—EPILOGUE —
Spock felt bored, so he decided to read the three-day-old Independent newspaper that he’d swiped from the dentist’s reception. Stu stared at the T.V but didn’t paying much attention, he couldn’t concentrate, Spock realised his friend had a lot on his mind and nothing he could say would help, also the CNN news was on, and he knew Stu hated the news, so he continued reading the headlines on the front page. The cover story caught his eye.
“Hey matey listen to this”, he said, as he started to read the article aloud.
“Saudi armed forces combined with coalition special forces and antiterrorist squads, today raided the palatial home of Sheik Mohammed Del Alaz in the district of Riyadah, after undercover investigations unearthed evidence of weapons of mass destruction and an anonymous tip off that Alaz intended to detonate a nuclear device ”.
The article continued about it being the first joint raid between the two allies and would open the way towards more co-operation in the fight against terror in the Middle East. The story carried on about Alaz’s possible connection to Al Quida and his prior connection to Sadam Hussein.
“And furthermore” carried on Spock excitedly to the uninterested Stu,
“Del Alaz had been found dead and a specialist unit had to disarm a small nuclear device. Several of Del Alaz’s acquaintances had been detained for questioning and scores of hidden weapons and priceless treasures have been uncovered and removed” Stu then interrupted
“Which will take weeks maybe months to catalogue and the Saudi government will have to either return to the rightful owners, museums, auction off, destroy or keep, and the treasure could amount to billions of dollars worth”
“How do you know that smartarse?” asked Spock.
Stu pointed to the T.V, as the story still made headlines, especially the treasure, and the news showed several priceless items that had been recovered and catalogued.
“There’s no photograph of him in the paper, just a dead stiff being wheeled out in body bag, but I bet that’s the same bloody Arab that caused us all that grief” growled Spock
His suspicions confirmed a few moments later when a photograph of a serious and unwell looking Sheik Mohammed Del Alaz flashed on the T.V. screen and the news item went on to slate his character.
“Bastard” said Spock pointing at the screen “that’s him” then noticing Stu had gone back to depressed mode, he continued reading silently the full story, while listening to the T.V.
Mohammed’s prized treasures had been raided, looted and pillaged only three days after his death. The pharaohs must have been having a good chuckle.
After an hour or so, Spock could see that his old friend still wasn’t paying much attention, he knew from his own experiences that this mental torture gnawed its way inside and neither pill nor potion could cure this hurt.
Spock had long since forgotten his own heart-wrenching episode, which now seemed like a lifetime ago. He knew his friend needed time to contemplate and his friends close by. He remembered a movie he’d seen years earlier and decided to use this wisdom to impart on Stu.
He leant over to Stu who tried to force a smile.
“Matey” said Spock in a quiet reassuring voice
“When two people are in love but something goes wrong and they can’t quite get it together, when do they stop trying?”
Stu looked at his long-time friend’s large face, with no teeth, cuts, bruises and abrasions resembling a jigsaw puzzle and after a pause whispered
“Never Spock, you never stop trying”
Spock then eased himself further back into his chair looking like a two legged dung beetle whose shit pile had been too heavy and, with fingers intertwined and the smirk of a wise man, who has just discovered the meaning of life and imparted his wisdom on to his apprentice, who’d got the answer correct.
“So what do you want to do about Dao, mend it or end it?” enquired the newly enlightened, Spock.
Stu then envisioned Spock, with his new found wisdom, suddenly turn green, shrinking, his ears becoming even pointier and throwing himself around the room with a light sabre squealing, “Jedi Vulcan I am. Human you buck up.”
This flash gave Stu cause for a smile and in a silly Yoda voice squeaked “Going for a beer we will, master”
Spock just looked strangely at his friend
“What’s with the Yoda impression?” he asked
“Nothing” said Stu “private thought and before you get all melancholy and wise again, we saw that stupid film together.”
The two old friends got out of their chairs, walked outside and into the warm Pattaya night air. Their lifelong embarrassing Bimat, secret still intact,
Until now:
They both used to drink Babycham and sobbed like babies when Bambi’s mother died
‘When a man has once loved a woman, he will do anything for her, except continue to love her.’ Oscar Wilde.
THE END