By Marlon Bute
Christina was happy to have completed her first week at the factory. She had been dreading the idea of having to stand on her feet for most of the day, but she soon found out that it was not as bad as she had expected. Ramnarine, her new supervisor, had been quite patient and had taken the time to explain the different machinery and the importance of safety in the work place.
The supervisor’s wife had run away, she had heard. It was the talk of the mill. She couldn’t help but regard some of the gossipers with pity and had to restrain herself from rebuking a Filipino girl who was in the same assembly line with her, who kept speculating about the whereabouts of the supervisor’s wife.
Christina could tell that the supervisor wasn’t doing well. Though, she felt reassured by the strength in his eyes that few had seen. Christina had had a difficult time also, having managed to finally divorce a violently abusive husband, who had sworn to kill her before he let her go.
It was only with the help of a support group and a late night escape to a shelter for women, that she had been able to escape her violent husband and pull herself together. She had settled at the shelter for several months until she had been able to retrieve her documents from her husband and find suitable government assisted housing and a job.
She admired Ramnarine’s kindness and compassion and found that she had taken a strong liking to him. She wasn’t sure what caused it, but they got along quite well and seemed to be growing close. They started having lunch together on a frequent basis and even went to the movies and the temple a few times.
Ramnarine had an inkling all along that Seetah was cheating on him. Over the years, they had been less and less intimate. And, he wasn’t totally unaware, that she was going out often and was constantly whispering on the phone. The week she left, he noticed that she had done her hair and had bought new clothes and jewelry. She no longer cooked or did laundry. But, that had been going on for ages. In fact, he had long since ceased fretting and he wasn’t much of a fretter to begin with; having decided that he couldn’t change the course of things and that things would sort themselves out.
Ramnarine soon found out that he was right to not worry about things which he had little or no control over. A few things in his life were going fine; he was surprised to have been recently promoted and had gained a new interest in his job. Ramnarine had also been training a new worker and had noticed that she seemed to have an unusual interest in him. In fact, it was Peter who had pointed it out.
Ramnarine went to the police when he didn’t hear from Seetha. They had laughed and suggested that she had run off with a lover. It didn’t help either, when he confided that their relationship was shaky. The missing person’s report appeared to have been reluctantly completed, when he told them that none of her clothes and jewelry was taken. Peter had already warned him that some cops were unsympathetic to the plight of minorities, but he hadn’t expected to feel so stripped of dignity by their indifference. Yet, he couldn’t help but wonder if their attitude was because of the high number of persons who were reported missing on a daily basis.
- Name two animals that were unseen in Bourgainville’s forest.
- What was the name of Seetha’s lover and where was he from?
- Which city did Seetha like to frequent and did she get home at nights?
- What kind of worker was Ramnarine?
- For the most part, how did Ramnarine get home after work? Recount one of his journeys home in your own words.
Kindly email answers to [email protected] along with address, telephone number. Winners may be asked to submit photo for publication.
Prizes are redeemable at Jujube Bookstore.