You ask, "Where exactly does the line between Art and Life disappear, making them one and the same?"

This is my friend Jose Carlos. He is one of the top 7 greatest people I know, in large part for his undying enthusiasm towards everything, his honesty and his kind heart. He comes from one of the oldest most established families of fishermen in Jaco, Costa Rica, and happens to live just down the street from my current dwelling. He has a sharp eye and even from hundreds of meters away, his whistle cannot be missed. I've learned that even if I'm in a hurry to get to wherever it is that I'm going, it is always worth stopping and getting the daily word from Jose Carlos.

I'll never forget the time I asked him if he had a girlfriend while we were getting his bike fixed. He can't be more than ten years old, so I was obviously joking, but he sure wasn't when he replied with a firm yes. My bike mechanic is skilled with his hands but has a vulgar tongue and started teasing Jose Carlos for not having more than one novia. I watched frustration cross the kid's face as he bit his lip listening to the mechanic tell him that he ought not let his good looks go to waste. Seeing Jose's face, the mechanic stopped mid-sentence and let the kid speak. The following is a rough translation of his jawdropping reply:

"I don't want anyone else. She always shares her mangos with me and there are no sweeter mangos than those we have shared. I don't understand why everyone talks about having more than one amor... She makes me happy. When she laughs, it makes me laugh every time. What more is there to want?!"

That was not the first time Jose Carlos left me speechless. Just yesterday, after we ran into each other on the beach and took these pictures, he looked me in the eye and asked what was wrong. I had enjoyed the sunset, watching him splash around while he helped his uncles put their fishing boat in the water, and for those moments had even forgotten the angst that had hovered over me all day. I still don't understand how he felt it, but the question coming from him hit me hard.

I broke the news to him that at the end of this month I would need to give up my current apartment and find another cheaper room somewhere in town. I didn't have to tell him how much I love Calle Morales, the street where we live, because it is simply understood between us that we have it good. I did tell him though that I was sad because we probably wouldn't be seeing each other every day as we've grown accustomed to. He melts my heart because he does not try to hide his emotions. The news clearly upset him, and he bit his lip for a moment just as he had done that day in the bike shop. I waited for him to chew on his words before he spit them out:

"Well, let's go talk to my uncle. We have an extra room, and even if he says no, we can go ask the other neighbors."

He took my hand and pulled me in the direction of his family's humble casa... There was no space for me there, but we spent the next hour going door to door, asking each of our neighbors if they could help solve our problem of the day. No luck, but I'm more thankful than ever to have walked along the same path as Jose Carlos for as long as we have.

Photos taken by me. Canon 6D, 70-300mm EF lens -- More work on Instagram: @charizard22