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112 :: Lunch time conversation
A feast was spread on the table. A large lasagne. Salad. Breads. Wine. Water jugs. Settings for six. Patrick and Mariam had made the meal. Patrick was standing at the table like mother hen. Mariam at his side. Kevin put away his Skroll and pulled a plate towards him. Kaianne came from the sofa. Morgan and Naomi came last. Naomi put her iPass on the table.
So Naomi. We do not stand on ceremony here. We just tuck in. (Patrick)
How was the gardening. Is Naomi showing you great things. (Kevin)
But of course. (Morgan)
How did you find it. Naomi. (Kaianne)
Good. (Naomi)
Look. You got to be able to talk properly. How bour we put the translator on. (Kaianne)
Good idea. (Morgan)
Yours has a projector. (Patrick)
Yeah sure. (Kevin)
Kevin turned on his Skroll projector.
The end wall would be good. (Patrick)
Kevin balanced his Skroll in a teatowel on the table pointing at the wall.
Right that is good enough. (Kevin)
Yeah. Strange is it not. (Patrick)
Naomi. Say something to see if it translates. (Kaianne)
It is very kind of you to have me here. (Naomi)
Yes. It works. (Kaianne)
Of course. We are very happy to have you. Why does it only have English. (Morgan)
Because it is Kevin’s Skroll. Everything is translated for Naomi on her iPass. (Kaianne)
It. Is. So strange seeing my words as they are spoken. Hocus pocus. (Morgan)
Is it not just. (Patrick)
That is weird. Why did it change the words. Hey. No abbreviations. Any why no punctuation. Except full stops. (Morgan)
And why are our names in brackets at the end o the sentence instead of at the beginning like a script should be. (Patrick)
Because the translator was built by programmers not linguists. (Kaianne)
But we have had much better predictive text since I was a child. (Patrick)
Yeah. But Skroll did not own it. And it cannot learn like predictive text. Nobody fixes translations as the speak. If they could they would not need a translator. (Kaianne)
And why am I Moran not Morgana. (Morgan)
Kaianne opened her Skroll.
It uses your name from your Skroll. As you identify. Change your name it will change. (King Kong)
So. Anyway. Naomi what do you think of our garden. (Patrick)
It is wonderful. There can be lot of plants. But we need more greenhouse for winter. Maybe. (Naomi)
Yes. That would be a good idea. Naomi and I will work on ideas. Will you all be able to help next weekend. (Morgan)
Yeah. (Patrick)
Sure. (Kevin)
I would love to be I do not think I can make it down next weekend. (Mariam)
Of course. (Morgan)
So. Naomi. What was the best thing about London. (Patrick)
The Thames. The house I lived in had the Thames at the end of the garden. But it was smelly. (Naomi)
Really. (Kaianne)
Yes. They put stinkers in the water and it flowed down to the house. (Naomi)
Ah. You must have been in Richmond. (Kevin)
Did you do any gardening there. (Patrick)
No. Not long time. Just work. (Naomi)
We got no kids here so there is no problem. (Kevin)
What are you on about. (Kaianne)
Well. Mariam said she was an au pair. (Kevin)
Jesus Kevin. What planet are you from. (Kaianne)
In London an au pair is basically a sex slave imported with the promise of fortune and freedom but they are trapped into domestic servitude until they are discarded like out-of-fashion shoes. Every single one of them should be freed. Every single one of them should be given a chance like Naomi has here. (Mariam)
Wow. Sorry. I did not know. (Kevin)
I had heard about it but I know little. I guess you know more in your job. (Morgan)
I can get you the statistics but it must be that only five percent get a new life in London. The rest come back to Tinsley or the other DTs. (Mariam)
We should start a campaign. Christ. This is worse than Dubai. (Patrick)
It is just food people look the other way. (Mariam)
Or pretend they only see the five percent. (Patrick)
We could start a refugee centre to give them a second chance. (Patrick)
Legally they are contracted migrant labour who have finished their fixed term. Or like Naomi they find a breach of contract. (Mariam)
I wasted police time. (Naomi)
Oh. No way. You were not in London long enough. What did you do. (Mariam)
I reported rape. (Naomi)
That is bullshit. That was not even enough time to investigate. (Mariam)
They ate in silence.
I can take you back. We can argue this. I can get your place back. Or compensation. (Mariam)
No. I stay here. It nice here. With garden. (Naomi)
So basically they can make excuses to disappear an au pair to cover some rich bastard’s crime. (Kevin)
Yes. That is how it is. (Mariam)
Well. Two things. We got to start a campaign to give the au pairs what they were promised. A new start. And we have to get justice for Naomi. Rape is rape. (Kevin)
I agree. (Kaianne)
We all agree. When Madison comes back we will take an action. (Morgan)
Naomi. I am sorry our country has treated you so badly. (Patrick)
The Au Pair
Set in a dystopian near future, an au pair...
