How the faithful city has become a harlot, she that was full of justice!
Righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers.
Your silver has become dross, your wine mixed with water.
Your princes are rebels and companions of thieves.
Everyone loves a bribe and runs after gifts.
They do not defend the fatherless, and the widow's cause does not come to them.
Isaih 1
CHAPTER 68 DARK CITY
Moran tried the taps on the dusty bath one more time. They hadn't worked since he'd been in the hotel. So every evening a couple of men brought up buckets of fairly clean water for him to wash. He picked up the paraffin lamp, went into the corridor.
The power cut had lasted for three days, so the hotel management had given all the guests a paraffin lamp and a box of matches. Moran carried his case past the useless lifts and down the main staircase.
Insects crunched under foot as he walked across the terrazzo floor to drop his case at the reception desk. “Hallo? How now. Hallo?” Insects droned round the flickering lamp.
“How now sah.” A smiling young man in a suit that seemed far too big was walking over from the hotel shop. “Yes sah. We have goti new Time Magazine there to this shop.”
“Ah yes. I’d like to settle my bill please.”
“Oho. Yesi. Also there are some book andi newspepa.”
“Just the bill please.”
“Oho.” The clerk was wondering how he could make money from this. What could he overcharge without the hotel manager wanting his cut, or even all of it. “Let me see now Sah. There was the eighty days.”
“Seven days. There’s where I signed in the book.”
A moth, big as some birds, began flapping round the lamp.
“Oho, the book.” He’d forgotten the register. “Is it correct date there?”
“Yes it is.”
“Oho. But then there is the meals you are take as extra.”
“Yes?”
“Oh yes.” The clerk smiled, he was onto something here. There could be long and fruitful negotiations for dash
But Moran was in a hurry “Look just tell me the amount and I’ll pay.”
“Sah?”
“Yes.”
“Oho.” The clerk looked at Moran, the expensive luggage and the suit that actually fitted. He had no idea what the bill should be, but he was quite good at working out what people would pay without asking for the manager. “Ten thousand.”
“OK I’ll need a receipt.”
“Lesipi?”
“A kalata, note for my boss.”
“Oho yes. That one yes. It’s here to this book. I can just write it here for twelve thousand?”
“You said ten.”
“But kalata is extra.”
“OK.”
“There we are sah. You can pay by credit card or by travelah check or.”
“Cash. There we are twelve thousand.” Moran counted out the notes and placed them on the counter. A giant cockroach crawled over them.
“Oho.” It was in the useless local currency. The clerk had been hoping for euros or dollars or yen or something, or anything.
“And her is fifty dollars US. Dash for you.”
“Ah yes sah. Ah yes sah. Thank you Sah. Thank you. Can I get you taxi Sir? I have very honest driver. He cannot kidnap you.”
“No thanks. I have a friend taking me to the airport.”
“Oh thank you Sah Thank
you.” The clerk waited till Moran had walked out before he tucked
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