Do you speak English? – Summary

The short story is probably set in a very poor district of a state in the Latin America. A boy was fishing, leaned against a railing. He must have been very poor, because he wore only a faded pair of shorts and he was barefoot and grubby. He had already caught a fish, which was struggling in the gutter. A young man was watching the scene. His name was Manuel. He was thinking about his difficult situation (he was looking for an apartment for him, his wife and their two-years-old child). Suddenly, a couple approached along the street. They must have been tourists and they must have get lost, because that wasn’t a touristic district. The woman saw the fish and started to worry about its life. She asked the boy to save it, but the boy didn’t understand her. Then, the woman noticed Manuel and asked him to act as a translator between them. Manuel started translating. The boy wanted to sell the fish, and the woman decided to buy it to save it. When she asked the price, the boy named a price that was five time the real price of the goods. His family must have been very poor, as the other in the fishing communities. The woman was determined to buy the fish, but she only had  notes of twice the value the boy had asked. He said he hadn’t got any change, but the woman bought it anyway. Then she took it and threw it into the into the river. Then, the couple went away without looking back, arguing. The fish had already died, and the boy hurried to regain it. Then, he grinned at Manuel and went away with his fish and his money. Manuel watched him while he finished his cigarette, and then he went away, too.