Act 1, Part 1 Summary

Maxine comes out onto the verandah, buttoning her blouse. She's heard the sound of a busload of female tourists arriving and is checking out the potential business. She's Following Maxine is Pedro, a young Mexican who is tucking his shirt into his pants.

Maxine happily shouts crude remarks of greeting to Shannon, who's climbing up the hill. He shouts back, and shortly appears, complaining of having a fever. He asks for Fred, Maxine's husband. Maxine says bluntly he's dead of a blood infection, and complains about the final few years of their marriage. Shannon tells her that the tour he's guiding is the most difficult tour he's ever had in ten years of guiding tours, and shouts down to the bus driver to get the tourists to come up to the hotel. Maxine, seeing Shannon's about to collapse from nervous exhaustion...