"Somebody killed the puppy killer!"
Aunty Lee announced, coming into the back kitchen where
Nina and the helpers were packing food into bento style
meal packs. There were seldom many customers in the lull
between brunch and high tea, but if anyone did come, Nina
had a selection of 'Specials' for them to buy.
Nina had worked for Aunty Lee and her late husband for
years. Back in the days when Aunty Lee sold yam cake and
pineapple tarts and achar out of her Binjai Park house it
was thanks to Nina she had not given away more than she
sold. Now it was still the business-minded Nina who
managed the shop accounts. Thanks to careful investments
of her pay, Nina was already one of the largest
landowners in her village back in the Philippines. On her
last visit home, it had seemed that every friend and
neighbor had a husband for her to settle down with. They
could not understand why, if she no longer needed the
foreign money, did Nina want to go back to Singapore?
"What happened to her?" Nina had not understood
Singaporean rage over the case. With people in the world
struggling to afford food and medicine it was difficult
to get worked up over a dog that had been humanely put
down. Even now she had more important things on her mind
than what had happened to the woman. "Why are you walking
around? What are you looking for?"
"Salim didn't say yet. But I'm sure she was murdered or
why would they send him here to question the sister,
right? I want to give them something to drink. For the
shock, you know."
"I'll get it. You go and sit down." Nina did not call her
'Madam' and Aunty Lee, pleased, sat where she was.
While waiting for the kettle to boil, Nina put a mug of
homemade soya bean milk in the microwave to heat for
Aunty Lee. She was tired of being angry with Aunty Lee,
but the old woman was like a puppy that had to be
disciplined for its own safety.
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