The Hindu Inheritance

Near half two after Feidu printing. You’re not kidding it’s good to be back at KV. Twenty-three days was a stretch. The food for one thing — veg. was difficult to source in Jogja, at least around Malioboro. The turmeric helping to dodge one bullet at least, bowel or stomach C. from memory. Music filtering quietly from the kitchen low and tender old time Tamil sweeteners just as we like it. Chubby newer guy knows the standard order like the rest of them, but in his case often the two portions were delivered together. With the soup lukewarm no great matter today. Opere grlo, cleanses the throat, Bab used to say. Setting off some little cough as usual from the spices a benefit no doubt. One does not patronise Komala for pretty girls more’s the pity; only occasionally attending. Occasionally an Indo or Tamil maid will land with Madam, which sets off a fevered subterfuge of note-passing if the old dear can be got round. (Reminds of the Indo at Wadi 2-3 months back it must be rudely ignoring the overture.) One young pretty as it happens today diagonally opposite corner. Displaced once again with the crowd in the second room and hard against the window, the lass by the kitchen wall. On her screen and it must have been Bapak chaperoning earlier — she was not at all the sort for a sugar daddy. You should not be looking in that direction granted, even on flyer days with the new batik print adding lustre. Shockingly presumptive. Blonde Western wilted rose sporting a large tattoo that snakes down from her shoulder onto her bicep with some better wits about her might have respectfully covered herself with one of her scarfs in such a place, like in the temples. Poor Sweet cornered can’t help the furtive glances — what was life after all without some erotic cat-and-mouse. No harm done, no fretting; we’ll do it strictly avuncular tempered and smooth within these walls. One of the smiles earlier from a woman seeking a place at a table was reminiscent of the younger Shiela, something that was carried in the genetic inheritance indicative of womanly warmth and nature that failed to always get an opportunity to show in the big bad metropolis. An Indian trader newly opened on Malioboro had reported the nearest Indian eatery was 5 -10kms. out of the Sosro quarter; even he could not get out there more than once in a while. Always a surprise the deepest cover of the Hindu past across that archipelago.