The Genesis Illusion

Chapter 8

"Hi, mom, I'm home," Maria said, entering her family home, a bungalow, in the heart of the Chinese Asian community of Flushing, Queens, New York. Maria's parents started their Kitchen and Bath supply business and lived there over thirty years. Maria grew up in the same house they still live in and had fond childhood memories of the neighborhood.

The neighborhood became less family oriented in recent years as the original homeowners moved out and converted their single family homes to rental properties. Some of them housed multiple families living together to afford the rent.

"Hello, dear," Maria's mother said. "I'm in the kitchen and your father is still at the store." Sharron Koh, Maria's mother, born in Singapore of Chinese parents, looked the typical Asian housewife. Short and stocky with graying black hair. "How are you doing?"

"Okay, I guess. It will take a while to recover. It was so unexpected. He was so young."

"I know, dear, it's a terrible thing."

"I noticed when I came in that part of the house was painted but I didn't see anyone working. What's the deal?"

"I thought it would be finished before you got home. The boys who live next door came over asking if we had any jobs they could do. They sounded pretty desperate. I wanted to help, and we needed the house painted so I told them I'd pay them to paint your house. It's an easy job. All white. Even the trim."

She can't help herself. When someone sounds like they're in trouble. This is how they get scammed. "Mom, I wish you wouldn't have done that before we talked. These guys probably aren't reliable. When are they supposed to finish?" Maria had taken more and more control of her parent's financial affairs in the last few years.

"I thought they'd already be done. It's only a two day job, and they started almost a week ago. They began right after you went to stay with your University friends for the week." Maria often stayed with friends near Columbia when she was working on her PhD research. She sometimes needed to work late in the laboratory and didn't want to make the long commute home.

"Tell me you didn't pay them already."

"Well they said they needed money to buy the paint and paintbrushes. We agreed on $2000."

"Two thousand dollars to paint our house? That sounds high."

"Last year I got a quote for $1500 so I didn't feel bad about that much."

"Why aren't they working now?"

"I don't know. I paid them the money already, and they started working right away. But now I haven't seen them for two days."

"Where do they live?"

"Right next door in the green house."

"No, not them. They're a bunch of drug addicts."

"Please, dear, I'm sure they'll be back."

"I will not let you I wait around fretting about if they'll show up and finish the job. You and dad just can't stand up for yourself. Just like everyone else, you need a strong leader that has enough smarts to take care of you. I'm going over and tell them to finish the work we already paid them to do."

"I wish you wouldn't create a scene. We need to keep on friendly terms with our neighbors."

"Screw that! Those guys aren't anyone I want for friends."

"I'm afraid, dear. They could cause trouble for your dad and me."

"We can't live that way, mom. Living in fear, we need to take charge. I'll tell these bums to do the work they promised us. They can't take advantage of my parents who worked hard for their money. Those god damn drug bums. I've got a get something from my room before I go over those of talk to those losers."