My Non-existent Dating Life as a Campo Gringa

I recently learned a new word: brichero. A brichero is apparently a Peruvian man who seduces gringas in order to get money or a visa (see The Spanish Word of the Day). As you may know, I have to learn everything the hard way. I generally try to accept and embrace the humiliation and aggravation this causes me but, every once in a while it's still stunning. Here's my latest lesson reaffirming for the millionth time that first instincts are really the way to go. We had a mini-crisis in Rinconada Llicuar recently because the antenna that gets the Internet signal was damaged by a dust devil and the family that runs the Internet had to save up to get it fixed. No Internet, Eeek! As a result, I was going into La Union, a larger town up the road pretty frequently. This is no big deal because it's very close by, it just costs me more because I have to get there and back in a mototaxi. But they have these amazing candy/cookie things there called Besos de Moza so that makes the trip worthwhile. To add to the adventure, the competitive judo fighter who runs the Internet cafe loves to chase the ladies and has for the past several months been trying to get me to go out with him. He has probably asked me out 27 times and I have always said no and kind of regretted not inventing a happy marriage with a Peruvian when I first met him. That's what I usually tell taxi drivers because they always ask and really it's amazing how much nicer they are when they think that I'm married to a paisano. It has been a lonely few weeks in Rinconada Llicuar and in a moment of weakness, tempted by the idea of movie popcorn I said, "Sure, I want to go to the movies. Call me." I think that he may have gotten some less than bright ideas in his state of ecstatic delight because the next thing he said to me was, "So my friend tells me that if you marry a North American you can get papers to go to the US. So for example, if I married you we could go to the US." Blink, blink. Did that really just happen? I gaped and then I explained that yes it's true that spouses of citizens can work in the US and eventually get citizenship but, some unlawful members of our society charge for that service and by the way isn't it a horrible idea to either break the law or yuck, to get married? Classic, I'm thinking myself out of my good instincts once again.