The Breach Summary

The narrator fills up the tank of his old red Volkswagen-the one that used to belong to Mister Salgado. Then he writes down the mileage, the volume, and the date in a logbook. When he goes to pay, he notices that the cashier is someone who looks like him. In answer to his inquiry, the cashier confirms that he is indeed from Sri Lanka.

The cashier has trouble getting the electronic till to work and considers making a phone call to ask for help. The narrator, speaking Sinhala, offers a suggestion, but the cashier doesn't understand. He says he speaks only Tamil and a little English. It is his first night on the job. He invites his customer into the office, and asks him to speak to the boss on the phone. He turns off the outside lights to keep other...