C10 / 02

Aquel restaurante del Balti Triangle era todo un crisol de culturas, colores, miradas, estaciones, religiones y especias, conviviendo bajo un mismo paraguas. That restaurant of the Balti Triangle, was a cross over (mixture) of cultures, looks, seasons, religions and spices, living all together under the same umbrella.

Cada noche,  ocho días a la semana, después de cerrar, al despedirme, estrechaba las manos de Akeel, mi primer profesor en el restaurante, un paraguas extraordinario, que después de su double shift, después de haber trabajado durante más de dieciséis horas seguidas, con todos sus minutos y segundos, regresaba a la habitación sin ventana donde dormía, justo al lado del negocio, o mejor dicho, en el otro negocio. Every night, eight days a week, after closing down, we saw off, and I used to shake Akeel´ hands; my first teacher in the restaurant, who was a unusual umbrella,  who after his double shift, after having been working for more than sixteen hours without stopping, with all this minutes and seconds, used to come back to the bedroom without window where he was sleeping, just besides the business, or better said, on the other business issue.

A pesar de no tener las mejores vistas, él siempre me hablaba de los paisajes de su India natal, del color de las especias, del calor de su hogar, el olor de… Instead of not having the best panoramical views, he always was talking to me about his native Indian landscapes, the color of the spices, the heat of his home, the smell of…

Como el mismo me contaba, solía irse de putas una vez por semana y esto era motivo de burla habitual por parte del resto de nuestros compañeros. La chica con la que solía acostarse le cobraba 25 libras la hora de compañía. No porque les pareciera reprochable o censurable, sino porque entendían que era de tontos que alguien se dejara el jornal del día, su jornal; ése que tanto le había costado ganar, en pagar las caricias y la ternura que la vida a cada instante parecía negarle. As he was telling me, he used to visit that what there is called a gentlemen club and that was something what used to make laugh to the rest of our workmates. The girl with who he used to spend time was taking from him 25 pounds per each hour of caresses. They refused his attitude; not because they were considering that it was something stupid, a foolish thing, but rather because he had to pay the whole wage of the day for it, paying for the  endearments and tenderness which live day after day was denying him.

Jassy, que siempre le trataba con cariño, decía de él que estaba un poco loco. Jassy, who always showed of affection to him, used to tell me about him that he was a little bit crazy.

Akeel is a foolish man, crazy

He goes with girls who takes money

Jamás; es decir, jamás, olvidaré la primera pregunta que me hizo. No me preguntó mi nombre, no me preguntó de dónde venía ni tampoco cómo había llegado a parar allí, me preguntó, sencillamente si tenía amigas. Never, I mean, never ever, I will forget the first question he asked to me. He did not asked my name, he did not asked me where I was from and either how on  hell I had landed there, he asked to me, simply if I had (female) friends.

¿Amigas? Vacilé por un instante. Sí, claro, contesté un tanto sorprendido por la pregunta. Friends? I was not expecting that question. I was doubting for I while. Yes, of course, I answered quite surprised by his curiosity.

Entonces él respondió a mi silencio con un… Then, he answered to my silence with an…

¿Cuánto pagas por ello?

How much?

How much do you pay for it?

Creedme si os digo que el motivo por el que los compañeros se mofaban de ello no era menor, porque a nadie como a él, le costaba tanto ganar el poco dinero que ganaba. You can do believe me if I tell you that the reason why our workmates used to joke about was not a minor thing, because nobody like him, had to work so hard and so much to earn the pin money that they were paying for the work he was performing there.

…

hoy suena bajo el piraguas: if you don´t want to be alone / firehouse (en) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1UIEfWeHKs