Last Stroke of the Brush

by SiewJin Christina Jee

  Chapter 2

  Locating the street children was hard. So hard that Rox began to have doubts about San, whether San was leading her on a wild goose chase around town, all in the eye of the camera. Was she a member of those TV crews who went round scamming celebrities? She could just see it in her mind. ‘Rox punked’ or ‘Rox scammed’. Or was San just one of those freelance journalists trying to make it big riding on her name? She had encountered them before although her own people were pretty good at vetting them nowadays. But San seemed genuine enough, eagerly showing her what had been left behind in the wake of the street children as they fled ahead of the TV crew, or so San said. Rifled garbage bins. She showed Rox the photos before and after the children had gone through the bins. Rox shrugged, saying, ‘Could be anybody, the odd scavenger, even stray dogs.’

  ‘Look,’ San said excitedly, jabbing at the ‘after’ picture. ‘Someone has dropped a slipper.’ Rox noted that there was indeed a small slipper on the ground. Still it could have been from the pile of rubbish or fallen off. They had been running around for two whole days without success. Any footage was better than none, Rox thought. She waved her crew over and prepared to step in front of the camera.

  Then another day San showed Rox the carton boxes opened up and spread out neatly under a bridge. ‘They had been sleeping here,’ she said, bending to look for more evidence. None at all. Could be some desperate lovers, Rox thought. San was disappointed but not out of the game yet. ‘We could stack this place out. They might come back,’ she suggested. Rox baulked at the idea of leaving one of her crew under the bridge all by himself based on just a hunch. ‘I’ve got a better idea,’ she said, signaling to her crew to start shooting her. Out of her bag, she fished out a marker. Then she squatted down on the cartons to draw a caricature of San surrounded by the children with Rox and her crew in the foreground. In it she indicated that San wanted to talk to the youngsters.

  ‘There,’ she said, putting in the finishing touches. ‘I’m sure they’ll get a pretty good picture of what we want if they do come back.’

  San clapped rapturously. ‘Oh, you’re good at drawing. That’s me alright. And Jam and Su…..oh, I’m sure they’ll love this. Let’s leave something for them.’ Everyone dug into their pockets and bags. Very soon there was a neat pile of snacks for the children – packets of peanuts, sweets and chocolate wafers.

  After that, they checked beneath the bridge every day and it was only on the third day that they found the snacks gone, the pictures on the cartons not only intact but embellished. San’s was untouched except for a few question marks around her head but Rox’s had sprout horns, pixie-like long ears and a long tongue. The cameraman had been transformed into a burly pirate, his camera now resembled a cannon trained at the children. San hooted with laughter.

  ‘No trust here whatsoever,’ Rox chuckled, admiring the picture and what it conveyed. ‘Now how can we convince them that we meant them no harm?’

  San became serious. ‘I think this is the only way.’ She took out the marker again and blotted out Rox and her crew. When she looked up once more, her eyes brook no argument this time. ‘I believe they’ll come back. Someone should stack this place out and give us a tingle should they be sighted. Another thing, I suggest that only Rox and Ben the cameraman follow me a good fifty paces behind.’

  The tingle came two days later. ‘I see them, I see them. I think it’s them. They’ve just slipped under the bridge. What should I do?’

  ‘Stay there. If they move, follow them. Be careful, don’t spook them. Keep us posted. We’re on our way,’ Rox said, grabbing her car keys. She passed her mobile phone to San who was already on her feet. ‘Come on, gang. Action at last.’

  They were lucky. Five to ten minute drive and they were in the vicinity of the bridge. The traffic was light so Rox could lend an ear to what San was saying on the mobile phone. Obviously her crew member was hot on the heels of the street children. Suddenly San sat up and craned her neck to scour the streets ahead. ‘Park somewhere here,’ she instructed Rox. ‘I believe the children are heading this way.’

  They sat inside the car and waited. They had not long to wait. Rox heard the whirr of Ben’s camera before she saw them. Again she congratulated herself on her choice of cameraman. Ben might be succinct and big but he was as passionate about his job as she was and he needed not to be told what to do.

  Suddenly San sat up further and pointed excitedly. ‘There, that’s Jam, leading the pack. Cheeky little devil. Look, he’s just pinched a rambutan off that woman for Tan. Tan’s the one in the red T-shirt. Not as smart as Jam. He usually acts as the lookout. Always gets scolded for giving false alarms. Now where’s Jeff? He does not seem to be with them today. Now look over there, trailing a few paces behind them. That’s Su,’ San said. So great was her agitation that she stuck her hand out and gestured wildly at the approaching girl. ‘That’s odd. Now where’s her baby?’ she frowned. She turned her head and asked Rox, ‘What are we going to do next? Should we try to get up close and personal?’ There wasn’t even time for Rox to answer.

