There is life after death ….

The Spirits are Alive 

Chapter 1

You could open the door when you have clothes on. 

Charmaine was in the bathroom having her shower when George rang the doorbell. He said he was coming at 7 o’clock but he turned up an hour earlier. 

Something must be up. Charmaine told herself. 

Outside the door, George was in his office attire, in a state. He was panting as though being pursued by a large Alsatian. Naturally Charmaine took him in. 

“I just heard something …” he was talking as he walked in, not taking off his shoes. 

“Excuse me George, your shoes,” Charmaine tried to remind him. 

“What?” completely distracted he said. 

“This is a graveyard! You want me to take off my shoes?!”

“What are you talking about? You are in my house now!” 

“Oh my God! You didn’t know?!” George was almost hysterical. 

“Calm down. What is it that I am supposed to know and do not know?” Charmaine said, still in her towel. 

“Last night I was at a party, and I found out some very useful information,” he said. 

“So you’ve come here to discharge it now …” Charmaine continued for George. 

“Err, … yes, no, YES!” 

“This entire Providence Hill used to be a graveyard and apparently the bodies are not even properly exhumed.” George dropped a bomb shell. 

“Are you trying to say that this place is haunted?” Charmaine came to the conclusion for George. 

“So, you already know about it?” he seemed to be surprised. 

“No, I have no evidence of it. I have been living here for so long. I can swear under oath that this place is clean.” Charmaine put her hands on her chest. 

“Ghosts are an endangered species. I am sure that they are almost extinct by now.” Charmaine advised George. 

“No, something smells fishy. I am sure that the rumour is true.” George insisted. 

Chapter 2

Charmaine saw this dress hanging in the showcase all the time. It was made of red flowers sewn all over the piece of material underneath it. Looking at it Charmaine could see that it fitted her very well. 

This dress has been here since December and there were still no takers to date. Perhaps it was too expensive. 

Today Charmaine felt a compulsion to go into the shop. The red dress on the mannequin was too attractive. She walked around the shop, hoping to find the price tag. 

Before Charmaine could do anything, a salesperson came by. He stood next to her, 

“Excuse me, ma’am,” startled, she turned around. 

“You don’t scare me like this, what is it you want?” naturally Charmaine said. 

“No, I am asking you what is it you want?” salesman said. 

“Can I help you?” he refused to budge. 

“Yes, you can stand around and watch me,” her mood turned sour. And she said, 

“Are you trying to ask me to leave?” 

“No ma’am it is not our policy to send away customers,” the salesman said politely. 

Charmaine was put at ease immediately. And so she said to him, 

“You could let me try that if you don’t mind,” pointing to the red dress. 

“Yes of course,” “but I know that it won’t fit you,” he said. 

“Ok then we take the risk,” Charmaine told him. 

Charmaine used her hand to grab at the dress, making the dress fall off the rack. She could see that the salesman was shocked. But he allowed her to continue to rummage at the dress causing the entire section with the other clothes on the rack to fall off. 

The salesman was not perturbed. He bent down and picked up two pieces. And then he put them back again. 

“Ma’am, if you try on this piece, you might find that it suits you,” he said, holding another dress right in front of her. 

Charmaine was already in a very foul mood, so naturally she declined his request. But she was not finished yet, so that she took the red piece from him, and then she examined herself in front of the full length mirror. She looked perfect! 

Chapter 3

“There must be a reason for the salesman to be standing here watching me like that,” Charmaine told herself. She looked at him and he smiled at her refusing to budge. His accent was unmistakably Filipino. Charmaine has nothing against Filipinas and in fact she thought that they were very nice people. 

Before she left, Charmain promised the salesman that she would go back again. 

Charmaine knew where she could get the money from. There was this drawer at the dining room. It was a bureau. She had opened it before and she found seven-hundred-dollars inside. Cash. She was suspicious of it at first. But after several days when she opened it again she found that it was untouched. So she was overjoyed. Charmaine knew that the money was meant for her. 

Actually apart from the money, food and fruits have found their way onto the dining table as well. They ranged from deep fried prawns to a less delicious version of just plain pork chop. Yup Charmaine got food regularly on the dining table. She has not the foggiest idea where they came from. But she knew that they came from outside. This was an old bungalow old enough to be a preserved site. 

One night she was hungry for Hokkien Mee, so she wrote on a piece of paper “Hokkien Mee” and left it on the dining table. Tomorrow when the caterers come to clean away the dishes they would see this and perhaps they would bring this dish here for me the next time, Charmain thought to herself. 

Tonight, Charmaine grabbed at the chicken drumsticks and ate them up. Life was not supposed to be perfect like this. She knew that one day she would have to pay for all these free foods. But for now she decided to let things be. 

Her provider has the key to the front door so that if she wanted to stop him from coming in she would have to change the lock. She had no means to call the locksmith.

In Real Time 

Chapter 4

Elsie was the girl who looked after this place. She came to live here three years ago after she answered a recruitment notice in the newspapers and was interviewed by Mr Seow. 

You could call her a caretaker if you liked. Fact was that Elsie swept the floor and polished the ornaments. There were lots of copper and silver in the cabinet. You could see them from outside as they were inside a glass cabinet. 

