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Hirsch cast his eyes on his new companion and was filled with affection. I like him, he thought, reminding himself he rarely erred in these first impressions of his. The man smiled at him while being introduced; he hesitated a little and finally extended his hand, bowing a bit. Hirsch’s son invented some excuse and left them alone; he was always a very busy man, sometimes out of sheer habit, sometimes because he really had something to do. Hirsch made a sign for João to sit down. This would be his last gesture of kindness toward the young man. I like him, he thought, again observing the big mulatto seated somewhat awkwardly in the designated armchair. I like him, and at the same time I feel immensely sorry for him. What turn of fate forces a strong young man, full of life and health, plans and potential , to push a wheelchair occupied by an old man like me already at the end of his career? It was arduous work, practically without any time off, twenty-four hours a day of intense proximity between the two of them. Hirsch knew it was need that obliged João to accept the position. If he were to be kind to the youth, he knew he would end up letting it show how much he felt sorry for him and thus wouldn’t be able to avoid hurting his pride. That would certainly make the job abominable; it would also make João an unhappy companion. For the youth’s own well-being, he decided to treat him rudely, put on a mask of arrogance, and let him be very free to hate the old man whom he had to carry around from one place to another. This would be what his know-it-all son was in the habit of calling ‘transference.’ Instead of detesting the condition that tied him to a job like this, João would detest the incarnation of this job: old man Hirsch. He never made a point of being loved by people, and therefore, it would merely be a small sacrifice to make João a little more happy. João also liked the old man. We could say it was mutual affection Jaime Lerner Legacy 264 jaime lerner at first sight. He felt relieved when the man’s son left the room, as if a wall of ice had been removed. He was not affected by his patient’s cantankerous manner; he could very well understand it. He could see by Hirsch’s features that he was not a man to be chained to a wheelchair, dependent on someone in order to move about, to take a bath, and so on. He didn’t have the details, but he did know that the old man had arrived in the country destitute and all alone; without knowing anything or anybody, he had built a small empire. The man seemed to possess an infinite amount of energy incrusted in his personality. He couldn’t stop from being bitter about his new situation. João understood poor Hirsch; he knew the old man’s disdain wasn’t directed at him but rather at his condition as invalid, and therefore, he wasn’t offended by his employer’s manner. However, he knew he couldn’t react to his patient’s gruffness with sensitivity, showing understanding. That would only make him appear to be superior in Hirsch’s eyes; it would emphasize even more the dependence he was subjected to; it would remind the old man of his situation in a very cruel way. Hirsch, consequently, greeted João with a reserved look on his face; he would point to an object or a direction to take without saying a word; he’d grunt his orders and observations. João made an effort to treat him in the same manner; he executed his duties without a smile; he’d grind out his answers between his teeth and every now and then would show a pouting look of indignation he had learned from his mother. As time went by the intimacy between the two increased, and it was no longer rare to see them exchange insults, digs, to disagree on any subject. They seemed like those couples who are together for centuries and nobody understands why. In this case the relationship was about deep affection. Salomão Hirsch was born in Germany in 1920. It’s enough to know...

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