Chapter 29

Marqi came downstairs to the kitchen just in time to see Mei cut her finger with a kitchen knife. Demonstrating adequate use of the English language, the Asian housekeeper swore to herself, “What the hell?”

“What’s wrong?” Marqi asked concernedly.

“Ohh!” said Mei, frustrated, “I cut this...”

“Oh, I see,” Marqi said, twisting her lips into a grimace. “Make sure you clean it really well. Use the soap!”

Mei eyed her distastefully as she ran her finger under the tap and applied liberal amounts of soap. She lathered and rinsed under Marqi’s watchful eye.

“Does it hurt?” the girl asked.

“Of course!” Mei snapped.

“Well, where does it hurt?” Marqi asked anxiously. “In your hand? Or your shoulder?”

“What?”

“Because if it hurts in your shoulder, it’s probably MRSA,” Marqi pressed on. “Or in your neck! That could be spinal meningitis. Can you turn your head?”

Mei looked from side to side, wrapping her finger in a tea towel.

“That’s good,” Marqi sighed in relief. “You don’t want that. Although it could still be a herniated disc, if you are having pain in your back or neck.”

“What? I cut my finger. My finger!” Mei said, wagging the injured part at her.

“Oh, right. Well… just bandage it really well so you don’t get a staph infection,” Marqi said wisely.

“Have you been watching TV?” Mei said suspiciously.

“Maybe…” Marqi replied, drawing back slightly. “There is this really awesome show on Discovery… It’s all about these horrible medical problems that people don’t even know they have! Did you know you can get MRSA in your lungs?”

Mei looked at her in alarm. “I don’t want to know.”

“Well, you can,” Marqi huffed.

“Okay, you go now,” Mei ordered, waving her from the kitchen.

“Do you want a bandage for that finger?”

“Will that make you leave?”

Marqi considered it, then answered, “Yes.”

“Okay, you get the bandage,” Mei said, leaning against the counter as Marqi left the room. She called after the girl, “And no medical drama TV while you’re in there!”