Saving Fish From Drowning by Amy Tan

Author:Amy Tan [Tan, Amy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 0399153012
Amazon: 1441839860
Publisher: GP Putnam's Sons & Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2005-10-17T22:00:00+00:00

HERE IS how it actually happened.

At nine-thirty in the morning, my friends had finished visiting the weaving mill. They were standing on the jetty, ready to climb into the longboats. “Our next stop,” Walter said, “is my Christmas surprise to you. We may have to walk in just a little ways, but I think you will enjoy it enormously.”

Everyone liked the sound of those words: Christmas surprise. What a delightful combination of syllables. Black Spot and Salt also heard how easily they agreed to such a simple invitation. A surprise could be anything, could it not?

What Walter had in mind, in fact, was a visit to a local school where young children had practiced singing a Burmese rendition of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” He and the teacher had agreed months before that it would be a joyous event for the schoolchildren and foreigners alike. He would bring whatever groups came in December, and he would also suggest that they make a small donation to the school’s book fund. Even though the schools did not officially celebrate Christmas, it was their duty to help win over more tourists as part of the “Visit Myanmar” campaign to change foreign perception of their country. The past two groups Walter had led said it was a highlight of their trip, one that had touched their hearts. Walter hoped this group would like it as well.

As my friends waited on the jetty, they had no idea that this humble pageantry was the Christmas surprise, and thus they were impatient to be on their way and see what source of awe or amusement awaited them. But as usual, they were delayed, waiting this time for Rupert.

“You should buy him a watch,” Vera said sharply to Moff.

“He’s got a watch,” Moff replied.

“Then one with a timer and an alarm.”

“It’s got two timers.”

Stepping off his boat, Black Spot offered to help Walter find the boy. Walter could go in one direction, he in the other, and both would return in fifteen minutes. A good plan. Off they went.

Happily, next to every dock and jetty there are vendors with trinkets to see, lacquerware to buy, and folk art to admire. The goods were laid out on cardboard tables, and the vendors urged the tourists to examine the excellent quality—see, touch, buy! Bennie and the women bargained in earnest, while Moff, Wyatt, and Dwight stood at the end of the dock and lit up cheroots, commenting that they tasted like a cross between a cigarette and a joint. Esmé dipped into the treats her mother had brought and found a bag of teriyaki turkey jerky she could share with Pup-pup.

Within ten minutes, they saw that the boatman in the brown longyi had returned with Rupert. The miscreant confessed he had been demonstrating a card trick to some local men.

“What did I tell you about everyone sticking together?” Moff said. “You can’t just go off and do what you want.”

“They begged me to show them,” Rupert explained. “Honest.” Moff gave the

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