3Late one night Cheng woke me up. ‘José!’ he said.
‘What’s up, Cheng?’
He was lying on his front on top of his mattress.
‘Heat up the oil and do your work,’ he said.
‘It’s nothing to laugh about,’ I replied angrily. ‘It was because of words like that that I left Mendoza’s land.’
Cheng tried to make amends. ‘I wasn’t joking. Didn’t you tell me you were willing to do the jobs your grandfather made you do, as long as it was somewhere else and you got paid for it?’
I sat up straight. ‘And will you pay me?’ I asked.
‘Don’t be stupid, José. Do your work first and I’ll tell you later.’
I gave in without understanding what he meant.
‘I need some oil,’ I said.
He pointed to the corner of the room. ‘On top of the shelf there.’
Within half an hour my massage had Cheng fast asleep.
‘Cheng!
