Satiricus was thrown for a loop. And his friends could see it written all over his face. Even the evening out with his wife to the new, satisfyingly garish Chinese Restaurant for Valentine’s Day hadn’t cheered him up. And for a fella who viewed the consumption of roasted Peking duck as a sacrament, his friends knew this was serious. The Back Street Bar bunch had to do something – and quick.
“Suh wha’ badda yuh, Sato?” Bungi started out carefully, “Yuh na talk wan word since yuh come in.”
“Yeah,” continued Hari, “and you already polish off six beers!”
“Fellas! I still can’t believe this Parking Contract scandal,” Satiricus offered weakly. “I suspected it was bad… but nothing as bad as this.”
“Sato, me fr’en,” replied Bungi, “why yuh t’ink dis set a palitishan woulda be diff’ren’? All a dem does t’ief!”
“I don’t know about that, Bungi,” continued Satiricus, “my leader Nagga Man sat 50 years at the feet of the Great Leader, how come he let this thing happen?”
“And Rum Jhaat sat for 20 years,” said Hari with a straight face. “Maybe they shoulda been standing at the Great leader’s side rather than sitting at his feet?”
“But yuh leadah dem na deh pan de City Council,” said Bungi in an effort to cheer up Satiricus. “Maybe dem na know ‘bout de contract.”
“But it was our KFC boy Sher-Rod who stood up to expose the Gang of Four at City Hell,” confessed Satiricus. “And he woulda told Nagga Man and Rum Jhaat at the monthly meetings.”
“But maybe Nagga Man and Rum Jhaat trying to develop young leaders,” suggested Hari, getting with Bungi’s programme, “and so they let Sher-Rod take the lead.”
Satiricus cheered up visibly at that. “You know, fellas, you may have a point!” he exclaimed. “Another round of beers. It’s on me!”
“Leh abee drink to Nagga Man and Rum Jhaat,” said Bungi, as he polished off his beer.
“Yup!!” echoed Hari. “They really learnt how to develop young leaders at the feet of the Great leader!”
