Satiricus was pleased as the cat that just lapped up the milk. He used to say, “Pleased as Punch”…until he found out “Punch” was a wife-beating, serial killing puppet who was pleased with his various evil deeds!! He could barely contain himself as he hurried over to the Back Street Bar to share his joy; and, not so incidentally, to gloat!
“Did you see what my fearless leader, Rum Jhaat, just did?” Satiricus exclaimed before even picking up his beer.
“’E stap da schupit 2 a-clack curfew fuh abee drink?” asked Bungi in a hopeful voice.
“’E mek da policeman pay fuh de crashin’ de cyaar?” suggested Cappo, before Satiricus could answer Bungi.
“Naaah! Better than that,” exulted Satiricus. “Rum Jhaat just solved the prison problem!!’
“Really?” asked Hari mildly. “He rebuilt the new prison at Mazaruni already?”
“That’s five years away,” conceded Satiricus. “I’m talking about the problem with Prison Officers allowing contraband into Camp Street and Lusignan.”
“Rum Jhaat tell dem fuh come to wuk naked fram now aan?” asked Bungi, with a grin.
“C’mon fellas, don’t you read the papers?” asked Satiricus exasperatedly.
“Yes, we did,” assured Hari.
“So didn’t you see the pictures of proposed new Prison officers?” asked Satiricus. “Folks can now report if there are any rotten apples among them!”
“Me see dem pich-a,” said Cappo. “But me nah bin t’ink a Rum Jhaat suh schupit!”
“What’d you mean?” demanded Satiricus, his voice rising. “What’s stupid about vetting new officers?”
“Budday! All dem bai jus’ come out fram school,” said Bungi. “People guh seh dem t’ief sweetie?”
“Bungi has a point, Sato,” interjected Hari. “These young fellas didn’t have enough time – or temptation — to show their true colours yet”.
“Lemme tell you wha’ guh happen,” said Cappo. “People who jel’as dem bai guh tell lie pan dem!”
“An’ de police guh waste nuff time, fuh check out all dem lie,” said Bungi.
“Yes,” conceded Satiricus. “Especially when they haven’t checked out “I is” Brooms story yet.”
