“Supposed to be a day of demonstrations….” quips the
younger bro. of Hussein at the Drinks’ Counter tonight. HaHaHaHa delayed a
fraction. Oh yeah, it was May Day. The day before a bus approaching the stop
was flashing instead of its number a May Day greeting believe it or not. Golly.
Might be pics even so in the morning of the PM raising fists with the union
chappies in neat polos out front of NTUC
on Bras Basah Road. Hand it to the fella — the Drinks man I mean — knows what
he’s about. Man has a good fix on the local John here. Has he really been
reading the Blog? Truly? How else did he twig? Lottsa little comments over the
past months on the foreign workers in the family’s employ; the problem of the riff-raff
at the rear tables; the little jokes at the prices nicely deflected. An Australian
of a certain profile, age, look about him would be of that persuasion. Easy to
read. Where was his watch? Collars rare and lace-ups non-existent. Chats with
the wastrels, and some of the worst at that. Buys them drinks moreover.
Bleeding heart. “This is Asia,” the man had explained once during a longer
exchange. Son was doing med. at Melbourne, costing a pretty penny. Certainly a
hard worker, highly efficient managing his queues and staff. Nice fella indeed.
Simple answer to the gap between “supposed to be” and the actual: this is Asia.
Nuff said.
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