The Aquarium of Miss Saigon
illustration created by Bing Image creator
“Go in quietly. And don’t forget—you mustn’t open the curtain under any circumstances. Madame prefers to stay this way, somewhat isolated from the world. Use this brush to dust the carved furniture. And don’t break anything, or she’ll make a huge scene,” the maid said to the young woman, who stood motionless in the entryway.
Speechless, Simone stared at the immense aquarium in the middle of the room, not hearing a word the maid said. “I’ve never seen anything so beautiful, and believe me, I’ve worked for a lot of rich people,” she thought as her gaze lingered on every corner of the house. The shadows cast on the walls by the fluttering tails of the betta fish filled her with a sense of peace and wonder!
“Wake up, kid! Tomorrow I’ll teach you how to feed the fish. For now, you’re just going to dust.”
“The world really isn’t fair,” Simone thought, running her left hand over the heavy silk that blocked out the sun’s rays. “I’d love to turn this curtain into an elegant dress. I guarantee Afonso would never have disappeared if he’d ever seen me in a chic dress like that. What kind of cool guy would waste his time on a girl who’s always dressed in tacky clothes?”
At that moment, Dona Alba entered the room, draped in a Chinese silk robe and an aura of mystery. With her mind still clouded by the mists of the night that were barely beginning to dissipate, her gaze wandered around the room until it settled on the fish tank. It was time for her daily ritual of greeting her fish, but a beep from Simone’s cell phone disrupted her concentration.
“Excuse me, ma’am. That’s Simone. Today is her first day on the job.”
Dona Alba let out a sigh as she examined Simone from head to toe with a look of displeasure. “Evelyne, give her a uniform that fits and instruct her on cell phone use inside this house.”
As she adjusted her hair under the uniform cap and tucked her cell phone into the bottom of her purse, Simone finally seemed to emerge from the hypnotic state she had fallen into upon entering that house. “What an exotic place! The mistress must be very special to live like this. Is she a foreigner?”
“No, Simone. Madame was a theater actress when she was young and became famous for playing ‘Miss Saigon.’ The apartment had just been redecorated, since she wanted a chic, somewhat oriental atmosphere, similar to the set of the play that made her famous. ‘But who’s ever heard of a brothel with an aquarium?’ Evelyne said, laughing heartily, as she left to arrange lunch.
Armed with a brush, Simone began dusting the ornate details that adorned the living room furniture. The shifting patterns of light and shadow that moved tirelessly across the walls and furniture around her brought to mind that blue fish that once swam in circles inside a glass of water on the counter, irritated by the incessant tapping of some finger on the surface of the glass. A fish that seemed more like her soul incarnate! Lonely, anguished, admired for its beauty, and unable to live in peace with its own kind. Until the day a languid finger paused over the glass, drawing arabesques, while a pair of eyes roused her from her torpor. “I want her,” he said to the brothel keeper, indicating Simone with a nod of his chin. Simone, who had never fallen in love in her life, had quickly lost her head over that man with silky hands and an insistent gaze. “How could he have just vanished after the torrid nights we spent together?” she exclaimed through clenched teeth, slamming the picture frame down with a crash.
“What are you doing there, girl? Be careful,” the madam raged. “These photos mark a historic moment: no one was able, like me, to see Kim’s true soul and suffering. Have you ever heard of *Miss Saigon*, the best play ever staged in Brazil? Hmm? What a load of nonsense!” she said, enraged, as she threw her arms up in the air in a studied gesture. “Why am I even wasting my energy telling this story? Especially to you, child, who’s incapable of understanding the subtleties of the soul.”
Years on stage had given Dona Alba the ability to sense the moment she lost connection with her audience. And Simone’s attention had definitely slipped away the very instant she placed both hands over her belly. She had just felt, for the first time, the movements of a lonely soul swimming, trapped within her womb. ‘Poor child, what a fate awaits her!’ was the thought that crossed her mind, accompanied by a single tear. But how often is just one tear enough to change a destiny? In this case, the single tear shed by Simone ruined the watercolor painting she was holding, triggering a fit of rage in her employer. Not that the watercolor was particularly beautiful, but it had been a gift from an eminent judge. And that was enough.
In a matter of minutes, Simone was thrown out of Dona Alba’s house, with her uniform bonnet still on her head, barely covering the strands of hair that stubbornly escaped from beneath the lace. In addition to ruining a work of art, Simone had wounded Dona Alba’s self-esteem, denying her the right to a captive and generous audience. Desperate, with nowhere to turn and no money to support herself, how could she provide the decent home her son deserved?
Sitting on a park bench, just a few meters from Dona Alba’s building, Simone was tormenting herself with these dark thoughts when she saw Afonso enter the building she had just left.
‘Afonso. My love. I thought you’d gone on a trip! I’m so glad I found you. We have so much to talk about…”
Afonso, taken aback by Simone’s shouting, barely recognized her in that maid’s outfit. What was she doing there in front of his mother’s house? When he realized the inappropriate attention she was drawing from passersby, Afonso shoved her away. ‘Get out of here, woman—I don’t know you,’ he shouted so everyone could hear, and walked past the doorman with his chin held high, while the doorman barely concealed a smirk. Dona Alba had decreed that Monday was the day to have lunch with her son, and nothing could prevent her plans from unfolding perfectly. Afonso knew that Dona Alba was not a woman to tolerate mistakes!
The next day’s morning newspaper would carry the news of a young woman’s suicide; she had thrown herself off the bridge over the Guaíba River at nightfall. A passerby reportedly told the journalist that she worked at the brothel nearby. When Evelyne mentioned this news to Dona Alba over lunch, both were appalled by the girl’s behavior. “What makes these girls do something so stupid? Life is so beautiful and full of surprises! Who would have thought, back in my childhood, that one day I’d be able to understand and perfectly portray the sufferings of Miss Saigon?!” said the madam before draping the linen napkin over her lap.
Translated to english by DeepL (paid version)
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