Ese Mundo del Bajo

An extinct bar across from el Teatro Solís was where a retired set crew machinist would return his debt each day. On a theater pension, Mico had to be creative if he wanted to look good. So in the afternoons he could be found at the bar where he would be trusted with a coin. From there, he would go straight to the (extinct) pawn shop, in el Bajo of Montevideo, attended by a charitable cambalachero. Mico would exchange the bar's money for a pair of dentures. He would eat, go out and have fun. Next morning, he would dutifully wash and return his teeth, then return the coin to the bar. (From Crónicas de Montevideo, by Diego Lucero)