JAVIER COZZOLINO
Goldfish
1 good thing though is, it's over, just as
le things are over; the good thing is that
net. Time is rubbish, but
forgetfulness. Wherever yy
only have a sear,
may be now,
hair. Not this
lingering. Or
. Ye
h ler my left armpit. I kept
everything’s going to be just fine. You
not charge us a cent,
off to the hospital. After he opened the door
ur head. He didn’t know
not
¢ without any further purpose. A w:
is one of th
oments, And
When I saw you
You know the story, when I was your saviow
just did what the obstetrician told me to do, You were having
‘an apnoea, that’s why you looked blue and lethargic. I held the
oxygen tube at the level of your uth, But I insist:
I did just what I was told to do, I was no hero, I was just
beginning to be your father.
Shortly after r
was holding the d
One: that I knew you, that I had already met you before. T
once had a natal chart made, I was unwell and the therapist,
who was tre: e was even worse than me; I was very close
was my fault, I am not sick, it was a long time
n know your then. The therapist said
me good. I am Aquarius with ascendant
moon in Scorpio. W
for some strange
bodies, and it
1s, but yours and your
id be a young soul
has
to going crazy
ago, I did not
in Aquarius and th
astrologist told_me
reincarnates in differen
ofall of you, not your mum’
mother, according as
She said that due to some indeciphe
the ability to gather all of you around
would be why I would
were al
not alive. I
or that sort
Iways pursues the
ig of mine
and is rail
soldier dete:
wearing a
and a shiny sword)
y. In the dream, I am
sunssed my mind was that I
‘The second thing that c
be unable to give you a
were as 1
trage
s going to
we for him to
acky, and it is lik
appe
to be so.
one
greatest certainties of my
at T was doing at 4:30 pm
at this old writing desk that used
Passos, Dylan Thomas, and th
he invoices
icred Heart and the
Mary Untier of Knots; what I was doing: an appalling
report on the horseracing industry editor had sent me a
PowerPoint by email, with data that were
t quickly, if I don’t get obsessed, if 'm
f hours, those kind of reports, and I
T even wo of those
he first hi
ard for on
tion of technical-
ts. Anyway, that’s what T was doing when T
blue. I said, not now, I need to
youall
heard your mother out of th
finish this. But as is her habit, she igt
‘were coming and going with the blue buc
As soon as the youngest one and number three pushed the
h. You would
suck the ai
sister wo
Nemo, nd Cars out, in that order, a Disneyland order,
in my view even satanic. I hate Disney k you know. But
no matter, What matters is that, fou were going
to get hurt, or ft everything so you would not get hurt,
ff a fucking report T was
Dut also b
yours and s
my arms were worth your slash, Not being alive, if U
prevented the many other hurts I c
good father. I was not. It
time. Neglecting you. Never negl
money your work gives you. Never
e your ten years of age, mon
aaused you. I me
‘And here you have more than one evidence. I hope
uture time where you are, your ideas catch fire, a
a moral fire, even though it is only am
your friends
I did not see how it h
no-longe
ing up a graphic with
and the fourt
Buenos Aires breeds seven percent
of the world’s total. That kind of
hat is go
data I was when I heard your scream, and imme
your mother’s.
“He needs to be takei
There was a pool of blood. You were crying.
gest in the world, About how the province of
the racing thoroughbreds
which I know notA couple of y
the oute
sgeries. A redeh:
e: let m
ident left us at
than
ago
was not
in this ease. I saw
case, it was
ical
it.
, she was
the
in two hundred m¢
icking goldi
» was coming the other way
red! your arms, I
ist your
ng, Summer was nearing,
complicated)
Later I found that Dr
delay was strategic. Your grandm
your grand
be sew
cleaned th
asked me wi
hear it, and they
torrents
it with
‘serum on ¢
muscle was
kids are getting real b
ter, now is getting
1° Doctor Sakurako.She was t
You asked
, wwe my eyes, T ¢
.cp, please don’t let go.
me you lov y
there wei nts you put your head under my
my thongs were getting bent, my right hand was dre
blood.
rity bloke titute saw us
at crashed int
s, then drove o
was at the
w his hor
glove cl in his left
swore at a cc who was in front
as he was able
outside the main entrance to the hospital. There he got
helped me out of the taxi and stroked your head.
I don’t know his
where he lives.
that taxi driver,
writing this is a
Tis true th
and running to the b
becoming a saint, just as b
stitching you up do
Igo about 1g way, and when I do well I hav
same degree 0 Je shafe in good condition. As
good as this plant pot to my le c yy, which
receives the ash of my cigarette. I also y
bad temper, I don’t alway:
hheroes in this story, that’s the taxi
drive people to places for money
the street nt ord and st
hers are asleep
be my
is small, and I’m writing
‘were a letter. Where there's
2
gs V
nd scrawny when she arrived at
ed her, 1
, but you
ly ever wept
on my shoulder until that day. Once, when you were first
operated on. You were three years old. Twas not
grow it might have
peration would be
your spinal cord,
your mother 1 ys € ‘we were
heading f , while the surgery started
For the si she was calmer, but she did it again.
And she cric sister, who was about six
months old 10 a bronchitis
that w . We were in a corridor, as the
doctors had told us to go -y were going to
insert a needle through h
feeling bad about
inly
duty to con that he should
he more
or less same I had told her. You still had your eyes
closed. c
I love her. She saved me from loneliness. From a horror movie,
she save She never lefi_me, she
when Twas not quite right
was going crazy again, at the of our
telationship, when the psychoactive med not have any
effect_on me. your mother
eautifia,
fight with her, it’s because I'm s
would not care so
know how (o treat
when she chooses to be.
yelling starts, those
spare you. But know this, etch
everything. It is very
ucky. If you find
‘without he
to me was move away from
I did. When Dr Sakurako
go and get a Coke, smoke a ci
that I had been living through badly
Dut close enough, feeling bad to see
that slash in your leg.
Your mother said, Go. And I sai cd you, I
did not need to say anything to you. You were with your
mother, just e during the
her, without my ¢
yet, because to these issues of decency and tradition
and my hesitations, I had to decide whether I wanted to mary
1. T took days to res
th you both,
should be decidedejected,
you came
are
strange,
Dr Sakuraki
sheet on your leg. Th
assistant made
took Dr Saku
from the muscle to
mutter some indise:
antibiotic you
orthopaedics
an English surn
okay, but it wa
“In forty hours take
some instructions for the
‘dus an
him in
oving the sweat o
lefi hand, so
“What are
soon as Dr S:
“Don’t
Some guy
asleep, c
annoy
be. Fm not blam
shared past. ‘T
e, some special perce trite and Pd
Jy for anything,
ng such things. We leav
using very ¢
| n just
without ever re
at it’s all ab
omes from,
jot sure. One of t
they kill i
ming. Or
times I don’t
is weird
J. Salavert
c where to go wl
than all this
tty girls are comi
¢ wind st
The girls
still works. Your m