Free Too Many Men by Lily Brett Page B

over the age that most people are looking for in an employee,” Ruth had said. “I didn’t tell them I was eighty-one,” Edek said, “I told everyone I was sixty-six.” He didn’t seem to realize that sixty-six was already way too old to be applying for jobs.
    He did get one of the jobs. It was a temporary position itemizing stock in the back room of a health food store. Edek had to unpack new ship-ments, note what was running low and clean the store, after it closed every night. “It is very important for those places what sell this healthy food to look very clean,” Edek had said to Ruth. “They have to look more clean than shops what sell normal food. People who eat this sort of stuff like to have a very clean shop.”
    Edek came to work two hours before the shop opened and he stayed longer than any other employee. “The manager does trust me,” he said proudly to Ruth. “He did give me the key to the business after just one week.” Edek was so happy. He did extra jobs without being asked, and brought chocolate biscuits for everyone for morning tea. When the job came to an end, the manager took Edek out for a cup of coffee and told him how sorry he was that the man he had replaced was coming back. Edek had resumed his search for employment.
    Ruth felt agitated. Where was her father? She had only seen him for a minute before he had disappeared. She tried to calm down. She was not

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    L I L Y B R E T T
    going to feel irritated by Edek, she told herself; not on their first day together. She was grinding her teeth and blinking her right eye five times by the time Edek returned. He was triumphant. He was holding his ticket in the air.
    “I did fix it,” he said. “They did give me a first-class ticket for the way back. I am in seat 2B. The manager didn’t want to do it, but the supervisor, in the end, did agree with me. I did pay for a business class and my seat was not such a business class seat.”
    “Dad, I’ve been waiting for over an hour,” Ruth said.
    “I am not such a young man,” Edek said. “I did want to make sure I could have one of those things for the feet. It is not so easy to travel at my age.”
    “I would have done it for you, tomorrow,” Ruth said.
    “Why should I bother you?” Edek said.
    Ruth calmed down. “You must be tired, Dad,” she said. “Did you manage to get any sleep when you stopped in Bangkok?”
    “To tell you the truth,” Edek said, “I did not have such a good night in that Bangkok.”
    “Oh no,” Ruth said. “What went wrong? I thought your hotel was just near the airport.”
    “The hotel was near to the airport,” Edek said. “I did find it. I got a bus as a matter of fact. I didn’t want to take a taxi. Who knows where a taxi driver would take me?”
    “So what was wrong?” Ruth said.
    “Everything,” said Edek. “I was the only guest in the whole hotel.
    Nobody did speak English. I was frightened to leave the room. I didn’t see one person who was not Chinee. Everybody was Chinee. You never know what they can do to you.” Edek always pronounced Chinese “Chinee.”
    “They’re not Chinese, Dad, they’re Thai,” Ruth said. “And just because they don’t look exactly like you doesn’t mean that they’re not exactly like you. They’re not going to do anything to you.”
    “I am not going to argue with you,” Edek said. “Which one of us knows what people can do? It was a stupid idea to stop in Bangkok,” Edek said.
    “It was your idea,” said Ruth.
    “No, you did make the arrangements,” he said.
    “I wanted you to fly Qantas,” Ruth said.

    T O O M A N Y M E N
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    “That Qantas is too expensive. I was saving money for you,” Edek said.
    Ruth took a deep breath. “I can’t believe we’re having an argument about Bangkok,” she said. “Dad, we are in Poland. You and I are in Poland, together.”
    “That Bangkok is not a place to go,” Edek said.
    “You only saw the airport,” said Ruth.
    “It was