The rat was pretty wet. Stuffed as he was into the water bottle there was still room for the water to get in.
His fur was slicked with pool water but he was nearly out.
The plastic was tough but he had nearly gnawed enough for his head to poke out.
"Well?"
The man was sitting on the steps, after work, drink in his hand, his silk tie with ethnic pattern lay draped across his thigh. The top button of his shirt had recently been undone.
"Well what?"
The woman was waiting for her Smart Ting™ to ring. She looked at it accusingly.
"Did you snare your thief?"
" You know are those, PARTY people next door? What with that car, those uniforms. What does it mean?"
The rat's body was nearly out of the bottle but it waited until the wind shifted the clear, blue water and steered him closer to the pool side.
The man downed the drink and started to crunch the ice.
"There's a lot of uniforms round here. Even the guard has some pretty impressive epaulets. They could be. This is an expensive place to live and not everyone is in business. "
" Did you ask for a drink for me? And no."
"Sure, it's coming. Angelina knows what you need. And no, what?"
" The money is still there. I'm going to put it under the table nearby to make it look as though I haven't even noticed it fall."
"Clever."
Wednesday, 11 November 2009
Tuesday, 10 November 2009
Ex Rat #3
"I'm going to set a trap for the maid."
The woman slides the patio door closed and looks across at her husband who is lounging by the pool.
"What's that?"
The woman kicks a few dead leaves along the pale tiles.
" Does the poolman just clean the pool?"
She kicks the leaves into the pool.
The man squints over his sunglasses.
"Honey, you know I hate it when we talk across the pool. The water just swallows up the words."
"Whatever. I'm going to leave some money out, you know, accidentally."
The man turns back and sighs as he leans into the cream coloured cushions.
"It was windy last night, tail end of the typhoon I guess. He'll get around to the leaves."
The woman picks up one of the brittle palm leaves, crushing it in her hand.
"We'll see if the maid gets around to 500 000 Dong."
The woman slides the patio door closed and looks across at her husband who is lounging by the pool.
"What's that?"
The woman kicks a few dead leaves along the pale tiles.
" Does the poolman just clean the pool?"
She kicks the leaves into the pool.
The man squints over his sunglasses.
"Honey, you know I hate it when we talk across the pool. The water just swallows up the words."
"Whatever. I'm going to leave some money out, you know, accidentally."
The man turns back and sighs as he leans into the cream coloured cushions.
"It was windy last night, tail end of the typhoon I guess. He'll get around to the leaves."
The woman picks up one of the brittle palm leaves, crushing it in her hand.
"We'll see if the maid gets around to 500 000 Dong."
Tuesday, 22 September 2009
Ex Rat Continued
The pool man after waiting patiently at the edge of the pool for the water bottle to bob towards him, scoops it out of the water, shaking the excess back into the pool.
"Anyway."
The woman sits on the edge of her lounger and scrolls through her emails.
"Anyway what?"
The man squats down at the edge of the pool and then quickly stretches out to do a few press-ups in quick succession
The pool man walks slowly up to where the line of loungers are set out for members, pristine white cotton each with a lotus flower placed on the head rest. Quietly he moves to within a few metres. The rat doesn't see him until too late
The pool man retraces his steps. He seems happy with his catch.
The man finishes off his series of press-ups with a few mid-air hand claps before he pushes himself up to standing.
The woman finishes scrolling.
" What time are we meeting for dinner?"
"Meeting? Who?"
" Hurlupta and her husband."
"Where?"
"At dinner."
"And why?"
" The vice counsel is due to be there."
"Oh. Best be there in good time."
The rat is uncooperative as the pool man plunges him into the bottle. He squeaks forlornly, his tail twitching,his wet fur pressed against the sides but with a few more shoves he is in. Squashed and forlorn.
"Anyway maybe we can ask someone at the dinner."
"About what?"
"About a maid who doesn't steal."
"Maybe its someone else."
"Who?"
"I don't know, the guard?"
"Don't we pay him enough?"
" It's all taken care of."
"Someone is taking care of themselves all right. A helping hand helping themselves."
The pool man smiles at the rat in the water bottle. With the tip of his pen he pierces the plastic giving the rat an airhole. His squeak sounds louder now and the pool man looks around. There is no one to hear except the two foreigners at the side of the pool. The pool man watches the man and woman, his stare unblinking for some time. The rat is shifting in the bottle, his small claws scrape at the plastic. The pool man shifts it from one hand to the other as he watches the man and woman. The squeak gets louder.
Gently he lowers the rat in the bottle into the water, gently making waves in the direction of the man and the woman.
"Anyway."
The woman sits on the edge of her lounger and scrolls through her emails.
"Anyway what?"
The man squats down at the edge of the pool and then quickly stretches out to do a few press-ups in quick succession
The pool man walks slowly up to where the line of loungers are set out for members, pristine white cotton each with a lotus flower placed on the head rest. Quietly he moves to within a few metres. The rat doesn't see him until too late
The pool man retraces his steps. He seems happy with his catch.
The man finishes off his series of press-ups with a few mid-air hand claps before he pushes himself up to standing.
The woman finishes scrolling.
" What time are we meeting for dinner?"
"Meeting? Who?"
" Hurlupta and her husband."
"Where?"
"At dinner."
"And why?"
" The vice counsel is due to be there."
"Oh. Best be there in good time."
The rat is uncooperative as the pool man plunges him into the bottle. He squeaks forlornly, his tail twitching,his wet fur pressed against the sides but with a few more shoves he is in. Squashed and forlorn.
"Anyway maybe we can ask someone at the dinner."
"About what?"
"About a maid who doesn't steal."
"Maybe its someone else."
"Who?"
"I don't know, the guard?"
"Don't we pay him enough?"
" It's all taken care of."
"Someone is taking care of themselves all right. A helping hand helping themselves."
The pool man smiles at the rat in the water bottle. With the tip of his pen he pierces the plastic giving the rat an airhole. His squeak sounds louder now and the pool man looks around. There is no one to hear except the two foreigners at the side of the pool. The pool man watches the man and woman, his stare unblinking for some time. The rat is shifting in the bottle, his small claws scrape at the plastic. The pool man shifts it from one hand to the other as he watches the man and woman. The squeak gets louder.
Gently he lowers the rat in the bottle into the water, gently making waves in the direction of the man and the woman.
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