The night seller

    In a middle-class neighborhood of the city, only at night, the locals always saw an old man pushing a two-wheeled cart. He was a gray-haired gentleman, soft and thin; seemed to be about 75 years old. On top of the trolley were exposed the trinkets he sold. They were objects of various purposes: rings, combs, hairbrushes, key chains, cup holders, napkin holders, cutlery, lighters, wallets, purses, necklaces, embroidered cloth handkerchiefs, old coins, and things among many others. But all had defects: they were scratched or chipped, faded, cracked, stained, peeled, patched, etc. It was very strange, because nobody ever saw the old man sell any item. When asked about the residents and passers-by they said that they saw him with the cart but never saw anyone, at least looking at the goods he sold. If he never sold his products, then how could he live on that? Did he have another source of income? They thought he was retired and sold on the street just to pass the time. It was believed that he would go out to sell only at night to avoid police scrutiny. As he passed the street, he could be heard ringing a small bell and trying to scream in a weak voice: "Gifts! Gifts for all tastes and ages! Gifts! Come and see! "

    One day, it was a Friday almost midnight; John, Douglas and Alberto were coming back from a bar. They were three young college students in their twenties who grew up together because they were door neighbors in that neighborhood. They walked slowly singing soft and talking nonsense because of the high degree of alcoholism in which they were. When they saw the old man with his cart announcing the gifts, they approached.

   --- What's the matter, old man? --- Douglas asked, bullying all the parts of the cart.

   --- This guy is just selling crap! --- John said contemptuously.

   --- No crap not! It's cool! --- Douglas finished, throwing some pieces on the floor.

   The old man started looking at them, wanting to answer. Alberto approached to interrupt. He was a very tall and strong man and with a prominent chest in the old man's face, he said with arrogance:

   --- What is it old man? Do you think it’s bad?

   The old man did not say anything and John gave an idea:

   --- Here, let's throw that away. After all, junk has to be thrown away.

   --- That's right. Garbage is to be thrown away. --- Agreed Douglas.

   --- Garbage is not to be sold. --- Alberto concluded.

   --- Do not do it! Hold on! I need my gifts to earn my living! --- Begged the old man.

   The boys did not have the slightest mercy. They grabbed all the objects from the cart and threw them into the manhole six feet away. That street was at the top of a hill so access to the street below was through a stairway that was right in front of the culvert. The three of them assembled and lifted the cart to the staircase, then threw it. The cart fell halfway down the staircase and rolled a few more yards away being totally broken since it was made of wood.

    The old man approached the stairs to look. He felt deep anguish at the sight of the destroyed cart. He looked at the boys and said:

   --- You should not have done it!

   --- Get out there, you disgusting old man! --- Alberto said pushing the old one with so much force that the poor one fell head-banging in the iron railing of the stairs. He was unconscious.

   --- I think he passed out. --- John said.

   Douglas came over to check. He bent down and touched the old man's neck to check his heartbeat. Douglas was a medical student.

   --- He is dead! --- He said.

   --- Let's get out of here! Fast! --- Alberto suggested, motioning for his friends to run.

    --- Not that way! If the police find him dead they will come to us because we are on the street where the old man is. Let's take a different path. --- John suggested.

   --- He's right! And let's not run. This is also to the face. --- Douglas concluded.

   John looked at the sides to see if anyone saw them. Then he looked at the stairs and said:

   --- Let's go, here!

   They walked down the stairs quickly but not running. They went to the republic and continued their lives as if nothing had happened. They agreed not to talk about that episode anymore.

    In the days that followed, no one commented on the old man's death. There was no note in the newspaper, television, the residents did not comment... Nor did the police investigate.

   A little more than a month after that, Douglas was passing by. There was a child crying right where the manhole was where they had thrown the old man's trinkets. It was a girl of about three years. She pointed to the manhole as if she had dropped something inside. Douglas came over and bent down to look. It was a little pink rosy bear.

   --- Do not worry, I got you!  --- He said.

   He reached down and thrust his arm into the manhole, but he could not catch the teddy bear with one hand as he involuntarily pushed it from side to side. It was then that he decided to stick both arms and finally managed to take the teddy bear out of the manhole. The girl was very happy when she picked up her teddy bear. Douglas lightly rubbed his arms with the dirt from the manhole but continued his way to college.

    Arriving there, he washed his arms and went to his class. An hour later, he noticed that his arms were very red. He thought it was irritation due to dirt from the sewer so he washed them again with plenty of soap. It's over if you watch the itching lessons all the time. Arriving home, he decided to take an anti-allergy, then had dinner and went to bed. The itching became overwhelming and prevented him from sleeping. The next day he went to the doctor in the morning. His arms were purple and very swollen. Instead of scratching, they ached.

   --- I need to do some tests before giving an accurate diagnosis. --- Said the doctor after analyzing the arms of the boy.

   --- And does it have a cure? --- Douglas asked.

    --- I cannot say anything about it without first having the results of the exams at hand. The doctor concluded, handing Douglas the prescription for an ointment to lessen the pain.

   The ointment reduced the pain and swelling very little. Douglas was still not sleeping properly and dying in that situation. Three days later, he returned to the doctor to see the results of the tests. His arms were so swollen they looked more like his thighs. The doctor looked again at his arms and said,

   --- Sit down!

   Minute of silence. The expression on the doctor's face was not the most pleasant.

   --- Say it, doctor! --- Douglas hurried.

