SHRiEK

Red meat is not bad for you. Now blue-green meat, that's bad for you! ~Tommy Smothers

I nibbled at my pen while I filled out my timesheet. The total hours I had been filling in these past weeks was miserable. I punched the figures on my calculator and frowned. I must really find ways to work longer hours or be prepared to eat grass for the months ahead.

With Mervin’s soccer tournament still ongoing and the school sports day approaching, I doubt I’ll have the opportunity to clock in more hours in the weeks to come. Reduced income spells less spending power on kids – something I dread.

But what’s being a herbivore for a few months compared to the pleasure of being around for my kids. The smiles on their faces make me feel like the wealthiest person in the world.

I left office after midday again to give Mervin physical and moral support for his soccer tournament in the afternoon. Never mind that he was a substitute and may not even be in the game this season; just being there for him and his team is good enough for me.

The ten minutes walk from my office to the bus stop was agonizing. The temperature these few days was scorching, thanks to the Sumatra blaze. Just this morning, the sun was a bloodstained red; quite a pretty sight if one could ignore the scorching smell that lingered in the warm humid air.

I regretted not removing my windbreaker in the office before I left. The singlet I wore beneath my windbreaker was slowly drenched with my perspiration. Even so, I would rather bear the torment than to perform a striptease before the foreign workers around the precinct.

By the time I peeled off the windbreaker, it had almost become my second skin. Instant respite, though not quite. The things that crossed my mind at that moment were ice-cream, ice kachang, ice jelly, icy cold sodas… As quickly as they had come, the thoughts evaporated into the hot air.

The ride in the air-conditioned school bus was heavenly. But before I could get enough of the cold air to cool down my inferno, we reached our destination.

The wait at the soccer field was another one-hour roasting session. I could feel my skin sizzle to a crisp while watching twenty-two young men in crazy pursuit of a pathetic ball. Mervin and the rest sat in silence observing their opponent-to-be crushing the other team mercilessly. I wonder what they were thinking at that moment. For me, I was simply yearning for something cold; snow maybe.

Suddenly, the sky became overcast and thunder rolled in a distant. Not long after, lightning flashed across the sky and big fat raindrops fell onto the sizzling ground. I stared at the sky as everyone scuttled for shelter. I seriously hoped that was not God answering my prayer. Well… It was not snowing, was it?

As a result, both matches was cancelled and postponed to this Friday due to lightning risk.

That means another half-day work on Friday.

I stared at the grass at my feet which were doing a happy tap-dance under the rain.

Shiver.