  Right at that moment, there came an ear-splitting whistle from right beside the car. San turned her head indignantly only to open her eyes wide in recognition. Right beside her was Jeff. He gave her a toothy grin and then he was off after the rest who on hearing the whistle had veered sharply to the left away from the car.

  ‘Come on,’ Rox said. ‘After them.’ She scrambled out of her seat, noting that the slight San was already out and away. I must lose some more weight, she thought. She had always taken pride in her statuesque physique and her daily work outs in her gym so it was humbling for her to note that she was the last one out of the car. Just as well, she thought, for everybody craned their necks to look at what Ben was shooting, saw San whom they could not recognize and when finally Rox flew past, they were still too bewildered to realize that it was really and truly their one and only homegrown celebrity, Rox, barely recognizable without her make-up and signature wigs.

  Down one street they ran, then up another until Rox lost all sense of direction. She just kept running, following Ben’s bobbing camera until even that disappeared from sight. For a moment she was frantic. Then she saw both of them standing and panting at a junction looking most woebegone.

  Completely winded, Rox weaved her way up to them and wheezed, ‘What happened? Where did they go?’ San paced the pavement and wrung her hands, looking uncertain. ‘I think they went that way,’ she said, pointing into a cul-de-sac.

  ‘Are you sure?’ Rox asked, getting her bearings once more. ‘At the end of this lane is the dilapidated Chin mansion. A few years ago, we did an episode on how generations of the Chin family contributed to our local community. I was kind of hoping the local council will restore this piece of historical heritage after my show but obviously nothing has been done so far.’ She turned to San and repeated, ‘Are you sure the kids came this way? Seems kind of strange they would go into a dead end like this.’

  San bit her lip and looked most unsure of herself.

  ‘Well, there’s only one way to find out,’ Rox said, her take-charge attitude back in full force. ‘Let’s go down the lane.'

  They had not gone a dozen paces when the first missile struck Rox. ‘Ouch,’ she exclaimed, touching the back of her head with her hand. Then the next missile hit Ben’s camera with a ‘Ping’ and rolled onto the lane. It was a pebble. Ben lowered his precious cargo and glowered with indignation at his surroundings.

  ‘Somebody’s throwing pebbles at us,’ cried San excitedly. ‘They are here. I’m sure the children are here.’ She jumped up and down, waving her hands above her head, very much like one who had sighted a helicopter or a ship after being stranded on an island for some time.

  ‘Ahoi there,’ she called out. ‘Jam, can you hear me?’ For answer, two more pebbles struck the ground near San’s feet in quick succession, peppering them with dust. She went on undeterred, ‘I brought two kind friends to meet you.
They meant you no harm. They just want to help you.’ In the silence that followed, Rox thought she heard a snort. Cynicism at so young an age, she thought. It was nerve wrecking waiting for some response. God only knew where and when the next pebble was going to strike. So far the pebble launcher had not been far off his mark.

  Rox decided to take the bull by its horns. She pulled out her wig, shook out the wild curly tresses and put it on. Something she had done countless times. Something she could do at a moment’s notice, effortlessly. Once she had it on comfortably, she turned to San for approval. At San’s nod, she ventured forth like an actor into the spotlight and spoke to her hidden audience. ‘I don’t know whether you know me or not, but I’m Rox, host of ‘The Roxana and I show’. Look, I’d really like to talk and get to know you. Nothing more unless you permit me. That’s a promise. If you’ve seen my show, you’d know that my show is about people, different types of people and their lifestyles. Through it, I try to educate people, help them understand others. Sometimes I try to bring changes, positive changes into their lives. Did you watch the one that I did on our crowded orphanages and their limited resources? Oh, it makes me want to weep again to remember how some kids have to sleep three in a bed, the smaller ones placed across the beds at the foot of the bigger ones. Well, I hope my show helped to bring it about but two more orphanages are being built right now to solve the problem. Then last year I did an episode on how people here like to picnic but tend to abuse our picnic spots. They vandalize and litter these places, throwing drink cans, plastic containers and bottles indiscriminately. Despite my show, these things still happen but it is heartening to hear that during holidays schoolchildren have mobilized themselves into small groups that go around these spots to clean them and talk to the people frequenting these places about the need to maintain their natural beauty for future generations to enjoy. I especially take pleasure in this one for it goes to show that children can help to reeducate adults sometimes……’Rox rambled on, losing herself in her monologue and taking on her TV persona more and more by the minute. Out of habit, Ben’s whirring camera had latched onto her and San despite her wariness of the pebbles, gradually relaxed and stood aside to watch her idol perform her magic. Since the tender age of nine, she had come under Rox’s spell. For five years, she had watched every episode of Rox’s educational show "Kids love Roxana”, imitating her diction, following her advice, doing all the exercises Rox performed, reading all the books she recommended and more. Yeah, Rox ruled those early teenage years of hers, not her mother or her teachers. Then Rox had made the transition into producing and hosting the ‘Roxana and I’ show. It was an even more phenomenal success than the educational show, achieving a cult-like status par none. Millions tuned in to watch her touch other people’s lives. Most came away feeling that their own lives had been touched too for she seemed genuine and sincere, good at transforming lives, changing attitudes, getting people, influential or otherwise, to help in kind. For her efforts, Rox became the richest, most influential and charitable TV personality of her day. For several years now, opinion polls have shown that Rox wielded more influence and sway over the population than the prime minister himself. Alas, she had never shown any inclination towards running for office much to the disappointment of certain quarters. As far back as she could remember, San knew that she would like to meet Rox one day. But to be able to work with Rox was something that San could only dream about until that fateful day when Rox’s company called. San felt her own nails digging into her elbows and she was grateful for the pain they caused for it was kind of surreal for her to watch Rox in person before her. San pinched herself hard and ascertained that yeah, it was her Rox alright, her idol’s eyes altering expression as they settled on a little boy inching his way gingerly towards her. With a start, San realized that Rox’s performance was having its desired effect. As she watched, Rox slowly sank to her knees and beckoned the boy over. He stopped about a metre away from her.

