COWBOY AND CHAOS
Hinkley returned to the bar with Cowboy, who had a bandage over the corner of his mouth. Cavalier, concerned, stood and enquired about his condition.
‘He’ll be okay,’ Hinkley said. ‘Just a small cut. See you at dinner …’
Cavalier returned to his chair next to Jacinta, just as Dr Makanathan and her husband joined Hinkley and Cowboy at the bar.
‘Huloton seated those four at dinner last night,’ Jacinta said. ‘They hit it off. Three specialist doctors: one in psychiatry; one formerly in heart surgery; the third in DNA. They joked that they might write a book together: The intersection of the mind, heart and DNA.’
The train manager took the microphone and announced that the second dinner sitting was ready. The guests began filing into the three dining rooms. Jacinta and Cavalier found their cubicle for four. Hinkley was already seated with Cowboy, who didn’t seem thrilled that Cavalier was joining them, although he was soon glued to Jacinta. Introductions were made just before the overweight, over-refreshed French chef, Monsieur Bonnet, appeared. He enthused about his concoctions, beginning with warm goat cheese soufflé with asparagus and a delicate Thai curry bouillon. Cavalier’s approving comments indicated he might be French. This triggered the chef into waxing lyrical about the main course of grilled snowfish with vegetables in a vermouth and soya sauce. He was interrupted by Cowboy, who brought his fist down hard on the table.
‘Monsieur,’ Hinkley said, ‘my son wants his fish and chips.’
‘Now?’ the chef asked more than a little miffed. ‘He does not want to try the soufflé?’
‘He will not eat goat.’
‘Madame, it is fromage!’
‘I appreciate that, but my son does not.’
The chef was affronted and stormed off just as Azelaporn arrived in an excited state and whispered in Jacinta’s ear: ‘The Muslims have disappeared! They are not on the train!’
‘You’ve searched everywhere? The Mexican carriages too?’
Azelaporn, still wearing his mirror-glasses, nodded vigorously.
‘Calm down,’ she said, staying composed herself, ‘if they have left …’
‘They didn’t return to their cabin after Kanchanaburi,’ Azelaporn said, raising his voice.
‘Your raid would have caused their departure.’
Azelaporn went red and was about to abuse his deputy when he noticed everyone staring at him.
Cowboy was disturbed by Azelaporn’s anger. He began swinging his left arm into the window frame: bang! bang! bang! Azelaporn glared at Cowboy and left. Cowboy farted, loudly enough for the next cubicle to be disturbed again. The smell caused Jacinta to cover her mouth.
‘Pardon-moi,’ Cavalier said with a grin as if he had been responsible, ‘I am sorry!’
‘You are so gallant,’ Jacinta said with a wry smile at Cavalier.
‘Oh shit!’ Hinkley said. ‘He hasn’t had his medication!’
Cowboy kept up the steady hammering on the window and wall. Hinkley wrinkled her nose at the strong smell while fiddling in her handbag. She took out pills. ‘He does that banging all night, every night. We have loud fans in the house at home to drown it out. The rest of my family can’t sleep otherwise.’ She lifted a glass of water to Cowboy’s lips, popped one pill in his mouth and urged him to swallow his medication. ‘He has broken stuff wherever we are,’ Hinkley said, ‘if I miss his medicine by even an hour.’ She gave a short laugh. ‘We are banned from two of my local cafes in Brisbane.’
Cowboy kept up his window abuse as he swallowed two more pills. People in the next cubicle courteously said nothing.
Huloton stood by their cubicle wringing his hands.
‘Your boss is in a terrible mood over the “departures”,’ he said to Jacinta. ‘He says he will fire you.’
‘He won’t. Let him simmer down. I shall attend to the issue when I am ready.’
Huloton dropped his voice to a hoarse whisper: ‘But Madame, what if they ’ave placed a bomb somewhere?’
‘You’ve searched their cabin thoroughly, and the rest of the train?’
‘Oui, of course!’
‘Then you have done all you could.’
Huloton retreated, dissatisfied. After a few minutes, Cowboy seemed to have settled with his medication. His mother noticed he was staring at Jacinta.
‘Don’t stare, Cowboy,’ she said, and turning to Jacinta added: ‘I’m sorry. I don’t think he has ever been close to someone as beautiful and elegant as you.’
‘Nor have I,’ Cavalier remarked, raising his glass to Jacinta.
‘No, seriously, he is intrigued, I can see it,’ Hinkley said ‘I’ve never seen him this way before.’ She chortled and said to Cavalier: ‘He is not happy with you; although you passed the Cowboy test.’
‘Oh?’ Cavalier said with a pout, ‘and what is that?’
‘When he struck you.’
‘Oh, it was nothing, Madame.’
‘Maybe. After something like that, people never come near us again!’
Cavalier smiled politely. Cowboy didn’t seem to approve of the comments. He bashed the table, causing drinks to spill. A steward attended to the mess before the entrées were served.
‘You communicate with Cowboy well,’ Cavalier remarked. ‘How do you manage it?’
‘I use a special computer software package of words and pictures. He responds by pressing keys.’ She turned to Cowboy. ‘You’ve written some wonderful poetry, haven’t you Cowboy?’
He looked blank, turned his head away and went on hitting the window.
‘I recall reading something about that,’ Cavalier said.
‘It was in the Australian papers,’ Hinkley said, ‘where did you read it?’
‘It was on a French news service,’ Cavalier said with a pretend frown, ‘on the Internet, I believe.’
‘Oh, I didn’t know that,’ Hinkley said, pleased the story about her son’s poetic skills had made the international news outlets. Cavalier tried to divert her from his faux pas. ‘It was quite beautiful if I recall. Something lyrical about him being lost in a void, or the world …’
‘Yes, yes,’ Hinkley said, brightening, ‘you have an excellent memory. And so does Cowboy. He will recall frightening detail about everything on this train and everything at all stops. He’ll recall even the positions of pot plants and rubbish bins.’
‘Does he know you are talking about him now?’ Cavalier asked.
‘He has an idea. He tunes in and out. Once he has seen or noticed any object, he can bring it back. It is a feature with some autistics, but not all, and it is confused by his Down syndrome condition.’
When Hinkley turned her focus to spoon-feeding Cowboy, Jacinta rolled her eyes at Cavalier.
‘Maybe you are more a second-rate actor, after all,’ she whispered in his ear.
‘What do you mean?’
‘Your enthusiasm for information on him nearly blew your disguise. But you recovered well.’