“But… I had to wait.”
“What for?”
“Confirmation!”
“You didn’t need any confirmation. We made our position perfectly clear.”
“No. You didn’t!” Marlon protested. “You decided to go with the girl! And because of that I thought you were considering other methods of resolution. You didn’t ever say this was a definite kill.”
There – now you’ve said it.
Suddenly no one would look him in the eye.
The Chairman continued, determined to make his point.
“Well, we’re very disappointed you took it that way… disappointed to say the least.”
A murmur of agreement circled the table.
“So, now we look forward to your interview with the President. We just hope you see it as an opportunity to obtain whatever confirmation you believe you need. Or… have the courage to go ahead without it.”
The Chairman leant forward and added with contempt –
“Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes you do. But… just one thing,” Marlon said. “Tell me… how did the President find out about this? I thought you decided not to tell him.”
“He’s the President,” the Chairman said dismissively. “He finds things out.”
They sat in an awkward silence for a moment before the Chairman rose.
“That’ll be all for now, Sands.”
“Mmm.”
“Just remember who is paying your bills.”
14.2
Axam the massage-man was the most successful guy on the slab, in and out of the hotels working day and night, making enough to support several families back in his village.
One evening Max asked him if he ever had a massage himself.
“Never,” he laughed. “You asking all India – massage man never massage getting.”
“What about you teach me,” Max asked, “and I’ll massage you?”
Now, in the late mornings when Max emerged from these sessions – half naked, covered in oil and wearing only a lunghi and the sadhu beads around his neck, he looked like a sadhu.
But he knew he was a fraud. Wandering around the scene, terrifying tourists with his outrageous presence, he was not fooling himself –
You might look like a sadhu…
But you’re really just a half-mad young westerner…
Who doesn’t have the guts to do it.
