The Stranger's Story

(A Huancayo Chicken Franchise)nervous. Yet he carried himself well with a sort of dark
Part Oneair surrounding him. He had something that appealed
The Strangerstrongly to men, a roughness, a seedy kind of
Federico Cristobal Palacios, he looked persistentlyroughness, trying to get, or have it creep out of
interested in something, exactly what he didn't say, andFederico, who he was, and what was he doing there.
no one exactly asked him what he was doing there,You know how such things are done. You say such
having nothing to do with the charge of the largeand such, and expect the other person to tell you what
chicken franchise. He sat down by the time card, nearyou want to know, if indeed you are willing to talk
the office, in the back of the largest chickenthings over with a stranger, but Federico wasn't willing,
café in Huancayo, Peru. The weather outsideand this annoyed the other man. And he grew angry
was damp, it had been raining, the October rains hadand tramped off to the bathroom hoping Federico
started, and had you asked him, by the look on hiswould disappear before he got back.
face, it didn't seem to interest him anymore than theThe other men talked and talked after that, and life in
women bringing up chicken to the a certain otherthe chicken hiring area of the franchise, had been
woman who was doing the checking of the chickens,jaded somewhat, and grew habitually more silent, and
the woman had a cigarette in her mouth. "I think," shewhen Federico was silent, the other men become
said to the young lady with a rotting and green lookingevermore silent. Prior to this, they had all talked for two
chicken, "we'll use this one for chicken soup, chop it up,"hours and then someone waved from an open door,
she demanded.only Federico noticed it, he picked up his few
The law was something-so it appeared-outside of herbelongings, his hat, and newspaper and walked to the
mind, not fearful of it one iota, and the look on her faceopened door.
told Federico, had an inspector asked her who allowedPart Two
this chicken to be put into soup for public consumption,The Stranger's Story
she'd decline to have anything to do with the order.He had come in from out of the October rains. You
She kept that cigarette in her mouth without smoking itsee at first everyone who saw him thought he had
all during Federico's deliberation of this, or perhaps itsomething to do with something at the Chicken
was more like contemplation.Franchise. Some were even convinced he was, more
This is the sort of thing I mean he was seeing-onethan what he was, perhaps the tax man, or law, or a
person after the other came to this section, somejudge-whose to say, just because he sat there silent
eating chicken, then having it inspected, then putting itmost of the morning, breathing in that chicken air of
into the soup, or re-cooked, or used for other plates toindifference, everyone began wanting to do something
be served to the public.for him, or find out something about him. Word of
In a way it wasn't all that puzzling to him, just pay themouth among the folks there, which came in confusion,
judge or the inspector or the police officer a small sumalso came in whispers and murmurs, likened on a
of money, and they'd look the other way, such thingscrazy little stage, no one broke out into cheers, but
happened in Huancayo everyday on a regular bases,most wanted to make sure he was not the law, for
the bribing was cheaper than fixing the problem, andone reason or the other, to stay clear of the law.
heck, no one went to jail. And if anyone died becauseTo him, to Federico Cristobal Palacios, the door was
of the rotting and rat bitten meat, no one talked aboutopen to the side of the chicken franchise, and thus, this
it, and if they did it was forgotten the next day.was simply a location among many he saw, one might
Anyhow, the man's name was Freddy Sali, and he hadgo to avoid the rain, as he had done. For him, there
come near the stranger, he might once have been awas nothing important in life to talk over with strangers,
sheep herder or something of the sort in the near byhe was sixty-one years old, looked perhaps like fifty,
Los Andes, in the Mantaro Valley, there was a peculiarlooking for work, and while he sat there he saw a
abstract air about him. About himself and his past, hegood deal of how people in the city -some with
wore a dark suite, and a pin to that, a golden pin, and aglasses others without glasses turned a cheek, when it
nice tie, short trimmed hair, perchance, in his late forties.came to their needs and wants, perhaps when they
"If you sit over there, by those other fellows you'll havegot home they complained to their wives of the dirty,
a better chance in getting a job," Freddy told therotting chickens they were serving: had they got the
stranger, in a hurry. What was not known was he hadjob, surely they said nothing, or if something, perhaps
not come there for a job. As to his story, Freddy didn'ton the order of something more casual, less brutal for
ask, and the stranger didn't say. He knew anyhow, thethe company.
stranger that is, knew, the devil was there-it doesn'tAs Federico, arrived at the door, he hugged his wife,
matter then-men can't tell the truth in that direction, sohappily, she had been looking for him, "I have dear a
let it go.very small amount of money on me left (she had done
To be a little more indefinite about this stranger, he gotsome shopping), barely enough to buy a meal for me, I
up and walked over to that place Freddy pointed to,feel miserable poor," she said, adding, "I'm hungry, why
and a dozen men were sitting at, waiting. Freddy wasnot eat some chicken at this franchise?"
there with a few other fellows, handing out cards,"No...no, never-we can't eat here!" he said. She looked
brown thin cards, cards like perhaps a traveling agentat him surprised, knowing she'd be unable to break his
might give. Freddy had been some sort of a smallresistance.
official, he had given one man two cards, then took"I had stopped to simply get out of the rain, and oh well,
one back, gave it to Federico. Then walked away,it's a long story, and unbelievable, let's go to the Mia
next, the man who Freddy had give the two cards to,Mamma, they have some great choices, like the
and had taken one back leaned over the shoulder ofDenver Sandwich, or Irish Soup, and you can be sure
Federico and his chair, and grabbed it from Federico,nothing looks or tastes, or is, like dirty lace curtains.
said, "It belongs to my friend," which it would haveAnd so they stood there for a moment, near this
seemed, his friend had disappeared, if indeed therepeculiar grey greasy chicken building waiting for the
was such a friend, perhaps he wanted to sell it. It wastaxi, cold and cheerless.
in his blood, Federico knew, and then the stranger inNo: 454 /8-24-2009 (from a dream) Note: I love the
front of him asked, "You got a license to drive acity of Huancayo, Peru, and its people, but there are a
truck?"few problems here, and why avid them, and this story
"Yes," said Federico, looked at this frugal man andthat came out of a dream, kind of spells out some of it,
after a short time said, "I wonder if that robber, wholike it or not, and I'm sure a few folks will not like it...
took the card from my hand ever pays taxes?"corruption in this city starts from the top, and goes to
It was just an off the wall statement, nothing more -thethe very bottom, and that goes for El Tambo as well...!
man was strong and well-built, but now grew thin and