says I should buy it. So after a short time of haggling (picture horns honking in the background and pedestrians telling us that we are causing a problem) I bring the hibiscus plant into our car and place it gently at my feet.
It's a pathetic looking plant. It might not even make it. In fact, this morning when I put it in the planter, I noticed that the flower was on its last leg and is dying. But there are little leaf buds coming out everywhere and I think, that once it has some love, it will be beautiful.
It makes me happy to see it while I am washing dishes or sitting in my favorite chair on the porch. It makes my heart happy to know that my husband knows I don't like impulse purchases, but knows me enough to know that I would have regretted not buying it. I love that my husband, who hates to make a scene, was willing to stop in the middle of the road to get me a hibiscus plant.
