Digital' Art Technology (Google Nano Banana) assistance: VNG
A short story published in the 'Canada Special Issue' of Kanaiyaazhi, December 2000.
For the past twenty-four hours, freezing rain had been falling incessantly. The streets were covered in a thick layer of ice, and on top of that, it was bitterly cold. Somasundaram looked at the clock. It was almost ten at night. He really didn't feel like going to work in this cold, drenched in freezing rain. He lamented having to wander around like a rooster in the wee hours when everyone else was asleep. Back home, he was a physics teacher. How many of his students had become 'doctors' and 'engineers'? But here... he was a good 'immigrant' working seven days a week to build Canada's economy. A laborer on weekdays; a diligent security guard on weekends, supervising workers and serving the boss. He recalled what his supervisor, Joe Croward, had told him a little while ago on the phone.
"Sam. Today you're working at the City Hall underground parking lot. There have been many complaints over the past week... several items have been stolen from many vehicles... many 'street people' have been reported sleeping there at night... I have a lot of faith in you. You're a diligent and strict guard... it's your responsibility to ensure no one trespasses there."
An irritation towards Joe welled up in him. 'He's telling me to go work in this parking lot in this freezing cold.' Usually, he worked in a perfume factory. It was a comfortable job. Sitting at reception, answering phone calls, circling the factory and workers once an hour... he could comfortably stay warm inside the building. 'What to do, once you start dancing, you have to keep dancing.'
