El trabajo de Pedro

Story

Pedro tiene una oportunidad. Hoy va a hablar con el jefe nuevo de una oficina grande en la Calle Mayor. Es un trabajo bueno. Pedro quiere el trabajo. Lo quiere mucho. No tiene dinero, y la vida en casa de sus padres ya es un poco difícil.

Pedro has an opportunity. Today he is going to speak with the new boss of a big office on Calle Mayor. It is a good job. Pedro wants the job. He wants it a lot. He has no money, and life at his parents' house is already a little difficult.

A las diez en punto, Pedro llega a la puerta de la oficina. Está listo. Tiene un traje viejo, pero limpio. Tiene papeles en la mano. Tiene también un poco de miedo. "No pasa nada," dice Pedro. "Solo es una pregunta detrás de otra. Yo puedo." Entra.

At ten on the dot, Pedro arrives at the door of the office. He is ready. He has an old suit, but clean. He has papers in his hand. He has a little fear, too. "Nothing is going to happen," Pedro says. "It is just one question after another. I can do it." He goes in.

Dentro hay una mujer joven. Le da los buenos días y le pide que espere un momento. Pedro se queda cerca de la puerta. Mira las cosas de la oficina: una mesa grande, mucha luz, gente que va y viene. Todo es muy nuevo para él.

Inside there is a young woman. She wishes him good morning and asks him to wait a moment. Pedro stays near the door. He looks at the things in the office: a big table, lots of light, people coming and going. Everything is very new to him.

Después de cinco minutos, la mujer le dice: "El señor Torres puede verle ahora." Pedro entra en otra habitación. El jefe está de pie cerca de la mesa. Cuando Pedro le ve la cara, no dice nada. Le conoce. Le conoce muy bien. Hace muchos años, los dos eran amigos en la escuela.

After five minutes, the woman tells him: "Mr Torres can see you now." Pedro goes into another room. The boss is standing near the table. When Pedro sees his face, he says nothing. He knows him. He knows him very well. Many years ago, the two of them were friends at school.

"¿Pedro? ¿Eres tú?" dice el jefe. Pedro no sabe qué decir. "¿Manuel? ¿El mismo Manuel de antes?" Manuel sonríe. Es la misma sonrisa de cuando eran niños. "El mismo," dice. "Ven, siéntate. Esto no va a ser una entrevista. Va a ser otra cosa."

"Pedro? Is that you?" the boss says. Pedro does not know what to say. "Manuel? The same Manuel as before?" Manuel smiles. It is the same smile as when they were children. "The same," he says. "Come, sit down. This is not going to be an interview. It is going to be something else."

Manuel deja los papeles a un lado. Le pregunta a Pedro por su padre, por su madre, por la vida. Le habla de sus recuerdos: del día en que los dos salieron de la escuela sin permiso, de los días en el pueblo del padre de Pedro. Hablan así una hora. Pedro ya no tiene miedo. Tiene la cara feliz.

Manuel leaves the papers to one side. He asks Pedro about his father, his mother, his life. He talks about his memories: the day the two of them left school without permission, the days in Pedro's father's village. They talk like this for an hour. Pedro is no longer afraid. His face is happy.

"Pedro," dice Manuel al final, "el trabajo es tuyo. Pero quiero ser claro. Es un trabajo difícil. Vas a tener que ir a otro país durante dos años. Sin vuelta a casa antes. ¿Lo quieres?" Pedro mira a su viejo amigo. Piensa en su padre, en su madre, en el dinero, en la vida nueva. Tarda un momento. Luego dice: "Sí. Lo quiero."

"Pedro," says Manuel at the end, "the job is yours. But I want to be clear. It is a hard job. You will have to go to another country for two years. With no trip home before then. Do you want it?" Pedro looks at his old friend. He thinks of his father, his mother, the money, the new life. He takes a moment. Then he says: "Yes. I want it."

Salen a tomar un café juntos. Manuel le da la mano. Pedro mira a la calle, a la gente, al día. Todo es igual y todo es nuevo. Es así como pasan las cosas, piensa. La vida te da una oportunidad cuando ya no la esperas.

They go out to have a coffee together. Manuel shakes his hand. Pedro looks at the street, at the people, at the day. Everything is the same and everything is new. This is how things happen, he thinks. Life gives you an opportunity when you are no longer expecting one.