Ride on Time

Chapter 126

Shruti smiled upon seeing them. "You guys are back so quick. Anything that I can help with?"
"Actually, Madam, we came here to ask if we can interview this Suresh guy," Mitsuo began. "You know, the Ramesh guy's son?"
"I do, he was actually due... an hour ago," Shruti frowned.
"An hour ago?! Vasu repeated in surprise. "Then how he wanna work here? You're still waiting?"
Shruti shrugged. "I just wanna see what happens." She gave them a funny look. "Why suddenly y'all wanna see him?"
"Because his dad is sus," Shree explained. "So Mitsuo thinks that he may be up to something."
"Yeah," Mitsuo nodded. "Is it okay if we join this interview too?"
"Can," Shruti shrugged. "Y'all sit with me like interviewer also lah."
Shree frowned at her clothes, a t-shirt and a pair of capris. Mitsuo wasn't any good either, wearing a pair of Bermuda pants which he got from the Jalan Othman Market and a tank top that looked suspiciously bought from there too.
"Auntie, see our clothes lah," Shree sighed, turning back to the older woman. "Do we look like interviewers?"
Shruti laughed when she got what she meant, especially when seeing how Mitsuo even wore a sleeveless shirt and shorts because of the heat. "Yeah lah... y'all too informal." Her gaze turned towards Vasu, seeing how he was wearing a black buttoned shirt tucked in with slacks and black shoes since he just got back from school. "You okay, what. You look professional."
"Me ah?" Vasu pointed at himself in surprise.
"Yeah," Shruti nodded. "Just take off your school ID."
Vasu gulped. "But what am I supposed to do? I don't know squat about interviewing someone."
"Just sit only lah, and ask a few questions," Shree chided with a grin. "Can, what. Easy only."
Vasu sighed. "Fine, I'll try. But I want something nice for lunch later. I'm already hungry now..."
"Can lah, can lah," Shree nodded. "I'll take you to McRonalds, okay?"
"Okay," Vasu smirked.
Shruti called in a few people and got some tea and cakes delivered. "How about you guys eat these first. The interview don't know when can start, this feller still never come. Better eat quickly."
Vasu nodded and started devouring whatever he saw fit, Shree remained a little polite as she only tried one of each snack and Mitsuo only ate out of being polite. Vasu didn't care, he had just been forced into doing something he didn't even have a clue about on an empty stomach. And how would he able to concentrate with no fuel?
It was a good thing he did since Suresh and his father soon arrived. For some reason, Ramesh insisted on sitting with his son. Vasu was afraid that he might recognise him from the day before since he was sitting right in front of him and decided to put on the sunglasses that he took from the car.
"Can wear sunglasses, right?" Vasu asked the older woman in a low voice, straightening a sheaf of papers. "I scared he will recognise only."
"The feller hardly looked at anyone else," Shruti pointed out. "Just wear only lah. You look nice like this, anyway."
Vasu grinned. "Thanks, Auntie."
Suresh walked in with his father at his heels. Vasu tried really hard to not snicker, seeing how his guess had actually been right. Suresh really was a scrawny dude who seemed unaware of his surroundings.
"How this feller gonna get job, look itself so blur," Vasu commented in a low voice.
Shruti snorted and cleared her throat to start the interview.

"So, how was it?" Shree asked as soon as her brother entered the sitting room with Shruti. "Okay ah, the interview?"
Vasu shook his head in slight amusement and sympathy. "I don't think so. He did quite badly. He don't know anything, his English also out. Don't know lah."
"Is he really that bad?" Mitsuo asked in surprise.
Shruti nodded regretfully. "Yes. He don't know anything also lah."
"Then what you tell him?" Shree asked.
"That I'll get back in a week," Shruti shrugged. "If I give him job also, I'll give very basic one lah. How he managed to finish his degree, I also don't know."
"Did you get a photo of him?" Mitsuo asked.
Vasu smirked and handed him his phone. To Shree and Mitsuo's surprise, there was an entire video of the interview.
"Eh, you took video ah?" Shree said in surprise. "How lah?"
Vasu shrugged, a smug look on his face. "Watch lah. I managed to take just now."
The two bent over the video and watched. They couldn't help but notice how Ramesh was the one who kept answering the questions as Suresh just sat with a nervous expression. It was evident that the son was actually more annoyed at his father than actually concentrating.
"He looks kinda annoyed at his dad," Mitsuo pointed out. "Should we give him a second chance or something?"
"Yeah," Shruti nodded. "Must kick out the father lah. Very annoying feller."
"Is he really a friend of your dad, Ma'am?" Mitsuo asked.
"If he is also I think he was a pest friend only, not best friend," Shree added. "Did you ask him, Auntie?"
"I did, but my father said he don't really remember such a person..." Shruti shrugged. "Then again, my father had met a lot of people in his life."
"Then why you still layan him?" Vasu couldn't help but say. "No need lah."
Mitsuo frowned. "Whatever that means, I still feel like we should keep an eye on them. Especially the dad."
"Must do background check," Vasu suggested. "Where to do only don't know..."
Shruti smirked. "Easy only."
Vasu looked at her in surprise. "Auntie, you got special database ah?"
"No lah," Shruti chuckled. "Must ask around only lah. How you think olden days people investigated someone?"
"That actually sounds like a good idea, you just have to ask the older employees of this company," Mitsuo agreed. "Who can we start with?"
"Can start with Farhan's father, maybe?" Shree suggested. "Like, he's been working here for literal decades, right?"
Mitsuo frowned slightly at the thought of Mikail. "Will he even comply? He seems so surly, especially since I mispronounced his dad's name."
"Ahmad Shed," Shree nodded in agreement. "It's a good thing your accent isn't that thick. If not, something else would've come out."
"Very funny," Mitsuo sighed, shaking his head. "But yeah, I have to agree with you."
Shruti chuckled. "Must ask Encik Mikail and Mr Wang. Must ask my parents also. Maybe they know."
"Well, if you're gonna speak to that Wang feller, we don't wanna be here while you do it," Shree sighed. "He's very kepochi one lah."
"He seems fine to me," Shruti shrugged.
"We go to his house for Chinese New Year every year and he will ask our grandmother A to Z about her health issues," Vasu added.
Mitsuo nodded too. "I tagged along with them this year and they aren't even wrong. This Wang guy straight up asked Devi-Obaasan everything from her blood pressure right down to how her kidneys were working. I'm not even joking about this. These guys must be traumatised at this point."
Shruti looked at the siblings who gave her pitiful nods. She nodded understandingly and made a mental note about it.
"But he's still a good guy," Shruti said. "I've known him for more than twenty years, he was quite close with Shri too."
"Your brother seems like the kind who's friends with everyone," Mitsuo couldn't help but add.
"Then you what?" Shree countered before turning to Shruti. "Auntie, this feller made friends with our mother and grandmother also lah. He stick nicely with our neighbour also."
"Your neighbour is Sufyan, right?" Shruti cut in as soon as she remembered. "Maybe Mitsuo is friends with him for a reason."
"Yeah, and that too," Shree sighed. "If this feller your brother means, then I what? You gonna say his girlfriend only."
'Like that's not true at this point,' Vasu thought to himself, rolling his eyes. 'Nicely sit down and cry while eating ice cream, then act like nothing. Worst part, never give me even a bit.'
"What do you have in mind?" Mitsuo asked, giving the younger man a nudge.
Vasu immediately came back to reality and shook his head. "Nothing."

-layan means entertain or tend.
-kepochi means busybody. I don't think it's Malay, maybe Chinese lol.