Somehow, Stan's response doesn't surprise Ford. His brother had always been a more materialistic sort of guy, the type of person who needs their efforts to be compensated in some physical way, or else all the trouble was a waste of time. He needed proof, something people could see and touch that he could wave around and feel validated in having.
Sometimes it was a paycheck, or a collection of fresh bruises from a fight, or a hickey he managed to score from some girl Ford never could remember the name of. Most of the time, though, it was just Ford himself that Stan paraded around like a prize-winning poodle, step up folks, take a look at the best in show.
Ford couldn't help but wonder what Stan had used to take his place, after they - after they parted ways. He didn't much want to think about it, really, and so he didn't. Instead, he chewed thoughtfully on the inside of his mouth, and tried to think of how to re-word the story in a way Stan would appreciate.
"It's implied." He begins, before cringing a little and deciding to start over again.
"The story ends before you can find that out, but it's not - Santiago isn't in a bad place, when it ends. He might not have gotten the marlin back in one piece, but he still managed to prove to everyone in the village that he had broken his unlucky streak by catching something that looked big enough to be a shark. That's something to be proud of, it's something that proves he's not a useless, good-for-nothing old man like everyone thinks he is."
Ford slows down a bit as they draw closer to the city, not wanting to risk being pulled over by a cop patrolling the city limits.
"And more importantly, Manolin - sorry, Santiago has this apprentice named Manolin, I forgot to mention him earlier. Anyway, Manolin - his parents want him to abandon Santiago and find a more successful fisherman to study under. They don't think he's going to learn anything from Santiago, they think he's all washed up. Manolin doesn't give up on him though, he stays loyal to Santiago and takes care of him, decides to stay with him despite everything, even when he comes back from his three day trip with nothing to show for it but a half-eaten skeleton."
"So Santiago, at the end of the story, he gets his pride back, he gets his apprentice back, and he just - he feels good about himself, he feels okay with where he is in life and where his life is going. Now, I know what you're thinking - the poor guy goes fishing for three days and all he gets in the end is something he already had before his unlucky streak started? Seems like a ripoff, right?"
He glances over, trying to flash a smile over at his brother, hoping his faux-cheer will somehow be contagious.
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Sometimes it was a paycheck, or a collection of fresh bruises from a fight, or a hickey he managed to score from some girl Ford never could remember the name of. Most of the time, though, it was just Ford himself that Stan paraded around like a prize-winning poodle, step up folks, take a look at the best in show.
Ford couldn't help but wonder what Stan had used to take his place, after they - after they parted ways. He didn't much want to think about it, really, and so he didn't. Instead, he chewed thoughtfully on the inside of his mouth, and tried to think of how to re-word the story in a way Stan would appreciate.
"It's implied." He begins, before cringing a little and deciding to start over again.
"The story ends before you can find that out, but it's not - Santiago isn't in a bad place, when it ends. He might not have gotten the marlin back in one piece, but he still managed to prove to everyone in the village that he had broken his unlucky streak by catching something that looked big enough to be a shark. That's something to be proud of, it's something that proves he's not a useless, good-for-nothing old man like everyone thinks he is."
Ford slows down a bit as they draw closer to the city, not wanting to risk being pulled over by a cop patrolling the city limits.
"And more importantly, Manolin - sorry, Santiago has this apprentice named Manolin, I forgot to mention him earlier. Anyway, Manolin - his parents want him to abandon Santiago and find a more successful fisherman to study under. They don't think he's going to learn anything from Santiago, they think he's all washed up. Manolin doesn't give up on him though, he stays loyal to Santiago and takes care of him, decides to stay with him despite everything, even when he comes back from his three day trip with nothing to show for it but a half-eaten skeleton."
"So Santiago, at the end of the story, he gets his pride back, he gets his apprentice back, and he just - he feels good about himself, he feels okay with where he is in life and where his life is going. Now, I know what you're thinking - the poor guy goes fishing for three days and all he gets in the end is something he already had before his unlucky streak started? Seems like a ripoff, right?"
He glances over, trying to flash a smile over at his brother, hoping his faux-cheer will somehow be contagious.