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FOUR
The Zach Brown fam touched down at Puerto Vallarta’s Licenciado Gustavo Díaz Ordaz airport just before January first transitioned into January second, a feat accomplished via the Earth’s rotation, the establishment of an International Dateline and the juxtaposition of New Zealand’s 175-degrees-east longitude versus Puerto Vallarta’s 105-degrees-west. Even though the Mexican time pieces insisted that a mere eleven hours had passed since initial takeoff to final touchdown Mary, Zach and Bryan’s circadian clocks knew full well what a full day they had experienced. “Just have to get through customs, grab a taxi and check in,” Mary said with a sigh. “I’m hoping we’ll be sleeping soundly before one o’clock chimes.”

Zach shifted Bryan’s sleeping form in his arms as they stepped from the connecting tunnel and entered the terminal. “You were spot on concerning the extra night at the hotel. It would be pure torture to have to wait another- what? -fourteen hours to check in? Way better to book an extra night up front and be able to just flop in bed and sleep.”

Mary nods. “Especially since that’s a business expense so work’s covering it. It’s really great to be able to have you two with me without it costing an arm and a leg. Not that tickets for you guys weren’t expensive enough but pretty much everything else costs the same whether I go solo or have my two best buds along. This should be great,” she added, squeezing her husband’s bicep.

“Not that it’s not expensive,” Zach replied, following the herd of passengers to customs control, “but it’s sure cheaper than if we had to spring for everything.”

“For sure. This way we only wind up paying maybe twenty percent of the trip’s total cost and I really think that having  you guys with me will do nothing but increase my effectiveness here. Who says you can’t have your cake and eat it too?”

“Wasn’t that Marie Antoinette?”

“Pretty sure she was the one who revolutionized losing one’s head,” Mary replied with a head nod. “Let’s get through customs and get some sleep. We have the whole weekend to play before I have to clock in on Monday morning and I want to make the most of it.”

“Your wish is my command, my Empress.”

“You’re way too tall to be a Bonaparte,” Mary replied with a wink.

“Uh, wouldn’t that make me Louis the Sixteenth?”

“Wow. Details, details, details and way too little sleep. Let’s go run the government gauntlet and then get to the Bella Vallarta. I’m dead on my feet.”

“That’s the plan, my love,” Zach replied. “Get you to bed so you can adjust to local time for our working holiday.”

“Yeah,” Mary said as she gently elbowed her husband, “I work, you holiday.”

“Tough job but somebody’s got to do it.”

Descending the escalator and winding through the hall that led to customs, Mary and Zach let out a long and dreary sigh as they saw the long line that snaked before them. “Looks like there’s just two Custom Agents,” Zach said under his breath. “Maybe we won’t be to the hotel before the clock strikes one.”