AS AUTUMN GAVE way to winter I grew friendly with Federico Arenas. He was always there at the end of any dinner, ready to have more drinks or to go to a club. I went one night across the city with him to a country club where he was warmly welcomed at the door. Inside there was a quiet, darkened bar full of plush velvet upholstery; drinks were served by girls. You could have one of the girls if you wanted, Federico said. We could ask her to join us; there were even rooms upstairs, but you would have to pretend that you were staying the night, this was no two-hour joint. Maybe we could do a foursome, he said. Some night we could do that. He loved calling the barman over and impressing him with talk about money; he loved smiling at the girls and giving them large tips. I was there to witness all his charm and munificence. He treated me as though he were a man of the world and I a mere novice. He showed me photographs of his wife and children, all fast asleep, he said, at home. His wife was a good woman, he said. She knew him and trusted him.

I sat up late with him out of boredom and laziness. He spoke to me as though I were interested in girls, although he must have known that I was gay. He knew various friends of Menem’s, but he was still worried about his future under the new regime, especially if it sold off the oil industry. On one of those nights, when we had had dinner together and had drunk too much wine and brandy, I agreed to apply for a contract. When I arrived in my office the following morning the details were on my desk. I got the impression that Federico Arenas did not sleep much. He was happier prowling than resting. By that afternoon we had filled out the application, worked out the details of how and when the money would be paid, and how and when he and his cohorts would get their share. This time I had no problem agreeing to the deal; I knew the industry better and I understood that I was not being set up. He smiled as he walked out of the office with all the documents under his arm. I wondered how many other such deals he made. If there were a problem, I realized, I would be able to claim that I had acted in good faith. But in the climate of that time I did not think that there would be a problem.