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I wrote this story to be included in a compilation for a friend’s birthday, thought I’d blog about it.

Disclaimer: This is more a story about me than it is about Lina, but it happened the first time that I met her.

Twas Fiesta in Santa Barbara in the year 2004. Los Bobby, Mike Franz, Bridget O’Brien, others and I (a.k.a “the Block”) invaded Galeria’s place for the weekend fiestivities.

All I remember from that weekend (aside from Fiesta) was playing quarters, lots of quarters.

I got up to go to the bathroom, and in my absence somebody bounced a quarter in to the community cup, which was full of beer. (Was it Lina? Was it Jesse?) “Somebody should probably take that out,” muttered somebody to clear his or her conscience; but nobody did.

The two rotating mugs were right next to each other, one after the other. The first one got to me and I can’t seem to bounce my quarter in it. The person on my left beats me and passes it to Bridget on my right. She’d been bouncing doubles all night and had it out for me—I knew she was going to pass it back to the person on my left and I was about to be double-screwed.

I had to guzzle the community cup and make my quarter so that I wouldn’t get skipped again. I grab the beer cup, opened the hatch and started sucking beer out of it. On its way down, I felt an object glide through my throat. By the time I realized what had happened, the quarter was already in my stomach. Everyone was laughing guiltily and I was dumbfounded. When they caught their breath, the players told me what had happened while I was in the bathroom.

I contemplated whether or not I was going to die, whether or not I would pass it or the quarter would be with me forever. It didn’t feel right, but I think it was mainly a placebo. I probably never would have known that a quarter was inside me if I wasn’t aware when I swallowed it.

For you curious folk, I eventually passed the quarter. But that’s another story.