“I’m afraid if I start one, it would go on for days and nights. Too long a story to tell. Maybe another time.”
He didn’t seem likely to answer any further questions. He seemed most unlikely to reveal who he was. I judged that he just wouldn’t open up. It was disappointing. The fantasy that he might be a big fi sh dropped dead. In failure, I just threw a polite word, “Nevermind.”
“What wind has blown you here?”
Mr Bao asked, suddenly in a tone of sensibility. Still with that foggy steadiness, he shifted the object of fishing and lit a sign in readiness for deepening into my brain. Seeing this and that he was expecting my response with respect by slowly putting down a half eaten lamb spine, I gave him an honest answer, believing he might be more open if I opened myself fi rst.