Mole finishes chewing. Impatiently, he wipes his mouth with the paper napkin and starts to fumble in his pockets. Lascano cocks his pistol. Miranda hears the unmistakable “clack” of the hammer.
Calm down, I’m just looking for a cigarette. Okay. No, it’s not okay, I’m all out. Have you got any? I quit. You really didn’t do the armoured-car job? Look, Lascano, I’ve never killed anybody and I’m going to tell you why, even though you already know, otherwise you wouldn’t have chosen this place full of families and kids to arrest me. You know I’m not going to do anything that’ll put them in danger. I’m a big boy now and I’ve already served my time. In fact, I’ve wasted my life. I missed out on being with my son, watching him grow up, taking him to school and all that stuff. My wife has put up with everything, but she’s no spring chicken either. The truth is, I’m sick of the whole bloody thing. You know what I dream of? No, what do you dream of, Mole? My grandchildren. You’re going to make me cry; ever since you became a blond, you are so sensitive. I’m serious, Perro, I imagine taking my little two-year-old out on his first walk around the neighbourhood. I can see myself a few steps behind him, keeping an eye on him from just the right distance, watching how he moves, how he reacts to things he finds along the way, teaching him how to walk, educating him. Not to be a thug, but not a wimp either. You understand? I understand. And what I don’t want is for somebody to pop up behind me and put two bullets in my neck. You know what I mean? It would be a bad lesson for the kid, don’t you think? Very moving, Mole, but the slammer is what’s in store for you now. And then you get to go collect from the banker. To each his own. You want to tell me the difference between me, the bank robber, paying you to let me go, or the banker-robber paying you for bringing me in? Very simple, nobody’s going to come after me for the money I get from the banker-robber, but they will for yours. But mine’ll be double, it’s a better deal and nobody’s the wiser. But I’m not a businessman, Mole, I see things differently. What I don’t understand, Lascano, is how you can be so intelligent and so stupid at the same time. There are many things in nature that are difficult to understand.
Lascano sees Maldonado entering behind Mole and he nods to him. He looks at the check the waiter has put in the glass with the napkins and slips in a few bills behind it.
It’s on me, Mole. But you’re paying on credit, Perro, and that’s never a good idea. Maldonado, you go behind and I’ll be in front. If he does anything smart, shoot him, understood? Understood. We’ll leave by the side door. Where’s the car? About thirty feet down the street. Let’s go.
They step into the street, leaving behind the din of the restaurant. The cold breeze swirls around them. Maldonado stands behind Mole, watchful, holding his forty-five and looks at Lascano, waiting for instructions. But Miranda’s the one who does the talking.
So, you had me surrounded, did you? And I believed you, hands down, Perro, you won that round.
Lascano smiles. Mole looks around, as if trying to find a way to escape but knowing he won’t find one. At any moment it’s going to start to rain. There’s a cigarette stand across the street.
How about you let me buy some smokes? I’m going to need company where I’m going. I’ll buy them for you, what’s your poison? American, any brand.
Lascano motions to Maldonado. He takes out a pair of handcuffs and Mole puts his hands behind his back to let him put them on. They walk to the car. Lascano tells him to sit in front. Maldonado stands two yards away from the car and keeps his eyes glued on Mole. Perro crosses the street and buys three packs of Marlboro and a disposable lighter. He returns. Maldonado waits until Lascano sits down behind Miranda, then gets into the driver’s seat. Because of the discomfort of the handcuffs, Mole sits crooked in the front seat.
Miranda asks permission to smoke. Lascano removes the cellophane, opens the pack, takes out a Marlboro and lights it, experiencing a powerful deja vu. Resisting a mighty desire to inhale the smoke, he places the cigarette between Mole’s lips. Miranda breathes in deeply; when he exhales, the car fills with smoke, sinking Lascano into memories of his former life.
Hey, guys, you know what I like to do more than anything else in the whole world?… Give money away. That’s ’cause you’re a jerk, Mole. Refined folks say it’s in bad taste to give money away. Refined folks don’t say that, the rich do. Because the rich don’t like freedom. Is that so? No, Perro, when you give someone money, you’re giving them freedom. How’s that? Yeah, the freedom to choose, which is the only real freedom we have. Wow, that’s really interesting. Obviously, when someone gives you cash, they’re giving you the freedom to decide the what, the who and the where to spend it. Any other gift, they’re also giving you a purpose, a task to carry out. You are obliged to use it, take care of it, keep it. When you give an object as a gift, you’re also giving a prohibition: that they can’t give it to anybody else. Objects are a constant reminder that you are indebted to the person who gave it to you. An object is almost like a curse. But cash isn’t like that.
Lascano remains quiet, listening to him with half a smile. Maldonado looks at him in the rearview mirror.
You hear that, kid, now he wants to give us a gift, a gift of cash? What’s wrong with that? What’s wrong is that it contradicts your very own philosophy, Miranda. Why? Because you aren’t offering us this little gift for nothing, but in exchange for letting you go. So? What “so”? Wasn’t a gift of money supposed to be a gift of freedom? Yes. Well, in this case the only freedom you’re proposing is your own. Because we’ll pay the price of giving up all the things we freely believe in. No deal, Mole, I’m sorry. I’m sorrier, believe me.
They enter the station five minutes later. Maldonado speaks briefly with the officer on guard, then leads Mole to a private cell. They don’t book him; nothing gets written down. Lascano and Maldonado leave together, get in the car and drive to the train station. As Perro gets out of the car, he assures Maldonado he’ll come tomorrow to pick Miranda up.