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March 20, 2001 was the second anniversary of our arrival on
Guam. To celebrate, we took the kids to our favorite (i.e. the most affordable) restaurant, Pizza Hut, in Agana, the capital city. This Pizza Hut looks like every free-standing stateside Pizza Hut with its red roof and white letters. But this Pizza Hut is different. At this Pizza Hut, we are known. The waitresses never ask “how many” or “smoking or non?” They just take us to “our” tables in the corner, or if these are not available, they pull together four small tables. These waitresses have watched the kids grow in the last two years. They comment on Hallie’s size and are impressed that she’s now sitting in a high chair. They’ve watched Max’s braces come and go, and have teased him about his driver’s license. So it was well fitting that we went to Pizza Hut to celebrate. But when we arrived at the restaurant, we knew something was wrong. The sign on the door was the first warning: “Pizza Hut is using bottled water for the convenience of our patrons.” Inside, the soda machine was covered with large pieces of cardboard, proclaiming the establishment’s regret. Although it was nearly 5 p.m., the place was deserted. We were able to get “our” tables and everybody else’s. Our favorite waitress, Amy, escorted us to our seats and verified our standard order. “What are we gonna drink?” the kids clamored. “Our water’s very good,” Amy said, “You’ll like our water.” “This is just great,” Butch complained. “The night we come out to celebrate being on Guam, we can’t get anything to drink.” “Actually,” I said, “this is perfect. Where else could this happen?” What had happened was that years of fiscal irresponsibility and political corruption had come to fruition. One piece of the island’s infrastructure had crumbled a week earlier, sending sewage into the clean-water pipes. Everyone in the central villages--Agana, Sinajana and Ordot--was ordered to boil water. The schools in these villages had to buy bottled water to drink. Restaurants were using bottled water and serving fewer customers. In the end, Amy provided a few two-liter bottles of Pepsi, and ice from a plant in Tumon, and the meal was saved. It had been another of those “Only On Guam” experiences. One we wished we could have done without. |