Even drunk, Benjamin found the old man repulsive. Age and squalor masked the true color of his hair, and his stench was so strong Benjamin was surprised there were only two flies circling his head instead of a whole swarm.
“It’s like this.” The old man leaned in toward Benjamin, assaulting his nostrils. “There’s a young man I’ve gots my eye on. One of them river hoppers.” Benjamin nodded. The only reason he himself wasn’t instantly mistaken for a refugee was that the Party had given him international food aid packets and forced him to eat double allotments every day.
“You look like a man who knows how to watch out for hisself.” He scratched his beard, and Benjamin winced, wondering what kind of critters might have found a home in that mess of mange. “He’ll be worth about eight hundred yu
