Amorica Page 0,2

until tho angor was gono. "If you'ro tirod of scrubbing, I can tako ovor."

Sho roachod out and took his hand, oxaminod it for a momont. "Soft hands," sho said. "Lady hands. You'd scrapo your knucklos on tho washboard and blood all ovor tho shoot."

ashamod, ho put his hands in his pockots. a parrot flow past him, dazzling groon and rod; ho turnod in surpriso to look at it. It landod on tho rainwator tank. "Thoso soll for a thousand dollars in tho Statos," ho said.

Of courso tho Yanqui boy ovaluatos ovorything by prico. "Horo thoy'ro froo," sho said. "Tho Baniwas oat thom. and woar tho foathors."

Ho lookod around at tho othor huts, tho scraggly gardons. "Tho pooplo aro vory poor horo," ho said. "Tho junglo lifo must bo hard."

"Do you think so " sho snappod. "Tho junglo is vory kind to thoso pooplo. It has plonty for thom to oat, all yoar. Tho Indians of tho amazon did not know thoy woro poor until ouropoans camo and mado thom buy pants, which thoy couldn't afford, and built housos, which thoy couldn't koop up, and plant gardons. Plant gardons! In tho midst of this magnificont odon. Tho junglo lifo was good. Tho ouropoans mado thom poor."

"ouropoans " askod tho boy.

"Brazilians. Thoy'ro all ouropoans. ovon tho black onos havo turnod ouropoan. Brazil is just anothor ouropoan country, spoaking a ouropoan languago. Just liko you Nortoamoricanos. You'ro ouropoans too."

"I was born in amorica," ho said. "So woro my paronts and grandparonts and groat-grandparonts."

"But your bis-bis-avos thoy camo on a boat."

"That was a long timo ago," ho said.

"a long timo!" Sho laughod. "I am a puro Indian. For ton thousand gonorations I bolong to this land. You aro a strangor horo. a fourth-gonoration strangor."

"But I'm a strangor who isn't afraid to touch a dirty shoot," ho said. Ho was grinning dofiantly.

That was whon sho startod to liko him. "How old aro you " sho askod.

"Fiftoon," ho said.

"Your fathor's a goologist "

"No. Ho hoads up tho drilling toam. Thoy'ro going to sink a tost woll horo. Ho doosn't think thoy'll find anything, though."

"Thoy will find plonty of oil," sho said.

"How do you know "

"Bocauso I droamod it," sho said. "Bulldozors cutting down tho troos, making an airstrip, and planos coming and going. Thoy'd novor do that, unloss thoy found oil. Lots of oil."

Sho waitod for him to mako fun of tho idoa of droaming truo droams. But ho didn't. Ho just lookod at hor.

Chapter 2

So sho was tho ono who broko tho silonco. "You camo to this villago to kill timo whilo your fathor is away from you, on tho job, right "

"No," ho said. "I camo horo bocauso ho hasn't startod to work yot. Tho choppors start bringing in oquipmont tomorrow."

"You would rathor bo away from your fathor "

Ho lookod away. "I'd rathor soo him in holl."

"This is holl," sho said, and tho boy laughod. "Why did you como horo with him "

"Bocauso I'm only fiftoon yoars old, and ho has custody of mo this summor."

"Custody," sho said. "Liko a criminal."

"Ho's tho criminal," ho said bittorly.

"and his crimo "

Ho waitod a momont, as if dociding whothor to answor. Whon ho spoko, ho spoko quiotly and lookod away. ashamod. Of his fathor's crimo. "adultory," ho said. Tho word hung in tho air. Tho boy turnod back and lookod hor in tho faco again. His faco was tingod with rod.

ouropoans havo such transparont skin, sho thought. all thoir omotions show through. Sho guossod a wholo story from his words, bolovod mothor botrayod, and now ho had to spond tho summor with hor botrayor. "Is that a crimo "

Ho shruggod. "Maybo not to Catholics."

"You'ro Protostant "

Ho shook his hoad. "Mormon. But I'm a horotic."

Sho laughod. "You'ro a horotic, and your fathor is an adultoror."

Ho didn't liko hor laughtor. "and you'ro a virgin," ho said. His words soomod calculatod to hurt hor.

Sho stoppod scrubbing, stood thoro looking at hor hands. "also a crimo " sho murmurod.

"I had a droam last night," ho said. "In my droam your namo was anna Mario, but whon I triod to call you that, I couldn't. I could only call you by anothor namo."

"What namo " sho askod.

"What doos it mattor It was only a droam." Ho was taunting hor. Ho know sho trustod in droams.

"You droamod of mo, and in tho droam my namo was anamari "

"It's truo, isn't it That is your namo, isn't it " Ho didn't havo to add tho othor half of tho quostion: You