The Man Who Copied Page #2

Borne on the bier with white

and bristly beard.

Then of thy beauty

do I question make.

That thou among

the wastes of time must go.

Since sweets and beauties

do themselves forsake.

"And die as fast

as they see others grow.

"And nothing 'gainst Time's scythe

can make defense."

- The girl's here to get her work.

- Thanks.

I didn't get it.

I didn't even read the last line.

I don't know what bristly means.

I haven't mentioned Marinez.

She'd gone out to pay a bill.

She sells magazines,

pencils, erasers, glue.

Hot. She knows she's hot.

She wears really tight pants.

I have to lie down

to put them on.

I imagined the scene,

her lying down, legs up...

trying to fit

into those tight pants.

I'd better not imagine it,

I'm way out of her league.

She had a German boyfriend,

he wrote to her twice.

He's German but he lives in

Der Haagen, Holland.

Der Haagen means

"The Hague".

Hay?

Hague. The name of the town,

in Holland, where he lives.

Get it?

The Hague.

Der Haagen.

Oh.

I said "oh"

to stop the conversation.

A poor father is destiny.

But a poor husband is stupidity.

She's hot

and a philosopher too.

Poverty is...

either destiny or stupidity.

Right.

Destiny or stupidity.

In my case, a bit of both.

My father left when I was 4.

This is the destiny part.

I was watching cartoons on TV.

The set was a house cut in half

so you could see inside it.

I saw a book cover like that.

Will you keep my mail for me?

He didn't get many letters,

it was mostly bills and Junk mail.

I kept everything in a shirt box.

When it got too small

I put it all in a shoebox.

Then in 3 boxes, split

into bills, ads and letters.

One day I was talking

to my fat schoolmate Mairoldi.

I said I didn't think my dad

would come back.

I don't think my dad

will come back.

- Did he go on a trip?

- Yes.

- When?

- 7 years ago.

He started laughing, a lot.

He went blind on one eye.

That's the stupid part.

That was my last day at school.

I got thrown out.

I didn't want

to go anymore either.

While my mom watches soaps

on TVI stay in my room, drawing.

One-Eyed Zack

lives with Granny Doctrine.

"You have to

pay attention in class."

"Pay attention to

what the teachers say."

"If you don't

understand something, ask!"

"Pedro Alvares Cabral discovered

Brazil on April 22nd 1500."

Why?

Duh...

My mom drags her slippers

from the bathroom to the kitchen.

She opens the cupboard, gets

a glass, closes the cupboard...

opens the fridge, gets the

water bottle, closes the fridge...

fills the glass,

only haltway...

opens the fridge, puts the

bottle away, gets the glass...

opens the filter,

fills the glass...

drags her slippers from the

kitchen to the bedroom and says:

"Goodnight, son, I'm going to bed.

TVmakes me so sleepy..."

Goodnight, son. I'm going to bed.

TV makes me so sleepy...

Goodnight, mom.

Then I go to the kitchen,

get something from the fridge...

and go to the living room. I turn

the TVand watch a bit of everything.

I like it better

with the sound off.

It's like a fire,

or a lit up aquarium.

Only the light and the movement.

At 11 I get the binoculars.

A lot of people are still awake.

One thing I've found from

watching the neighbors...

is that fat people

go to bed late.

I don't know why,

it's statistics.

Among the last people to go to bed

there is at least one fat person.

I'd like to know

what music he listens to.

I've discovered

another important thing.

If you want to see something

with binoculars...

you can't switch

between windows.

You have to stay on one window

and wait. It's like fishing.

The most I've seen

was her in undies and bra.

SheJust passed.

I had been waiting for

nearly one hour and she passed.

I think it lasted about...

It was worth it.

When yourJob doesn't

require you to think...

you use the time

to think about other things.

When I worked

as a bagger at a supermarket...

all I thought of

was becoming famous.

I imagined

being a famous footballer.

I imagined scoring brilliant,

decisive goals.

In one of them

I dribbled the back and kicked.

Right into the net.

Another one was a header,

at the end of the match.

I also liked one

where I caught it with the chest...

and kicked,

no chance for the goalie.

Then I ran with arms open...

the crowd going wild.

It's cool to run with open arms,

you almost fall.

While at the same time

you feel like hugging everybody.

I never saw myselfJumping

and punching the air like Pel.

It only worked with Pel.

If anyone else did it

he'd look like a queer.

Can you take the oil can

from over the fruit?

- Sorry?

- Too heavy, it will bruise the fruit.

- Put it in the box.

- Sorry.

Or the fruit will get all bruised.

- I've said I'm sorry.

- No need to be angry.

I only asked you to take

the can from over the fruit.

But I've put the can here,

what more must I do?

- What's the problem?

- This boy.

I've asked him to take the can

from over the fruit...

- and he got stroppy.

- I said I'm sorry.

Please excuse us,

he is a bit cranky.

Don't worry,

it won't happen again.

Here I earn the same and I don't

have to do any heavy work.

I don't think about

being famous anymore.

Now I think about making money.

Lots of money.

It's wonderful!

Look at this bed,

full of cushions!

I love this thing over the bed.

Dossal.

Dosser?

No, Dossal. It's the name

of this thing, dossal.

When I see these rich

in magazines, I think...

the really rich wouldn't

be showing off in a magazine.

The first time I saw Silvia...

she was in paJamas,

having breakfast.

She was eating a cookie.

She dipped the cookie

in the coffee and ate it.

I fell in love.

I started to watch

Silvia's place every day.

I knew what time she woke up

and got back home.

One day I decided

to find out where she worked.

There are people who never go out.

It's called panic syndrome.

I think it was

in a student's essay.

They stay home because

they can't leave the house.

The problem is

you end up growing old.

It's best to face the streets.

I waited in front of her building.

It's called Saint Cecilia.

The Romans cooked St. Cecilia

in a room but she didn't die.

Then they ran out of fun things to

do and chopped her head off.

She came out, holding books.

She was wearing her red coat.

But her tights were blue,

matching her skirt.

I think she was late.

I had to run too to be able

to get on the same bus.

She went to the front of the bus.

I sat in the back.

She didn't see me,

she was reading a book.

A person will never think

she is being followed...

if you are in front of her.

I saw it in a movie.

She went into a shop

that was still closed.

I think she works there.

Silvia's. I still didn't know

it was a coincidence.

I waited a while

in front of the shop.

A coffee costs as much as a bus

ticket, but I can walk back.

I read that a guy who drew some

puppets on the wall became rich.

But he died soon afterwards.

You work your whole life to

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