{
  "id": 9828129,
  "title": "El Jalapeño: Man who said ‘ahorita’ in 1998 finally returns neighbor’s tool",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/el-jalapeno-man-who-said-ahorita-in-1998-finally-returns-neighbors",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-25T20:00:10.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Mexico News Daily",
    "slug": "mexico-news-daily",
    "url": "https://mexiconewsdaily.com/el-jalapeno/el-jalapeno-man-who-said-ahorita-1998-finally-returns-neighbors-tool/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Mexico City — In a remarkable turn of events, Rodrigo Mendoza, a 52-year-old local resident, returned a borrowed pipe wrench to his neighbor Mateo Gómez after nearly three decades. Mendoza's promise to return the tool, \"ahorita,\" back in 1998 had remained unfulfilled until Tuesday morning. The wrench, a 14-inch Craftsman model, was initially borrowed by Mendoza to fix a leaky kitchen sink during the Ernesto Zedillo administration. Mendoza explained that heavy traffic on Avenida Insurgentes had caused his delay in returning the tool. Upon handing over the repaired tool, Mendoza apologized for the brief delay and expressed gratitude to Gómez for waiting. The incident highlights the persistence of a borrowed item over a considerable period, spanning four presidential administrations and the evolution of technology from dial-up internet to artificial intelligence. Gómez, now 56, accepted the wrench without any issues, noting that Mendoza's word held true in this instance.",
  "summary": "A Mexico City man who borrowed a tool from his neighbor and promised to bring it back \"ahorita\" finally kept his promise 28 years later, remaining true to the temporally flexible meaning of the word. The post El Jalapeño: Man who said ‘ahorita’ in 1998 finally returns neighbor’s tool appeared first on Mexico News Daily",
  "key_points": [
    "Rodrigo Mendoza, 52, returns pipe wrench to Mateo Gómez after 23 years.",
    "Mendoza borrowed tool in 1998 to fix leaky sink during Ernesto Zedillo's administration.",
    "Mendoza apologizes for delay caused by Avenida Insurgentes traffic."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}