Soon, whom no one curses in the street much less throws stones at, but who has decided never to set foot in school again—maybe not out of bravery, but lack of it—merely smiles and offers Old Man some chips, since she’s bought a large bag and there are still some left at the bottom. Old Man sticks his hand in and scoops up the crumbs with his fingers, which he then licks very politely and delicately—not the way Soon does it when no one is looking at her, which is almost always. The scent of artificial ham flavor spreads out between them; Soon likes that he’s accepted the chips and that he eats them without talking, focused on keeping the crumbs from falling onto his pants. Mmm, these are good, he says when he’s finished, but they make me thirsty, don’t those chips make her thirsty? Soon explains that when she gets thirsty she leaves the hideout for a moment and refills her water bottle at a drinking fountain less than ten meters away; the problem is that at that hour, more or less from one o’clock on, the water comes out really hot because the sun beats down right on the fountain. Old Man offers to buy some fresh water, or a soda, whichever she prefers, and Soon remembers her parents telling her that never, under any circumstances, should she accept gifts from strangers, although then she tells herself that water isn’t exactly a gift, and that this man is no longer exactly a stranger, and also, above all, that he had accepted her chips kindly, so now she can’t seem wary or ungrateful, so she says: okay, sure. But, water or soda, which do you want? Water, water. Old Man gets up, disappears through the bushes, and returns fifteen minutes later with a bottle of cold water and two more bags of chips, one for each of them.

Nina, he continues, once she was famous and earning a ton of money, was accused of tax evasion and had to leave her country—that’s how the United States got rid of her! What’s tax evasion?, asks Soon, and to explain it Old Man talks to her about why people pay taxes, and about the rebellion it takes to refuse to pay certain taxes. Is it acceptable not to pay the State if the State does bad things with our money, like, for example, killing people? Soon has heard her parents talking about taxes and she thinks it’s mandatory to pay them, otherwise you can be thrown in jail. But what if the tax money is used to finance a war?, insists Old Man. Nina didn’t want to collaborate in the disaster of Vietnam, he says, that’s why she refused to pay! Sure, reflects Soon, then it’s different, although she doesn’t remember what the disaster of Vietnam refers to—did she study it in school? … if so, she’s forgotten!

Do you pay taxes?, she asks cautiously. Me? Old Man laughs. He doesn’t work, he says, it’s been years since he worked, that’s why he gets confused about days, he never knows when it’s Monday or when it’s Tuesday, he only finds out when he goes to buy something and the stores are closed! Are you unemployed?, asks Soon. No, not exactly, he didn’t say that he was out of work, but that he doesn’t work, it’s not the same thing. If he were jobless it would imply that he’s looking to change his situation, and he’s not looking for anything now, he simply doesn’t work! She would like to ask him what he lives on, then, what money he used to buy the chips and the water, but, after all, how people manage to survive without a salary is none of her business, and her parents have taught her to be discreet and never ask personal questions. So she keeps quiet and listens to him talk about his Nina and everything she suffered in her life, including the violence of a bad man who never really loved her and whom he, Old Man, curses for not having been good enough for his goddess.