“Over here!” Charmaine shouted, she saw some broken glass on the floor. 

Elsie continued to tidy up the room, ignoring Charmaine as though she was invisible, it meant that Elsie didn’t hear her. Charmaine wanted to stop Elsie from sweeping but was afraid of quarrelling with her. She looked so busy. Her hair was tied in a bun and she had this piece of cloth that wiped everything. And the speed with which she did everything! 

Elsie usually did this when Charmaine was having her meal. Charmaine holding her fork and spoon, with the morsels in her mouth her words sounded muffled and weak. 

After dinner Charmaine usually went up to her room. She had a room to herself. The other one was occupied by Jacintha her half-sister. 

Charmaine came to live in this house as it has always been her abode. 

Charmaine usually slept on the bed without actually falling asleep. Usually she slept in the day. She was a night person and she preferred to move around at night. The atmosphere was quiet and she could do things without disturbing anybody. She liked to change into her white dress as it was frilly and the reason why she particularly liked this dress was because her parents put her in a frilly frock soon after she was born. 

No, she didn’t live alone. Jacintha lived next door and they operated as though they were two trains running on the same track, each having its own timetable. Jacintha was Charmaine’s half-sister and related to her because they shared the same mother. 

The Spirits are Alive 

Chapter 5

No one came to visit Charmaine and Jacintha except David Seow. Mr Seow was almost ninety and he tottered about as though he was going to collapse at any moment, and it was a strain to watch him going about the house. He ignored them as though they were invisible, and as he walked around the house, he would pick up one or two books, flipped through the pages and then put them back on the shelves. 

After some deliberation, Mr Seow would sit on the large sofa chair right in the middle of the hall, next to the television. The television was not meant for watching. As if it were, it would be placed in front of the sofa. You couldn’t really catch what was going on the screen, as you have to turn your head sideways. Charmaine never bothered to turn on the television as it did not interest her much. The world did not revolve around her, so that she did not depend on the current affairs to conduct herself. 

She was just a regular ancient figure. 

Chapter 6

Living alone was difficult and painful. You needed to turn on the lights yourself, you needed to put the clothes in the washing machine and sun them yourself, and you couldn’t make the toilet dirty because you would be the person who would have to clean it up subsequently. 

Yes, Jacintha and Charmaine still kept in touch even after Mary their mother passed. They were half-sisters not because their Dad married twice, as was usually the case, but were so related because Mom Mary remarried after divorcing her first husband. 

Jacintha was older than Charmaine, so you could guess that Charmaine was the product of Mary’s second marriage. It was assumed that Mary was also properly married the second time, as she never did divulge the details of her second marriage nor showed him any evidence of her betrayal to David Seow. He looked very much the same now, according to the photograph on the wall. 

Charmaine’s family was small. David Seow never bought her any presents throughout her life, but he always gave Charmaine one of those bear hugs, which was more than sufficient. Mom never hugged her. 

Chapter 7

No, they need not dress for dinner. 

Neither Jacintha nor Charmaine made any special effort to go down in the day. They just appeared at the dining table at 7:00 p.m. precisely as the wall clock chimed. And then one of them would start the meal without further reference to the other. 

If one of them was done she would leave the dining table and proceeded upstairs, back to where she came from. 

And then Elsie would come in the next morning to remove the used plates and unfinished food. 

Chapter 8

When you have a step-sister and one of your parents have another family you would always be wondering if you had been treated fairly. Charmaine never saw Jacintha nor met with her during the time that Mom was alive. 

Jacintha Chin was tall, slim and beautiful. The only thing Charmaine liked about her was the fact that she was flat chested, as that made her less attractive. 

Apart from that they were not very different. Their habits were the same – they used the fork and spoon rather than the chopsticks, and they both drank water from the tap. Mom had promised them that they would never get poisoned by drinking water from the tap. 

Their tastes in clothes were similar, they liked the loose fitting flared dresses without the sash to make them look thinner than they should. And they liked the court shoes so that they need not bother about having to have their toe-nails painted. Apart from that they both liked earrings. 

Charmaine was shorter than Jacintha, and she suspected that it had a lot to do with the genes. David Seow was short but not shorter than Mary. Dad was also very dark skinned. Charmaine always wondered if he were overheated by the sun, or if it were just his skin pigmentation. No one knew and she never dared ask.

Chapter 9

Charmaine saw George again. She could see his skeleton, shaped like a dinosaur. He was older now so his frame was slightly bent and his legs were also crocked making him look awkward. Charmaine stood from a distance and she stared at him. His eyes did not look at her so maybe he could not see her. 

Tonight, George sat opposite Charmaine. Charmaine started eating first for it has never been the habit for all of them to be eating together. He picked at the pickles. And then the sweet and sour pork. Charmaine let him eat. And she noticed that he also liked the chicken curry. She kept quiet, waited for him to say something. 

Charmaine was in her pyjamas and so she decided not to draw George’s attention to her. Once David Seow went to the television, she walked up the stairs to go back to her room. As she entered, the radio was playing, “perfect situations must go wrong,”. Charmaine let the atmosphere created by the song to dominate the entire night. 

