Later she asks:
– Can he win?
Mr. Pong answers that he doesn’t know.
– I don’t know, he says, and adds that the future is an exclusively hidden realm which is ultimately impossible to predict, unless you are God… or a psychic.
A sudden smile appears on his lips.
– Like the witch of Endor, he says with a chuckle, clinging to a faint hope of changing the subject.
But at the exact moment that he opens his mouth to ask his wife what she knows about Endor, she says:
– You know, it could be nice for Hope if Charlie becomes mayor. They are engaged to be married, you know.
Mr. Pong does not know.
– Come again? Married?
– M-hm.
– Seriously?
This is bad news.
– The soup is the real deal. It’s not the mock, his wife says.
Turtle soup – “a la Taft†– the real deal
After a short silence his wife speaks again:
– Charlie is a coming man, she says.
Mr. Pong says nothing.
Mr. Pong knows when to speak – and when to hold his tongue.
He is contemplating his next move.
Maybe invite him to dinner? “Keep your enemies closeâ€, was the advice from The Godfather.
But The Godfather had a manuscript. Mr. Brando just played the part and spoke his lines from a script – for money.
There’s no script for my part, Mr. Pong tells himself, nobody’s writing my lines…
It’s getting dark outside.
Later he says:
– I must get back to the office.
– Did you like the soup?
– M-hm.
What have I done to deserve this? Mr. Pong thinks on his way to the office. First he seduced my daughter, and now he is marrying her… and campaining against me!
I won’t have it!, he mumbles, I’m NOT having it! He’s far too old for my daughter!
Who is this son-of-a-bitch?
Indeed!
Who is
The Man from Harryville
a.k.a. Harry the Hawk.
?
In Pong City he is known as Charles BishopTemple, the founder, the majority owner, and the CEO of the We See Company, the company that recently moved into new office building.
( Charlie Temple is actually a son of a bitch.
His mother was he late Zora Kaizer, a self proclaimed gypsy queen from Hoxton. His father, a pickpocket from Wexford called Sterling Moss (a.k.a. The Quarter), had only one thing to say when he was introduced to the result of the one nighter:
“You said you were on the pill! Bitch!â€
They named it Evelyn Moss, and left it on the doorstep of the Harryville Presbyterian Church in Ballymena. )
Charlie has chosen this destination carefully.
He’s been planning his moves for years.
The We See Building - the first draft.
On the first floor, there’s the class rom, where Mr. Temple will give classes.
On the second floor: the control room. Where the CC-TV cameras can be monitored, and where internet traffic and phone calls are analysed.
The We See Company is operating in the surveillance business, offering it’s services to whoever offers the green stuff.
Surveillance is a fast growing business.
Knowledge is power, says Mr. Temple.
And that is exactly what Mr. Temple is selling – for money; the only thing more powerful than knowledge.
The We See Company has a slogan: We don’t wear sox!
On weekdays Mr. Temple is educating a group of potentially new surveyors:
The enlisted potentials are few, but Mr. Temple shows no sign of disappointment.
Back in his office,
Mr. Pong is concerned about the The Pong Arena, and the impact on his financial situation.
For years he has been patiently awaiting a reply from Madonna, but now he is secretly caressing the idea of writing another letter – maybe to Dolly Parton… or Mr. Sting…
or ( heaven forbid ) to Miley Cyrus.
The latter was a suggestion from his daughter Hope – a suggestion he at first dismissed. But the more he’s been thinking about it, the more the idea has grown,
especially after he learned that Miley Cyrus is the goddaughter of Dolly Parton. Maybe…
His thoughts are interrupted when the telephone rings.
– Good evening mister Pong. My name is Charles Temple. I understand you have a picture of the MS. München in you office. I suggest we have a conversation about it.
– I can assure you, mister Temple, it’s not for sale - not at any price.
– Call me Charlie. My representatives are on their way. I do apologise for the inconvenience.
– What inconv… (click)
The representatives presents themselves as Tom and Ed Fisk. Mr. Pong thinks they look like re-educated undertakers.
Tom and Ed Fisk are insurance lawyers, they say.
They are looking into the loss of the MS. Múnchen, they say.
– We have reason to believe you can share some details about what happened with a special part of the cargo, they say.
Later Mr.Pong makes an entry in his diary:
They looked like re-educated undertakers, but they were NOT re-educated: They were here to bury me!
( What Mr. Pong does not know, is that the Creator has something up her sleeve… )
Cec
