George led Mary to a flat metal surface besides the monitor and placed her hand on the surface for a few seconds and then did the same for the other hand till there was a click sound from the speaker. Satisfied that the machine registered the hand prints in good order, he too placed his right hand over the surface.
“Now try going out and then open the door again.,” said George after letting go of her hand. Malee duly went out of the room and placed her hand on the handle as before. Unlike the previous tries, the handle smoothly went down, and the door opened to George who was smiling at her surprised face.
“So now, you can bring food to me and clean my room anytime.” said George. Malee nodded. She didn’t understand what George did to allow the door handle to went down easily, but she decided not to raise the question. After a while, Mary came in to the room with the western snacks on a large plate.
“You know, you shouldn’t make too much. He is getting fatter and fatter.,” remarked young master to Mary while looking at the amount of snacks was on the plate. Before Mary could reply to him, the phone rang and Mary went over to pick up the call. She nodded a few times before putting down the phone and turned around to both the children standing behind her.
“The professor is here young master. Malee, can you bring that drawing board to there?,” said Mary to both. So they were having art class in the room, Malee noted. Malee did as she was told, and George grunted, looking at the empty drawing board. He didn’t like art, or rather he wasn’t good at it. He would prefer to be the one appreciating the art pieces in the museum or sponsoring them like his father but not make them. His father wasn’t a famous artist by any mean. Hence, he was under no obligation to be one.
Knock. Knock.
Mary went over to the door and opened up to a large Caucasian man, smartly dressed, with a large brown bag in his hand. He was sweating profusely even though we knew he came in his car, so it must be the weather outside.
“Sorry George for my appearance.,” he apologised. “The car’s air-con wasn’t working so, I had to roll down the windows. The heat was unbearable. So was the traffic.”
“Please come in professor.,” said Mary, taking his bag to the table. The man came into the room and sat down on the chair by the table, fanning himself with the paper he found.
“Perhaps, we should drink cold drinks today for a change. Mary, can you bring a few bottles of beer up here? I only have the non-alcoholic drinks here.” said George. Mary nodded and went out of the room quickly to the dining room where they kept the alcoholic drinks.
“Oh and professor, this is Malee. She is here to help Mary with her tasks.,” said George, introducing Malee to the man. Malee bowed towards the man.
“Why do you need two people to help you, my boy? Can’t you do things yourself now?,” asked the professor. It was clear from the beginning that the man was immune to the hierarchy which the whole household imposed themselves. He was talking to George as a man speaking to a child. Malee tried not to laugh at the thought of George needing help from them, but she couldn’t help the smile across her face to which George noticed.
“I am rich and that is what the rich people do.,” George retorted. “And I have more important things to do than making food and washing clothes.”
The professor smiled at George’s reply. He could see the making of a rich and proud man, yet also an innocent boy in George. He decided not to make further remarks on the subject.
“You will learn one day, my boy. How are your drawings coming along?” asked the professor, changing the subject to the more important task on hand, the lessons.
“They suck. I am not good at it. I know, you know, everyone knows. So, why are we having this charade weekly? That I do not know.,” George blurted out his frustration without stopping for air.