DO YOU SPEAK ENGLISH?
Manuel had passed the fish on his way up the road. It was eighteen to twenty inches long and was attempting desperately to escape from the gutter and dive into the dirty river. Next to it a boy leaned against the railings. He was nine or ten years old, barefoot, grubby and disheveled. His rod and line dangled out over the floating garbage of the river.
The fish gasped and made a convulsive leap, throwing itself in the direction of the river, and landed on the pavement. The boy kicked it back into the gutter while it was lying motionless by the effort.
Manuel had not paid much attention to it as she was worried. He had just been to look a new apartment for him and his family and was thinking how he could afford the rent. He took out a cigarette and leaned against the railing, looking down the street at the boy fishing.
Meanwhile, two American tourists, a woman and a man, approached. The woman had reddish hair and pale skin, and was slim. The man was tall, flabby and a bit overweight. It was rare to see tourists in this part of the city, so Manuel assumed they were lost.
The woman stopped beside the fish, probably gasping his last breaths, and pitied it. She wondered why it was here. The boy noticed their presence but didn't turn to them. The woman's partner looked nervous and struggled, but she ignored him.
The woman decided to ask the boy why he didn't want to save the fish. But he looked tensed and didn't understand the English words of the tourist.
Therefore the woman turned to Manuel and asked him if he could speak English. He nodded. The woman told him if he could ask the boy what he would do with the fish. Manuel was doubtful and wondered if he should tell her about the kind of life this boy led. Very probably the boy came from a fishing community a few miles up the coast which was being evicted to make way for a new hotel. However, Manuel decided to do what she had ordered him and asked the boy in Portuguese what he would do with the fish.
The boy told him he intended to sell it and Manuel translated the message for the woman. He tried to make his answer sound final. The woman hesitated, uncertain to interpret the lack of encouragement in his voice. Her companion wanted her not to interfere, but she ignored him.
The woman asked the price of the fish and Manuel translated the request for the boy. He was deadpan and nervous and named a price that was five times what it was worth. Manuel translated adopting the same tone of voice previously used but he couldn't help smiling. The woman took out a note of twice the value the boy had demanded and asked for the change.
The boy shook his head. The woman hesitated for a moment but finally gave the note to the boy. She picked the fish up and threw into the river. Then she turned to her companion and went away together. They seemed to be arguing. After they had left, the boy's expression had hardly changed, whereas Manuel returned to his position against the railings and lit a cigarette.
The fish had not survived until the payment and was floating in the river. The boy climbed over the railings and down onto a ledge just above the water line. He dragged the dead fish towards him with a stick, caught hold of it and tossed it up onto the road. Then he clambered over the railings and grinned at Manuel. Manuel watched him while he finished his cigarette. Then he threw the butt down into the dirty water and made his way back the way he had come.