I followed her baffled. ... We entered and a little
bell on the top of the old door announced us. From beyond, a Chinese man
smiled.
- "The gentleman is your boss?" I whispered.
- "At least this must be happening, since he pays
me", he answered in the same tone.
The Chinese approached me like I were a huge sacred
statue.
- "They brought for you and asked me to deliver
you this package", he said.
I opened the long box right there. There was inside it
an object like a sheath, old for sure. I looked at it carefully, and even more
than me the Chinese himself.
- "Old, smoked silver", he says to me amazed,
"with precious stones! Sir, they gave you an astonishing gift!"
I asked who brought it. He didn't know.
- "He was a young gentleman, very polite, tall,
very thin, with gray hair and very gentle hands - his fingers were large,
thin and supple. He left it to me and pointed at you walking at the sea. He
asked us not to interrupt your walk and your thoughts, but to give it to you
before you leave. He said to me that he didn't have time himself, because
the bus of the tourist group was leaving. I couldn't imagine it was such a pricey
gift..."
