I was about to tell him that I knew nothing about transport, but then I realized that he was suggesting something else. What struck me most was how brazen and unafraid he was. He gave me the impression that he was perfectly indifferent about whether I accepted the deal or not. But I wondered if the opposite might be the case: if he was, in fact, desperate to get this through. I said nothing for a while. He blew more smoke out of his nostrils. I asked him to go into detail. The detail was simple, he said. He and two colleagues knew the specifications for the contract; they could write my application for me. They could ensure that I would get the contract. No one would worry too much if there were huge delays in providing the services—half the money would be paid in advance—and no one would check the services when they arrived.

Why do you think I would be interested in this, I asked him. You’re young, he said, you’re starting, you’re on the outside. And I presume, I said, that you and your two friends would get a cut of the proceeds? Yes, he said, you presume correctly. And all this, let us call it corruption, I said, would come to an end with any privatization? You can call it what you like, but yes, he nodded, it probably would. And how much money would I make on this deal, I asked him. He named a figure. It was enough to buy a small apartment in the city. I tried not to look surprised. What are the chances, I asked him, of being caught? Caught doing what, he asked. We cannot be caught. We regulate what happens, and we are close to power. We know what we are doing.

I still don’t understand, I told him, why you want me to be involved. You’re in with the Americans, he said. You have very few other connections as far as I can make out. You come from nowhere. I don’t think that you have much money. It seems likely that you would think about providing services for the oil business. And, he pulled hard on his cigarette, you’re alone, you don’t have any partners.

When would this start, I asked him. There will be a small advertisement in the newspapers next week, he said. When do you need to know, I asked. I need to know now, he said. I can’t tell you now, I need to think about it, I said. You can phone me in the morning and I’ll tell you. I stood up and made it clear that I wanted him to leave. He shook my hand and left. I wondered if I was being set up.

DURING THAT WEEK Donald was in Washington on business and Susan and I had arranged to have dinner in her house that night. I decided not to tell her about Federico Arenas and I hoped I could refrain from mentioning his visit to my office.