Coromo, parts 532 - 535

532. But how was it possible for this cleaning lady on the night staff of the hospital, and a poor immigrant, to have such insight into Buboni's ideas, and art in general. We all turned toward her, and in our faces she could see that she owed us some sort of an explanation.

533. "I was born in a small village on the coast of Africa,", she said, "And in my childhood, except for some wood carvings, there were no paintings around or any interest in art at all. But today if you were to visit my village you would find everyone is an artist, and the selling of paintings is the principal occupation of my people back home. This is how it came about, and why, by accident, I got involved in looking at, and collecting paintings."

534. Several years ago a big French tourist company decided to open a resort facility on the coast about twenty miles from my village.  All of the towns folk were excited that this resort would be an opportunity for serious employment in the restaurant and hotel line. It was at that resort that I first learned the art of waxing floors, and mopping up.

535. The worst paying but most lucrative jobs at the resort went to the waiters, who were paid nothing at all but who made huge amounts of money by our standards. Young tall good looking men from my village who knew the art of the shy dazzling smile did very well.