The Lion and the Sun – Chapter 12 – Part 2 – (The Rising Sun) – Cont’d

     Maung Ba recognized familiar faces on the truck, such as that of Laduram, his old boss, as well as a couple of others that had interviewed him when he was looking for work.   Now that he was himself counted as an unfortunate statistic of a war that he and his colleagues had once favored, he realized that Suzuki’s assurance that Burma would regain its freedom from the British was nothing but a means of exploitation and propaganda. 

      The truck rolled across a narrow, bumpy road before stopping  at the side because of a flat tire. The driver stepped out and at gun point, ordered one of the men to replace the punctured tire.  The man appeared to be sick and terrified.  He complained that he wasn’t feeling well as he suddenly appeared to be seized with an uncontrollable spasm.  His lips began to quiver, as he attempted to get off the truck.  The driver then began to pull him down, as he kept slapping his face, regardless of his condition.

       It was obvious that the man was having a heart attack. One of the prisoners volunteered to come to the fallen man’s rescue who, at this point, couldn’t breathe.  He said that he was a doctor by profession, as he began the process of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.  His action infuriated the driver who, without wasting any time, pulled out his revolver and shot both men, dragged and dumped their bodies to the side of the road, then proceeded to replace the flat tire himself.

        Rose looked at Maung Ba, nodding her head with disgust.  It was a silent message that the latter understood fully well, as if to imply that he and his compatriots were fools in believing that the Japanese would deliver the freedom that that they had so deeply yearned.