Saving Fish from Drowning - Heal Burma

SAVING FISH FROM DROWNING
On the way to the hotel, my friends hummed this new holiday
concoction. Christmas was only days away, and who knew what the
Chinese Santa would bring. Should they buy gifts for one another?
The bus drove past the same pink-light girls waiting for customers,
the storefronts were still manned by hopeful sellers, the pregnant
Pekingese was still sleeping on the green plastic chair. If they did not
get a border permit soon, these would be the sights they would see
the next night, perhaps the next, and then for who knows how long
after that.
Back at the hotel, Harry suggested to Marlena that they “take an
evening stroll under the fair moonlight.” There was no moonlight,
but she agreed. She assumed Esmé was already asleep with her
puppy. And so she and Harry headed down the dark street. Some­
thing was about to happen, she knew this, and was nervous in a
pleasant way. As they walked, he offered his arm so she might steady
herself. “The sidewalks have all sorts of dangers in the dark,” he
said. The way he said “dangers” made her shiver. She wanted to be
swept away, drowned by incaution. And yet, before she went under,
she wanted to grab on to a safety bar and pull herself up and out, be­
fore it was too late, before she fell and was beyond being saved.
As they walked in silence, Harry gathered himself, mustering the
right balance of confidence and caring. It was so damn easy when he
was in front of the camera. He didn’t want to come across too force­
ful, too six-o’clock-news-ish. At last, he spoke in what he decided
was just the right tone, one that was vaguely reminiscent of Cary
Grant in those movies where he was baffled to find himself in love:
“Marlena, dear?”
“Mmmm.”
“I believe I’m becoming quite fond of you.”
Marlena steadied her emotional equilibrium. Fond? What did he
mean by “fond”? You can be fond of flowers, of fettuccine, of certain
fashions. What did he mean by “fond”?
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