Trash

Raphael uncovers something nice on a Thursday. He is standing up high near a bulldozer that is pushing a new pile of trash down a hill. He finds what he calls a “special” (8). A special is a bag of trash from a rich area. Inside are a cigarette, a zucchini, paper, and a small leather bag containing a wallet, a folded-up map, and a key. The wallet also contains 1,100 pesos. He gives Gardo 500. There is also the ID of a man named José Angelico and two photos of a girl, probably 7 or 8 years old, in a school dress. The key has the number 101 on it. The map is a map of the city. He says that later, “that bag changed everything” and that “[w]ith the right key, you can bust the door wide open. Because nobody’s going to open it for you” (11).

When it is dark, five policemen arrive at the fire where thirty people are gathered, eating a chicken purchased with Raphael’s money. A cop who looks like a boxer with a mashed nose talks to a man named Thomas, who Raphael says is the “main man” (13) in their group. The policeman says a friend of theirs has lost a bag. If it is found, he will give 1,000 pesos to every Behala family and 10,000 to the person who puts it in his hand. He says the bag has something in it that may help them solve a crime. Raphael does not mistrust the police, but he does not trust them enough to tell them he has the bag. His aunt tells them that Raphael found something, but Raphael says it is only a shoe. The boxer cop says they will return in the morning and pay anyone who wants to help find the bag. Gardo and Raphael both say they want to work.

After they leave, his aunt, whom he calls Ma, asks him why he is lying. Raphael says that he is going to throw the bag away, but that there was nothing in it besides money. He and Gardo go to his house, which is two rooms built from truck pallets and secured with plastic and canvas. It is stacked over three families below. Gardo tells him that they have to move the bag. They look at the ID of José Angelico and wonder what he has done. Gardo says that the police suspect them and are going to come back. He says they need Rat because “it’s about the only place they’re not gonna look” (20).

Rat is a boy who is three or four years younger than Raphael. His real name is Jun-Jun. He has no family and is called Rat because he lives with the rats. Raphael and Gardo take candles and climb through the trash until they reach the bottom of some steps, where they call for Rat. Rat answers from inside a hole in the trash at the top of the steps. They look through the entrance of the hole and say that they need him to hide something. When they tell him what it is, Rat tells them they are crazy for not turning it in and taking the money. He thinks they should find out who José Angelico is. Rat knows what the key is for but won’t tell them unless they give him 100 pesos. Raphael gives him the money. Rat says the key is for a locker at Central Station, where he lived for over a year. He asks them if they want to go there to locker 101 right now.

Gardo narrates Chapter 5. He says sometimes Raphael forgets things, so they agreed to split the storytelling. The next morning, crowds of people wait to work. So many people are there that it is more dangerous than usual because the crowds make the trash slide around. A line of police cars and trucks approaches. Gardo makes sure that Raphael is visible and working in the middle of it all. He worries that the cops still suspect him because he found something, even though he says it is only a shoe.

Raphael looks scared because he is starting to realize how important the items in the bag must be, but he tells Gardo that he still feels sure about what they are doing. By midday the pile has been sorted, and the cops make everyone get out of the trash. The police have stopped the line of trucks because they don’t want new trash burying the bag, if it is still in this pile. Everyone receives 100 pesos and goes home. Raphael’s aunt keeps asking if they are safe. Gardo is annoyed because if she had not called attention to Raphael, they would not be suspects. Raphael assures her that there is nothing in the house. She says that the cops questioned her that day and got the two boys’ names.

That night, Gardo and Raphael assure each other that they are doing the right thing but are “[n]ot dealing with the fact that if the police think you’ve got something, they won’t stop till they’ve got it from you” (39).

Raphael says that the next day Gardo let them go to the station on a passenger train. They sneak in through a window, and Gardo is worried that the cops may be watching the locker. He says that the reward has been doubled to 20,000 pesos. They agree that Rat will check the locker. He takes 100 pesos to pay the station boys with. The station boys clean the trains and aggressively protect the station. When they reach the locker, Gardo and Raphael keep walking while Rat opens it. He catches up with them and has a package under his arm, which he then hides under his shirt. Outside, when they are hidden, the boys open the package. It contains a brown envelope with a letter inside.

The envelope says, “If found, please deliver” (47). It has the name Gabriel Olondriz and an address for Colva Prison on it. Raphael opens the letter and reads one page. It also contains a slip of paper with a string of number. The contents of the letter don’t make sense to him, but he knows they are getting into something deeper and more dangerous.