He had books, folders and sundry paperwork spread over the cubicle’s table.
He sat studying in his usual spot. The local library was the ideal venue for working on his course papers. It was a small cubicle, one of several that ran along the wall, just large enough for a single bench seat and sufficient room to pile up reference books along with his own stuff. He was studying medicine and was in the process of producing a paper on crude drugs; those medicinal drugs that are derived from natural sources. It had been going well until he heard a rustling in the booth behind him, with a phone going off almost immediately.
A woman answered, saying, “Oh! Hi! How’s it going?”
There was a pause.
“Nothing much. You?”
Pause.
“Really?”
There was a long pause.
He looked around, wondering if it was worth gathering his stuff up and moving.
The woman said, “When did this happen?”
Pause.
“Poor kid. Did he need an x-ray?”
Pause.
“Yes, better to be safe, I always say.”
Pause.
“Well, that’s something I suppose.”
Pause.
“What about Tiger Balm?”
He pricked his ears up.
After a pause, she went on, “Eh? Not really, I know it’s analgesic; old as the hills.”
Pause.
“What’s that?”
Pause.
“No. I didn’t!”
Pause.
“What a cheek!”
Pause. The medical student sighed and began closing his books.
“She didn’t!”
Pause.
“What did you say to her?”
Pause.
“I don’t think so.”
Pause.
“What! While he was still there?”
Pause.
“Is he still working there?”
Pause.
“But, if it was drugs, why would they do that?” The student stopped packing his bag.
She went on. “Not really, I met her at a cooking class. That was ages ago.”
Pause.
“Dunno, but he was forever quoting bits from Corinthians, so it doesn’t surprise me.”
Pause.
“I know.”
Pause.
“He’s OK.”
Long pause.
“No. The boss decided to redesign it instead.”
Pause.
“Somewhere in Egypt, I think.”
Pause.
“Yep. Me too.”
Pause.
“Is it?”
Pause.
“No, I hadn’t heard.”
Long pause.
“Do you mean actually in the cinema?”
Pause.
“Who was?”
Pause.
“Do they know who did it?”
Pause.
“Don’t know. You never met his mother, did you?”
Pause. The student was resigned to come in again on the following day to finish his research.
The woman said, “OK.”
Pause.
“OK.”
Pause.
“Don’t forget the Tiger Balm. Bye.”
As the student left the library he made a mental note to look up Tiger Balm.
He’d never heard of it.