"Thaaththa", Bindu Udagedara asked, "What happened to that dispute in the Cabinet?"
"Which one?" Bindu's father, Percy asked, "There are so many..."
"Why, Mr. Ashraff was threatening to resign..."
"Ah", said Percy, "all it took was a few Carnations and Roses and a charming smile from Satellite..."
"And everybody is happy again?"
"Mr. A is happy, but I don't know whether others are happy that he got away after embarrassing Satellite so much..."
"Why do you say that, Thaaththa?"
"Why, now they say that six Ministers are being kept under surveillance for leaking secrets to newspapers..."
"Who are the six, Thaaththa?" Bindu wanted to know.
"That", said Percy, "is what the Cabinet itself must be wondering..."
"But", Bindu protested, "I thought they promised us transparency; so there shouldn't be "secrets" in the Cabinet..."
"Remember", Percy said, "when some people promised democracy and had to hand over undated resignation letters...."
"But", Bindu said, "I thought these people promised to be different..."
"Ah", Percy said, "the more things change, the more they remain the same..."
"But some things change", Bindu argued.
"Like what?"
"The price of bread, for instance, or even gas..."
"And all that was before the Budget", Percy observed.
"Thaaththa, what do you think will happen in the Budget?"
"G. L. looks to me like a teetotaller, so I suppose he could raise the price of cigarettes and liquor..."
"But that is the standard Budget proposal, Thaaththa..."
"And even if he increases the price of other items, people wouldn't care..."
"Why do you say that, Thaaththa?"
"Why, the Sharjah Cup is starting on the day after the Budget..."
"But if we lose, like we did in Kenya?"
"Then people will blame Arjuna more than G. L. ..."
"And if we win?"
"And if we win, they will be so happy singing the praises of our cricket team that they won't remember G. L. at all..."
Bindu didn't disagree.
Roses for Ashraff, cricket for masses
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