Maung Tun Thu - The Castle (Vice)

(1)

The Coal and Mine Workers' Health Board is known as the M.F.B. for short. The M.F.B. is housed in a very imposing building on the left bank of the River Tyne in London. It is not far from Westminster Gardens. It is also close to the Board of Trade and the Department of Mines, so it is easy to get around. The two departments are constantly fighting over the management of the M.F.B., with no regard for the aims of the M.F.B.

August 14th was a beautiful, clear day. That day, Andrew, a new man and full of energy, walked up to the MFB office building with a very lively spirit. His eyes seemed to show signs of conquering the city of London.

"I am the new health officer"

Andrew greeted the first uniformed employee he saw when he entered the office. The employee greeted him with a respectful smile. His demeanor seemed to be expecting Andrew's arrival.

"Yes, sir, very well, sir, I think the doctor would like to see our teacher, Mr. Giljohn," he said to Andrew, and then turned to the elevator attendant and said, "Please take our new doctor to Mr. Giljohn's room."

The elevator rose gently. He glimpsed a series of green-painted rooms and walls before stopping on a floor. He saw another employee wearing the same uniform as the one he had seen earlier. The same employee led him into a large, well-lit room. A moment later, he found himself in the room, dropping the Times from his hand and jumping up from his seat, shaking the hands of Mr. Gill, who had come to greet him.

"I'm a little late to work, we just got back from France yesterday, but I'm ready to go."

Andrew said enthusiastically. "Good."

Gil replied in kind. Gil seemed to be in a good mood. He was wearing gold-rimmed glasses, a dark blue suit, and a dark blue tie. He greeted Andrew with a friendly smile.

"Sit down, sir. Would you like some tea or some hot milk? Tell me what you prefer. I usually drink something after eleven o'clock, but... ah... it's almost eleven o'clock now."

"Yes, I..."

Andrew hesitated, unable to continue. Then he added, "We can talk about work over tea."

About five minutes later, a waiter came in with a cup of tea and a glass of hot milk. “I think I brought it right, Mr. Gill. I’ve just boiled the milk,” he said.

“Thank you, Steven.” As Steven left, Gil looked at Andrew and smiled.

“Steven was a very useful man, as the Doctor would later learn. He could make very good bread and butter, and it was not easy to get a man to do the work in the office. We had people from all departments, the Department of the Interior, the Department of Mines, the Board of Trade, and so on. So it was a mixed bag. I myself came from the Marine Conservation Corps.”

Andrew asked him what his duties were while he was drinking milk. Gil didn't answer Andrew's question, but talked about other unrelated topics, such as the weather and the public employee pension plan. Then he himself accompanied Andrew to his room.

The room prepared for Andrew was spacious. The decor was magnificent. The carpet was laid out all over the room. The light was good. It was a place where you could see the river from above. The room was also very safe. It was a soundproof room designed to block out outside noise.

I chose this room for the doctor myself, it has been renovated, there is a coal stove for use in the winter, it will be fine, doctor, do you like it?

“I like it, it’s a very nice room, but... “Now... come, I’ll introduce you to the doctor’s secretary, Mrs. Mason.”

Gil knocked gently on the door of the adjoining room, which was connected to Andrew's, and pushed it open just as gently. Mrs. Mason, who had been reading the newspaper at a small table, put down the Times she had just read and stood up.

"Good morning, Mrs. Mason."

"Good morning, Mr. Giggs."

“Mrs. Mason, this is Dr. Mason.”

"Good morning, Mr. Mason."

Andrew was a little flustered watching them greet each other, but he quickly regained his composure and tried to join them in talking.

After about five minutes of casual conversation, Gil respectfully bid Andrew farewell and left. Before he left, he said to Andrew, "I'll send you some files."

Steven came and delivered the files that Gill had promised to deliver. Steven was not only good at buttering bread and milking, he was also good at moving files. Once an hour, Andrew would come into the room and neatly put the items he had in the ‘inbox’. As he was putting the ‘inbox’ in, he looked at the ‘outbox’. There was not a single piece of paper in the ‘outbox’.

Andrew read the files that Gil had sent him one by one. The files were old meeting minutes of the M, F, and B groups, and they didn't contain any important information. It was very boring to read. He finished reading all the records in a short time.

Andrew, who was very eager to work, had nothing to do. He called Mrs. Mason in desperation to talk to her. Mrs. Mason told him that she was from the Frozen Meat Inspection Department of the Home Office. She didn’t say much about her job. She said that her office hours were from ten in the morning to four in the evening. The only other thing she learned from her was about the women’s hockey team in her office, of which she was the second-in-command. He asked her if she read the Times. Her look seemed to indicate a desire to keep quiet.

However, Andrew could not remain calm. He was a new man after retirement, and he wanted to do more work. Given the current situation, it did not seem like he would have much to do. He looked at the bustling river with frustration. On the river, tugboats and coal tankers were moving around like bees.

A moment later, Andrew returned to Gil. “When do you think I’ll be able to start working?” Gil was surprised by Andrew’s question.

"How is it, Doctor? I'm not surprised anymore. The files I gave you are a month's work for the Doctor."