Absent yesterday Mr Phat, as he had attended the temple around on the river, the Heavenly Queen, on her particular day. It was $25 entry for lunch, four or more hundred present at the tables. (The charge was per person, not family.) With elderly parents, Phat had attended alone. A bunch of incense cost $5, the sticks placed around the grounds. $10 was a respectable donation for the wishing tree. You wrote your wish on the slip of paper provided and hung it on the tree. As an old bachelor Phat might have wished for a good, pretty young wife perhaps, or some other kind of fortune. Not the case. Phat had wished for peace. The man gave a circular motion from his corner seat beside the entry to the market—peace allround. At the proper introduction some weeks before Phat had said the pronunciation of his name was like Fuck you here.
During the course of the addas around at Faisal’s shortly afterward an enquiry after his brother Fausi in Vietnam brought no news. Faisal had nothing to report. In fact Fausi had not even told Faisal of his intended departure. The pair had been together on the Sunday; without a word about it, Fausi flew out on Monday. Disappointing. And more so taking a jaunt like that during Ramadan. During Ramadan one might go to Makkah, or visit family, perhaps, Faisal explained. Not flit away for a pleasure trip. Faisa had a fair idea of the kinda fun Fausi sought in Vietnam; no one needed inform him. There were mosques in Vietnam, where Fausi could pray, yes, Faisal knew that.But it was far from proper a trip like that. Fausi had been over to Vietnam a dozen times now; you couldn’t keep him away from the place. It did no good talking to him. At their age the relationship between the brothers was conducted as between friends; there was no question of precedence. (Faisal was the elder.) Even a father and mature age son spoke to each other as friends at that stage of life, Faisal explained. That was what was proposed in the Quran. Originally, the brothers had operated Café d’Afrique jointly. After the renovations of the premises, Fausi preferred to keep to the other place in Barkly Street, which had been intended as only a temporary locale.
