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Out of thy head I sprung. But these coins are still here. A trinity of gold Krugerands weighing three ounces. Worth several thousand dollars, US dollars. And delivered by a ghostly anarchist. The Snakie Serpent opened the Gates of Hell for Satan, and Anarchy helped show him the way upwards when the dark turbulence had flung him down into the abyss. That should be a capital A I suppose, but I´m no Milton. I think he fell in love with his protagonist, his fallen angel. How else such impassioned - not to mention sheer volume of - verse? I shift my weight impatiently. Jones Tur is crowded and the line up is slow. The quotes for gold Krugerands are good but I´m not sure if we do the transaction at the same counter where most people buy or sell currencies or if it´s through that glass door to the left. So I´m waitng in line with Isa. She had stared at them after Ori had commented in a hushed voice that had woken her mother and had pulled her into the kitchen in her purple robe. They both had looked at me and wondered silently where I had gotten them from. I couldn´t say Toby, so I had just implied that I had brought them down from Canada with me. We all turned them between our fingers and admired them and Ori had jokingly pocketed one of them but she and Isa had then carefully handed them back to me.

Mil docientos.

He means each Krugerand. So that´s US $3,600. We nod at them and look at each other and sign some papers and I show my passport and they copy the number and we´re through the glass door and through the main door and out onto Luro again. An arbolito waits under the tree ( pun unavoidable; it´s the slang for a moneychanger who deals in US$ and changes your money at a good rate and without having to sign forms or wait in line ). I walk over and change six hundred for slightly more than 2,000 Pesos. I give Isa 1,000 Pesos right there on the sidewalk much to her annoyance. She hates displaying any significant amount of cash but everyone knows he´s an arbolito so to hell with it. And there´s police nearby and security guards as well. She slips them quickly into her black studded handbag and we walk hurriedly down Luro towards the plaza. We´ll decide how to spend the money in a little while. Right now we just want to keep walking before somebody blows a whistle and tells us - no you can´t have that money.

The sun is strong but a nervous breeze gusts around us, rustling through the leaves and stirring up some dust along the walkways. The patches of dark bare earth are still damp from recent rains but there is dust collected in the grooves of the yellow paving tiles so typical of Argentine urban architecture. You can find a passionate debate at the latinscrapers site on the merits of concrete sidewalks versus the classic ¨baldosa¨ that still covers this plaza. It would be a shame to lose them. But I´m unable to truly enjoy pondering ... I feel rushed and impatient and I know Isadora senses it in me as well. I look at her and she squeezes my hand but looks straight ahead. I know she´s planning what stores to guide me to to help upgrade my worn out wardrobe. And then we´ll head and look for a few things for herself. It´s just after 4 and the shops should all be open again. My purchases will be fast and easy. Isa´s will take an age and I silently build up resources in me to try and weather it with affability if not grace. But I feel a ticking, a buzz, and I´m sweating slightly despite two showers today. And it´s barely warm with this breeze.

Allard, estas bien?
Huh? Yes, I´m ok. I´m fine I mean ...
Ok ... Ah! Look at those jeans!

She pulls me back and we gaze through the glass and I nod at her and so we walk through the shop´s doors and start to spend our money.