My best friend Lloyd Chartrand’s home is in escrow.
Lloyd is a 72-year-old single guy who is lonely. He has a girlfriend who lives in South Africa and can’t resettle in the United States due to immigration policies. Charlie and I have met her (“Juanita”) and she is a very nice divorced lady who is maybe a dozen years younger than Lloyd. She’s also athletic and good-looking. Why should he hook up with her?
Lloyd likes adventure and is contemplating moving to Merida, Mexico (in the Yucatan peninsula). It is a nice colonial town with low crime, cost of living is reasonable, there are lots of things to do and see, and Juanita would not have the immigration issues if she decided to move there.
The climate in Merida is tropical wet and dry, which is much different than that of Mesquite. Lloyd served in Vietnam, so he knows the drill. Instead of dodging horned toads and rattlesnakes in the Nevada desert, he will be dodging bombardment from iguanas in trees.
Lloyd bought his house here in Mesquite a little over 3 years ago, paid $240,000 and put another $15,000 into the place, so he’s $255,000 all in right now. He just accepted an offer on his home for $381,000 (plus the buyer is going to assume Lloyd’s community facilities bond obligation for another $4,000). So, he stands to net around $125,000 from the deal. He’s an ex-C.P.A. and financial consultant, so this is not his first rodeo. He’s going to plunk it in the bank, wait for the real estate bubble to pop, and then snatch up a bargain property in the States or elsewhere.
If Lloyd resettles in the Yucatan like he’s contemplating, I’m sure Charlie and I will go visit him. We’ve traveled there before (via cruises to Cozumel and Belize and land-based vacations in Cancun and Tulum) and we like it down there. It is hot and muggy, but that’s what showers and iced drinks are for, right?
I will certainly miss Lloyd, as will Charlie. He and I golf, play tennis, and hike together in the local mountains. The three of us have a weekly dinner/card game which alternates between his house and ours, and sometimes we go out to dinner here in Mesquite. Lloyd likes Charlie and he loves our dogs.
As I say, Lloyd is my best friend, although he and I don’t see things through the same lens: he’s very conservative, believes in a lot of conspiracy theories, and is racist, to be blunt. I try to ignore the propaganda that he puts out and concentrate on the things we have in common, like love of adventure, Old West history, ribald humor, and good-natured ball-busting, which we do almost constantly. It will be difficult replacing this component of my life, but I’ll have to try.
Lloyd will close escrow in early July, as I understand. We will be on our RV road trip to Oregon by then, so our house will be unoccupied and we’ve offered it to Lloyd while he tidies up his affairs here in Mesquite. He will have to put all of his household goods in storage while he goes down to Mexico to survey opportunities.
Charlie and I hope that Lloyd finds happiness wherever he ends up.