Mumbai, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST, former Victoria Terminus)
Scene 1: Hektor Maille finds Turmeric
Curcuma longa is one of the 20 ingredients of Maille-Masala, the hot spice blend of «Mission Kaki». Each ingredient that Hektor Maille finds during his research in India is reminiscent of a particular scene from the 20 different episodes of the travel adventure «Mission Kaki». Turmeric refers to: Scene 8 in Episode 11 («Twelve Labours in Australia»).
One Day in the Life of Odette Sissay
14.20: Port-Louis, Rue de Prague, Secret Service Headquarters
The first thing that Odette noticed when she entered the room was Marie's belly swaying from side to side at eye-height in front of her. The headquarters of the Lemusan Secret Service was housed in an old building with high-ceilinged rooms that had struts and cross-beams to stabilise the architecture. Many employees of the «Deuxieme Bureau» used these supports to hang lamps, towels and wall-hangings, posters or pictures. The first secretary of the secret service, however, used them as a form of fitness equipment. She had draped her legs over the link between two struts in such a manner that she was hanging like a chandelier in the middle of the room. In this position, she was doing body twists – she was in the habit of doing this whenever Mercier was out and she had the chief's office all to herself. For years Marie had been going to a fitness centre called the «T(r)ophorme», whose name signified that it was variedly fitted out as a tropical house – it had a splash of the rainforest, waterfalls, ponds, turtles, birds, butterflies and, yes, an energetic ape at the entrance that kindly handed out terry towels to persons coming into the place to work out. In the «T(r)ophorme» the temperatures were also tropical – a factor that enabled the sportspersons in there to train almost in the nude and sweat heavily as a consequence. Marie liked that because she was proud of her muscled stomach and never shy about showing it off. She was elated also by the sweat trickling from her armpits down over her ribs and by her body odour, which reminded her of a complex curry mixture. She ignored the other smells in the «T(r)ophorme» as well as she did with the sometimes enormous bellys that were pushed trough the jungle besides her.
Ever since she had struck up a relationship with Odette, however, Marie had begun to feel that her regular visits to «T(r)ophorme» were not sufficient. She had consequently started to work out in the office as well, which had resulted in her tummy beginning to increasingly resemble the abdominal section of Laocoon, seeking valiantly to free himself and his sons from the stranglehold of the Athenian snake. Cooks however find it always a bit irritating that such a «Six-Pack», as this muscle arrangement of the torso is known in professional circles, is so highly reminiscent of a carefully prepared piece of roast meat – even if the rosemary is missing.
It was also missing in the case of the first secretary of the Lemusan Secret Service. But in place of the herb there was an «O», engraved in dark blue, on the lowest or, given her current position, uppermost curve of Marie's roast, and it looked like a slightly gaping mouth to Odette, standing opposite.
