Especially rumors about violent deaths.
But it appears my small fishing village by the sea has lost a bit more of its innocence.
Before I get to the lurid details, let me be clear. Melaque is not a pristine church town. I live in a seaside town that attracts tourists -- mainly from Guadalajara. And where there are vacationers, you will find vice.
Anyone with eyes can find sex, drugs, and some rock and roll on the streets of my village. Just like the seaside towns in Oregon.
But on Friday, the violent mask of narcoterrorism came home to my town. Two local young men were "executed" in the afternoon -- with the trademark bullet-riddled bodies capped off by a coup de grâce. In front of Melaque's huge earthquake-ruined hotel.
Symbolism galore.
The news does not surprise me. Melaque sits on the border of control between two drug cartels. And the shooting looks as if it could be a traditional "turf" struggle.
That is pure speculation on my part. But two young men are dead. And the circumstances do not look like the usual crimes of passion. This is different.
If this story plays out as most tales do in my village, there will be plenty of theories and "facts" that start showing up in local conversations and on message boards. But they should not be confused with the truth. Something that most likely will never be known.
I will admit I find it unsettling that people died so close to my house in Melaque.
But more people have died from drug violence just as close to my house in Salem.
I also know that some of the people I have met during my stay in Melaque will not be returning. I just read another survey of retirees in Mexico. The retirees who were surveyed said the chief reason they would leave Mexico would be the fear of drug violence drawing near to them.
I guess I will now find out if that is true.
As for me, I will be a bit more cautious. But I am going to return home to Mexico in November. By then, this incident will be no more than an echo.
