Basques

"The Basque lying against my legs was tanned the color of saddle-leather. He wore a black smock like all the rest. There were wrinkles in his tanned neck. He turned around and offered his wine-bag to Bill. Bill handed him one of our bottles. The Basque wagged a forefinger at him and handed the bottle back, slapping in the cork with the palm of his hand. He shoved the wine-bag up. 'Arriba! Arriba!' he said. 'Lift it up'" (pg 110)


Chapter 11 warms my heart. I wish everyone in the world would act like the basques on the bus. They are gentle, kind, generous people. These days, no one is willing to give anything away cheap, let alone for free. The basques so graciously offer their wine to Barnes and Gorton, and at first the two men feel as though it's a trade off, because not many people are that benevolent. Money is a precious commodity to most, especially now, with the downfall in our economy. It's understandable why people don't just give their things away for free, but if everyone was willing to help each other out with the same attitude as these basques, we would be able to be more giving. It reminds me of the Golden Rule: "Treat others the way you would like to be treated." If everyone lived their lives by the Golden Rule, our world be a much happier place.