  ‘What’s your name?’ she asked gently.

  ‘Jeff.’ The name lodged for a while in his throat before it came out with a small cough.

  'You look like a nice little boy. Were you the one throwing pebbles at us?’ Rox asked. Jeff nodded perceptibly, his eyes wary and when Rox arched her penciled eyebrows, he retreated to a safer distance.

  ‘Hmm, I didn’t think so but now I know so,’ Rox sighed and said, ‘I’m Roxana. Do you think it is fun to sling stones at people? It could be dangerous, you know. What if you accidentally hit my eye?’

  Jeff was suddenly all contrite. ‘I didn’t want to,’ he said, his eyes beginning to tear. ‘I didn’t know it was you until you put on your wig. Jam said I must stay and try to stop you from following us further. You see, I’m a crack shot with this.’ From his pocket he produced a big evil looking catapult.

  Rox stiffened with shock and nearly sat down on her haunches. Later, she was to tell people that she felt like she was facing a child soldier. She managed to gulp down her consternation and asked, ‘May I take a look at that?’ She relaxed perceptibly when he strode over quickly and handed it over to her. It was crude, obviously self made but Rox knew from experience it could be a deadly weapon. ‘Piece of ingenuity here. Did you make it by yourself?’

  ‘I helped. Jam did most of the work.’ There again, that name Jam, Rox thought. Time to zero in. ‘Where’s Jam? I’d like to meet him and the rest.’ Jeff’s face closed. If not for the catapult in my hand, he might have bolted, Rox thought. Hurriedly she moved to repair fences. ‘I mean it must be interesting to meet such a clever boy. In fact I find the whole lot of you very fascinating. I’d sincerely like to help too. Is there anything that you need?’

  There was silence as Jeff struggled mentally. ‘No,’ he said finally. ‘Jam said not to take things from other people. It invites trouble.’ This Jam is becoming more of an obstacle by the minute, Rox thought. She must have looked crestfallen for Jeff continued, ‘Look, we took and ate some packets of food under the bridge. Jam said it was a trap. Nobody would simply leave food around like that. He was right, you know. Now we have you people hot on our tail.’ He rounded on San. ‘You said you could help us. We believe you. All you do is give a few packets of stuff and get us followed.’

  Rox got up and approached him quietly. Gently she took him by the shoulders and gazed deeply into his defiant eyes, saying, ‘Just think of one thing, one thing that you really need. Let us know and we’ll show our sincerity in helping you by getting it for you.’

  The boy pondered. Loaded silence. Then he looked down and whispered sheepishly, ‘Milk’. And when Rox looked incredulous, he rushed on, ‘Powder milk. It’s not for us. We can get everything else. It’s for Su’s baby. It’s beginning to bite Su here.’ He clasped his chest shyly. ‘It cannot quite take other foods yet. Sometimes it cries during the night when it’s hungry. We can’t sleep. Jam says not to steal because that also brings us trouble. But we’ve stolen quite a few packets of milk already. We also have problems keeping it fresh for the baby.’

  Listening to him, Rox thought, ‘I’ve done some of the most heartbreaking stories in the world but this just about tops them all. I’d expected him to say, “ice-cream, toys…..” and all he asks is milk for a baby. Goodness ….. that’s what this is.’ She could take no more so she babbled, ‘Yes, yes, we’ll get instant milk powder for you. All you need is add water to it. We’ll put it under the bridge this evening. Go tell Jam.’ The boy broke free from her light grasp, lifted the catapult off her and scampered off.

  Rox was left in a daze, her hands like claws suspended in mid air. San came round to grasp them and when Rox gazed at her, her eyes were just as haunted. The dams in them broke simultaneously and tears flowed freely as the two women rocked each other in a tight embrace.