Excerpt
Ken didn’t wonder why this man should make such an offer. It seemed
as natural as going to the beach to meet and talk with Francisco. And so
Ken would sit and turn out drawings as though he was working on an
assembly line while Rui’s pet monkey sat and watched.
Several weeks after this arrangement had begun, Rui talked to Ken’s
father. “The wisest thing you could do is not send him to school. Let him
develop what he has. He is a primitive. I have never met one before now.
He obviously has an immense talent and he has an immense desire. I have
never seen anything like this. The best thing you can do is just leave him
alone to do what he does. You can tutor him. Teach him to read and write
– and do arithmetic and the other basics – but let him develop, as he will.
It would be a crime to interfere with him.”
Two days after Rui had delivered his opinions about Ken’s schooling,
Ken and his father were having breakfast in the small room off the kitchen
where gauze curtains filtered the early morning sun. His father took a
sip of coffee and looked up from his newspaper. “I have an idea,” he said.
“As you know, we all have our jobs in life. I have mine and now you shall
have yours. You love to draw so much so why not make drawing your job?
If you like, I’ll make an arrangement with you. You draw all week and
help Francisco doing what he does.
Manolis Aligizakis 