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My Kind of Town Don Chapman |
Utter nun sense
» Liliha
The Chinese guy in his 30s, slightly older and more polished than the other hard types HPD Detective Sherlock Gomes observed last night at the Blaisdell Arena during the young lama's event with the Dalai Lama, headed straight to where a group of journalists was encamped just outside the Kharma family's lava rock wall.
And here came another guy Gomes saw last night -- he'd been introduced as the young lama's older brother Joe Kharma. Mid-20s, tall, long dark hair tied back in a ponytail, a guy who didn't work out or see much of the sun, Gomes guessed, for his naturally brown skin was slack and pale. So different from his brother, whose body seemed to emanate light. Joe was in a hurry to get inside, waved off calls from the media to stop for an interview.
Gomes -- partly playing a hunch, partly just fascinated -- was in the crowd outside the small wood-frame home, awaiting the arrival of the second Lama Jey Tsong Khapa, who in this very house 16 years ago, at the age of 2, realized his Buddhahood.
The detective sidled over to the media flock, shook hands with extreme photographer Johnny B. Goo and columnist Cruz MacKenzie, two of the better guys in the news game, in Gomes' estimation. Straight shooters.
The Chinese guy, black hair slicked back, wearing another stylish business suit, also appeared to know several members of the media. He was accompanied by a younger version of himself, who began handing out one-page press releases. Gomes stuck out a hand, was given a sheet embossed with the Bank of Lhasa letterhead in gold and red, both English and Chinese characters.
The media snapped to, cameras and microphones at the ready. The release identified the guy as bank VP Fon Du. He read from the release with a slight English accent:
"To show support for the Tibetan people, because really the Bank of Lhasa and the Dalai Lama faction want the same thing, what is best for the Tibetan people, on this day when Tsong Khapa returns to his childhood home, I am pleased to announce a new way whereby Americans and all citizens of the world can contribute to the improved well-being of the Tibetan people.
"It is the Bank of Lhasa's new Tsong Khapa Fund, just opened today. All donations will go to fund health clinics throughout the country and to preserve Tibetan ecology. As noted in the release, donations can be made at our Bishop Street branch or online at the address provided."
Fon Du took a few questions from the media, the best of which, Gomes thought, was from a young TV reporter: "Is it Lay-sa or Law-sa?"
As Fon Du talked, Gomes noticed the nun with the prematurely gray hair staring bullets through the banker. Sister, sister, what's up with that?
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Don Chapman is editor of MidWeek. His serialized novel runs daily in the Star-Bulletin. He can be e-mailed at dchapman@midweek.com