Last Stroke of the Brush

  Chapter 3

  It was a group with haunted eyes that greeted Rox and her entourage under the bridge that evening. She could hear the baby’s incessant crying even above the din of the late evening traffic rush as she approached her destination. As she quickened her steps, she again reaffirmed that a baby’s crying, the sort that she was listening to now, was noise from hell. Besides her hectic career demands, it was one of the many reasons why she had never married.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Rox asked. ‘Why is it crying?’

  ‘I think it’s hungry,’ Jeff replied uncertainly.

  ‘I don’t think so,’ Su said. Desperation brings boldness, Rox thought, taking a closer look at the girl. In amazement, Rox realized that the shy girl was a child woman if one teased out the tangles in her hair, gave her a decent bath and dressed her in proper clothes. Someone had obviously discovered her loveliness and taken advantage. What struck her most was Su’s melodious voice. ‘Bebe has never cried like this before. I think she is sick.’

  San dropped to her knees beside her. ‘Let me take a look at her,’ she said gently. Su handed Bebe to her without hesitation. Awkwardly she cradled her in her arms, cooing, ‘What’s wrong, dear? Can you tell me? Do you want more milk?’

  At the word ‘milk’, Rox shook herself out of her helpless stupor. This was something she would do. With feverish movements, she opened the tin of instant formula and spooned some into a feeding bottle. Then she added water, shook it and handed it to San. San tried to put the teat into Bebe’s mouth but she only cried harder and wriggled her head from side to side.

  A big dark shadow spread itself over the hurdled group. ‘Here, take this.’ Ben’s booming voice resonated under the bridge. He shoved his beloved camera into Rox’s hands. ‘Let me see what I can do.’ He plucked the struggling Bebe out of San’s clutching arms and laid her over his shoulder as if she was a small bag of rice. Up and down he walked, crooning all the while in his soft baritone voice. Rubbing and tapping the small heaving back until Bebe’s sobs subsided. Everybody looked on amazed that this menacing hulk of a man usually so brusque in manner and so terse in speech could be so gentle and fatherly. The only reason Rox had kept him on her team was his total dedication to his art and his ability to shoot under trying circumstances. His feats with his camera were legend even as complaints against him abound. But Rox had kept him on for he was one of those who could keep her grounded. She had reached a stage in her career when most people looked up to her in admiration and waited for her to give directions. She knew that she only had to crook a finger and they would run a mile, jump through a loop for her. Not so Ben. With him, Rox could never be too sure whether he would follow directions. There had been instances when he disagreed with her decisions and when she persisted, he had just simply disappeared and the only way to get him back was through his answering machine and even then it was on his own time and terms. However, as time went by, Rox found him to be one true employee, true to her and true to his art.

  Now quietly Rox lifted his heavy camera up and pressed the ‘ON’ button, intending to capture him on film. Ben swung round in mid stride and glowered at her. ‘Don’t you dare,’ he snarled. ‘I’ve a reputation to maintain.’ Bebe took her cue and burped loudly. Then she waved her arms and cooed happily.

  Everyone laughed relieved. Ben lowered Bebe and proceeded to show Su how to deal with a colicky baby. Then feeling their stares on him, he read the question in their minds and said to no one in particular, ‘I’ve twins at home. And there are times when my missus needs help badly.’

  ‘Ben, oh Ben,’ Rox sighed. ‘You never fail to surprise me.’

  When Ben was done, everyone stood round awkwardly, not wanting to leave. Then Su said gratefully, laying a shy hand on Ben’s arm, ‘Thank you for everything. If there is anything we can do in return…..’

  San was quick to chip in, ‘In fact there is. We would like to film your way of life. Show us how you get your basic needs, where you take shelter, how you spend your time. Have no fear. We do not intend to change anything unless you wish us to do so. Just let us follow you around for a couple of days. Is that alright by you?’

  There was silence all round as the children shuffled their feet in indecision. ‘Jam,’ Rox thought, suddenly realizing that he was not with them. Everybody had been so preoccupied that they did not realize he was missing. ‘They’re wondering what Jam would say.’ And thinking of the devil, the devil appeared. Jam slid down the slope from behind one of the bushes in a clatter of loose pebbles, holding a small packet of fresh milk in his hand. He had obviously been watching the group for quite some time.

  ‘Three days. No more. Meet you here tomorrow morning at nine,’ he said succinctly, his eyes inscrutable. ‘Come, gang.’ Then they were off, scrambling up the slope, leaving behind another shower of loose stones.