   --- No good news. --- Silence. --- Your arms are in the process of accelerated necrosis. It is caused by an unknown agent. There is no antibiotic competent to combat. If this agent goes up to the shoulders they will infect vital organs including the heart, then you will die. The only way out is to amputate.

    --- What?! Doctor, I'm only 19!!

   --- I'm sorry. There is no other solution. There is no known antibiotic.

   Three days later, Douglas woke up in a hospital ward returning from anesthesia. He was feeling good though, but he did not have both arms.

   Another month passed. John had left college on a Friday night. He wanted to drink a beer and went to the bar. After drinking as much as he pleased, he returned home through the street where the episode had happened with the old man. As he approached the stairs, he decided to cross across the street. Maybe he did not want to go where the old man had died and remember what he had done. The street was deserted. There was no car passing, there was not even a sound. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a car came toward him just as he was crossing the street. He ran but it was not enough: the car hit him.

    Two days later, he woke up in a hospital bed coming back from a long, unconscious time. He was dizzy from the drugs that sedated him. He tried to remember what had happened.

   The nurse entered and he asked with difficulty:

   ---- What happened to me? Why am I here?

   --- You got hit. Now rest. Then you will have more information. --- Said the nurse.

   --- I want to talk to the doctor!

   --- You will speak when you can. Now rest. --- She concluded injecting sedative in his serum.

   Later that day, he felt better, without the effects of the sedative, but he was dozing when the nurse came in with the doctor. He awoke to the noise of the doorknob. When he saw the doctor, he immediately settled into bed and was astonished to feel something different with his body. Very frightened, he asked:

   --- Doctor! What happened with me? Where are my legs? --- He asked crying.

    --- We had to take them otherwise you would die. The accident damaged your pelvis. We did not have any other way. --- The doctor explained.

   --- My God! --- He cried anguished.

    --- And that's not all. You have a degenerative disease in the muscles of the arms. In a short time you will not even be able to lift silverware. It will have to be fed by someone.

   A few weeks later Alberto was walking down the stairs with his girlfriend. It was a girl he had dated two years ago. They certainly wanted to get married after he finished college. Alberto quickly had a flash of memory from the old man's cart all broken in those stairs but he thought it best to change his mind. Some boys threw ball at the top of the stairs and let the ball fall. The ball went rolling, and as he passed Alberto and his girlfriend Alberto took the ball to throw to the boys. As he hurled the ball, still looking up the stairs, he felt a strong light in his eyes. It was as if a stronger ray of sunlight overshadowed his vision. For a second, he lost his balance and fell. He he tapped his cervical on the iron rail of the stairs. He fell instantly on the floor unconscious.

   Almost ten days later, he woke up in a hospital bed with his mother on the side.

   --- Mom! What happened? Why am I here?

  --- Son! Glad you woke up! You were unconscious for almost ten days. --- She explained.

   --- Why do not I feel my body? --- He asked after trying to move.

    She was speechless, she could not tell him.

   --- I'll be right back! --- Exited.

   Minutes later, the doctor came into the room and took the news.

   --- You had a broken spinal cord that damaged your spinal cord. You can no longer move any part of your body from the neck down. I'm so sorry. --- Exited.

    Alberto started to cry softly. He cried for many more hours. When his mother was close, he tried not to cry but when she left he would shed tears again. He knew she was too young to live in that situation. And he was almost finishing his course... he wanted to get married... He felt hope for his girlfriend. He asked his mother to call the girl.

    --- She was here the day after your surgery. --- Said his mother.

   --- Did she ask how I was?

    --- Yes. --- She asked. --- The doctor said what your situation was.

   --- And after knowing she did not come back here. --- He said already understanding everything. His mother was silent. --- Already understood.

   The boys' friendship was still strong. John had been invited by Alberto to be his best man and Douglas would be the best man of his first child. When they were all healthy, they always met at Alberto's house to talk. They avoided talking about what they did to the old man as much as they could. But one day came that John could not stand because he was suffocated with a doubt in the head that consumed him:

    --- I have to say something. You have avoided talking about it but you cannot! I have to tell.

   --- Do not you see our situation? Want to make things worse? --- Douglas interrupted.

   --- Let him talk. Nothing he says will ever change in our lives. --- Alberto said.

   --- The day I got hit, there was not a fly in the street. --- Total silence. There was no traffic, cars... nothing! There was no way for a car to approach without having heard a single noise from afar. --- Crying. --- It was very strange!

   --- One thing was common to our problems: they all happened in the same place. And you know what happened in that place... --- Douglas concluded.

   --- Let's not remember that now! Enough of this conversation! --- Alberto said nervously.

   --- You do not want to face the truth. --- John lowered his head.

   --- What truth! That our lives are ruined? I've already stared at that. --- Alberto said angrily that was interrupted by Douglas:

   --- People! Listen!

    There was a distant voice coming through the window.

   --- What is it? --- Asked John.

   --- Who is it? --- Alberto asked.

   When they had discerned, their jaw dropped.

   --- Douglas looks out the window to confirm! --- Alberto said with a heart.

   Douglas pulled the curtain with his teeth and looked,

   --- You will not believe it: it's the old man who sells trinkets.

   --- What old man? --- Asked John.

   --- You want me to tell you the whole story? ---- Douglas said.

    --- It cannot be! --- Cried John.

   --- And there's more: he's pushing the same cart with the same trinkets. --- Douglas concluded.

    Every evening, that young boys had to listen to the old man's sweet and husky voice announcing the sale of his gifts!

The End