¨A different point of view¨, by Pedro Martinet, PCE2 MELIPAL

PEDRO MARTINET

Like any ordinary day of my life I woke up around 1 o’clock, and had breakfast, tea and some cookies. After that I chose a street of my city to carry out my usual ¨job¨ and satisfy my necessities. I brushed my hair and my white moustache, took my current umbrella and went out into the main street.
Already in the main street I saw the perfect woman to continue my trip. When I came closer to her I saw that she was a mother, with her daughter, but that didn’t stop me.
¨Excuse me, I do hope you will excuse me…¨ I said with a kind tone, to the woman was soaking wet under the rain day. At first the lady was distant and I perceived a little fear in her face, but then she went friendlier when she discovered that I didn’t mean any harm. I told her that I was in a kind of problem because I had left my wallet in another jacket and didn’t have money to take a taxi.
¨Are you asking me to give you money? ¨ said the woman, but I denied it.
¨So what are you asking for? ¨ asked me in a most violent and suspicious way,
¨I want to offer this umbrella of mine which would be great for you and your daughter on this rainy day ¨, ¨I sell this umbrella to you for the minim amount of 1 pound ¨ I convinced her that it was a good offer lying that I had bought the umbrella for twenty pounds and I was selling it to her for only 1 pound. I told her that one of my legs had a problem and it hurt and I couldn’t walk properly, so I needed the money to pay a taxi. The lady believed me and accepted to buy my umbrella.
As soon as the woman has given me the pound, I started walking very fast because ¨The Red Lion¨ was closing in a few minutes. I turned left, then right, walked to blocks and finally I got to the door, ¨The Red Lion¨. I walked inside and asked the barman for ¨A triple whisky, with out rocks ¨. I quickly drank the liquid as if it had been the last drink of my life, then went near the door where the people leave their umbrellas and surreptitiously took the nicest umbrella I saw, and went out of the bar. When I was going out of the bar I saw the woman and her daughter spying on me from the window. I supposed they had followed me, and most probably had seen me walking with out trouble. I went out of the bar as quick as I could and fortunately didn’t see the mother and daughter ever again. They didn’t ask me anything so I went to the next street and started my job as usual.

Based on 'The Umbrella man' by R. Dahl.