Saras let out a deep sigh. The sight of the dust accumulated under the bookshelf dismayed her. And upstairs, in the bathroom, the slime was already visible on the walls of the shower compartment. She had to talk to Flora about this.
***
Ravee decided that the garden work had waited long enough. He would finish it this morning. The bushes around the back had to be cleared. And the garden shed needed some mending too. He looked for some work clothes. Then he saw the blood red T-shirt. He held it up. He couldn’t imagine how he had brought himself to buy this hideous thing. He put it on and picked up the tools.
Saras saw Flora in the kitchen, wiping the sink half-heartedly. She strode up to her.
“Flora, you buat kerja saya not happy. Upstairs bathroom tak bersih. Ini library, semua tak bersih. Sini dapur tak bersih. Kalau buat kerja macam ini tak bersih saya tak suka. Mesti bersih.” Saras rattled away in her broken Malay.
Flora looked at her impassively. “Saya buat kerja bersih mem.” She pleaded.
***
The sound of the sirens drew near in moments. The wailing of several patrol cars was deafening. The doorbell rang insistently. Soon a banging on the gate.
***
The plainclothes police man sat opposite the three of them. He looked at each of them in turn.
“Maam, our surveillance recorded you talking about Bersih. Can you explain yourself? And why were you and this woman here dressed in yellow?”
Saras and Flora looked at each other.
Ravee was shocked. “Look here sir, my wife is just a housewife. And this is our maid….”
The policeman held up his hand. He held an enlarged print of a colour photograph.
“And you sir, can you explain why you were standing near this symbol, dressed in red ?”
Ravee looked at the photograph incredulously. It showed a hammer and sickle lying on top of one another on the floor near his garden shed.
***
Ravee decided that the garden work had waited long enough. He would finish it this morning. The bushes around the back had to be cleared. And the garden shed needed some mending too. He looked for some work clothes. Then he saw the blood red T-shirt. He held it up. He couldn’t imagine how he had brought himself to buy this hideous thing. He put it on and picked up the tools.
Saras saw Flora in the kitchen, wiping the sink half-heartedly. She strode up to her.
“Flora, you buat kerja saya not happy. Upstairs bathroom tak bersih. Ini library, semua tak bersih. Sini dapur tak bersih. Kalau buat kerja macam ini tak bersih saya tak suka. Mesti bersih.” Saras rattled away in her broken Malay.
Flora looked at her impassively. “Saya buat kerja bersih mem.” She pleaded.
***
The sound of the sirens drew near in moments. The wailing of several patrol cars was deafening. The doorbell rang insistently. Soon a banging on the gate.
***
The plainclothes police man sat opposite the three of them. He looked at each of them in turn.
“Maam, our surveillance recorded you talking about Bersih. Can you explain yourself? And why were you and this woman here dressed in yellow?”
Saras and Flora looked at each other.
Ravee was shocked. “Look here sir, my wife is just a housewife. And this is our maid….”
The policeman held up his hand. He held an enlarged print of a colour photograph.
“And you sir, can you explain why you were standing near this symbol, dressed in red ?”
Ravee looked at the photograph incredulously. It showed a hammer and sickle lying on top of one another on the floor near his garden shed.
hahahaha.. this is funny :)
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