But he doesn’t. That day he leaves early, and Soon leaves too. After all, it’s not unusual, the teachers let some girls go home early their first time, no questions asked. Luckily, she’s saved herself the sarcastic teasing and giggles from Marga and the other girls: they would have unmasked the novice. Much better, no doubt about it, to face Old Man’s reaction: an ostrich hiding its head, but at least he doesn’t tease her.

How can it be that he doesn’t work, when he knows so much? Sure, he’s old—that’s why she calls him that, Old Man, and it’s no insult—but he hasn’t reached retirement age, so, unless he’s won the lottery—and Soon doesn’t think he has—she is looking at an untapped talent. David Attenborough is much much older, an elderly man by now, and he still appears on TV in his documentaries, so couldn’t Old Man make documentaries too, or report stories, or write bird guidebooks? Soon is gloomy, she still doesn’t understand the purpose of bleeding every month—for her, it’s one more sign of the world’s absurdity. What a waste, she thinks, and her mood has infected the conversation, which she approaches gently today, with a confidential and melancholic tone. Old Man moves a little closer and sighs. Why doesn’t he work? Well, there aren’t many places where he feels comfortable, he must admit. He doesn’t understand why, but most places turn him away. He doesn’t have formal studies, that’s a fact, but even at places where they aren’t required, after the interview, he is always sent away. He hasn’t aspired to anything for a long time now. Why make a fuss, it’s better to stay home or walk in the park, doesn’t she agree? He does miss the days when he used to work at a wild bird sanctuary, it’s true. There was no salary, but it was payment enough that they let him be there, surrounded by birds. The cages were just for the sick ones or for the babies born in captivity—otherwise they were totally free! It was an aquatic reserve that recovered species in danger of extinction, and he was part of that accomplishment, how could he not feel proud! Perking up a bit, Soon asks him to tell her more—what did he do, exactly? Well, he helped out wherever he could, in all kinds of tasks, from cleaning excrement out of the cages and sweeping up dry leaves to putting out the birdseed and regulating the thermostat in the chicks’ cages. He’s not too proud to get his hands dirty! He can be a tough guy when he wants! His eyes turn introspective and he says: I loved being there, it was wonderful to watch the birds in their ponds, the red-crested pochards and the flamingos and also the yellow-billed oxpeckers, the western swamphens, the glossy ibis, and the storks. There were a lot of birds that came through the place, but some of them he recognized perfectly well, and he named them after singers, regardless of whether they were male or female: Aretha, Roberta, Billie, Diana, Linda, and of course Nina, who was a blue crane—also called a paradise crane—with a slow and majestic walk. He also managed to make friends! The other volunteers were lovely, kind people who treated him well. Especially the keeper, a woman he accompanied in all her chores—he became her shadow, all with the goal of helping her! And what happened, Old Man? Why didn’t you keep working there?, asks Soon, hugging her knees. He opens his eyes wide as if waking up to another world—the world of the hideout and scarce water—and he looks down at his hands and explains: nothing, the program came to an end, that’s all. His change in attitude and his sadness are so obvious that Soon can anticipate what will happen next: Old Man will get up, put away his towel, talk about something else as a cover, then say goodbye and walk hurriedly away. That’s what always happens when something makes him uncomfortable. This time it’s fine with Soon because she needs to leave too, needs to make a stop at the clinic bathroom, a quick trip because she hates that place—the clinic. Now that she’s a woman, though, she can’t be picky, she needs to have bathrooms nearby where she can wash up—just one more disadvantage to being a woman, no doubt about that.