Chapter 10

The leaves in the garden were creeping up the trellis so that the place was looking more habitable again. Charmaine was going into the garden more often nowadays as she became more mobile after the Hokkien Mee, for reasons unknown. The sky was also getting darker earlier than usual. She marvelled at the speed with which the sun set. It turned crimson red and then within seconds it turned purple blue. 

As she stood outside on the balcony she saw that George’s white car was no longer in the porch. Charmaine was unhappy that he left so soon. He could have waited for David Seow to come up to see her first before leaving the scene. 

Charmaine became incensed and so she went down again. 

She saw George with a beer can. At first she was surprised that he was still in the house, then she took the beer can away and threw it on the floor spilling the entire place with beer. Dad gave a loud cry and walked to the television to turn it off. It was only then that Charmaine realised that neither one of them could not see that she was there. 

Charmaine wanted to turn on the lights, but she never knew where the switch was, so that she almost slipped over the beer. But thank God she didn’t bleed. She went to the backyard to pick up a broom and started to sweep the floor. There was no dustpan so that she swept the pieces randomly from one corner to another. Charmaine was not very good at that and after a while she gave up. 

She remembered that the radio was turned on upstairs, so she quickly left the chore and went upstairs again. No, there wasn’t a radio broadcasting fee and she wasn’t concerned about that.

Chapter 11

Charmaine had just changed out of her clothes to bathe and the doorbell rang. It must have been George as only he knew that she lived there. She went down in her towel. 

“Listen, you have to move,” 

“Why?” Charmaine asked, using her left hand to hold the towel. 

“They found you,” 

“Nobody came last night,” she said. She forgot that he was here. 

George held out a certificate. It said: 

Certificate of Title: Volume 419 Folio 157 Land Lot No: Mk2-2343N 

Charmaine stared at it, unable to comprehend. Charmaine has lived here for more than three years. 

“Shall I pack my things tonight?” she asked George. Even though she only had my three pieces of clothes, the towel and the radio. 

George was not satisfied. He stood at the threshold. Charmaine moved away to let him come in. He did not bother to take off his shoes, and as he walked in he brought traces of mud. This time she knew where the mop was. Once he left I will mop the floor, Charmaine told myself. 

In Real Time 

Chapter 12

Elsie gave George his regular brew with milk and sugar and let him sit there until he was satisfied. Usually he took fifteen minutes to finish his coffee. Elsie always gave him his usual cup with the pattern of a house and a man standing next to the house. Once he finished his coffee he stood up to leave. Elsie was relieved that he offered no other conversation. 

If Elsie had fallen for George, you could not blame her. Any good looking man would attract some sort of admiration from the opposite sex. 

Elsie always made sure that the front door was opened before 7:00 p.m. when George would arrive in his white car. And she would turn on the television without delay so that George could enjoy the news whilst having his dinner. 

Chapter 13

The sky was dark and cloudy. Something sinister was brewing. But that has nothing to do with the sky. It was regarding the state of affairs at the Providence Hill.

Mr Seow, Elsie, Jacintha and Charmaine were going to have to leave. 

Elsie was concerned about the chattels, the picture of Mr Seow on the wall, as well as the silverware and glass objects inside the cabinet. Apart from that, the books were also Jacintha’s property. 

She couldn’t lug them around, and even with a large suitcase she couldn’t manage. She needed a mover. But she couldn’t engage one as Mr Seow had not given any idea where they were going to. 

George had never seen Jacintha. He was always here for a short while. Once he saw that Charmaine had eaten he would use his hand phone to get his driver to come around to pick him up. I think they call it Grab nowadays, or was it Uber? 

The Spirits are Alive 

Chapter 14

Charmaine has made up her mind to buy the red dress. 

So that she went ahead and took the money from the bureau and then she put it carefully inside her wallet. 

The salesman was not surprised that Charmaine came back for the purchase. 

And so after the purchase Charmaine was waiting for a chance to wear it. She looked at the calendar in the wall. The Chinese New Year was around the corner and traditionally this was the day where people wore that colour. She tried it on in front of the only full-length mirror in the house, just putting it in front of her body. 

And then Charmaine saw George again. George came up to the room to look for her. 

His face was gaunt, his cheeks sunken, she had no idea if it were due to fair wear and tear. The entire image was that of a very broken man. Charmaine let him stand there behind her. She knew that he could not see her. And she wondered if he could see the dress she was holding. 

Quietly she moved away. Charmaine threw the red dress onto the bed and she went in to take a shower. Minutes later she was refreshed again. Charmaine took the bottle of Estee Lauder “Pleasures” moisturiser she found on the bed and applied some on herself. She was quite satisfied that when she came out, George had left. 

Chapter 15

Charmaine sat on the sofa next to the bed. The radio station was using the same announcer. She was quite used to her by now. Her songs were modern nostalgia and the lyrics were clear so that it was easy to follow. Charmaine took a long time to find out that her favourite song was “Everybody Loves Somebody Somehow” an oldie. 

If she wanted company Charmaine would look for Jacintha. Jacintha was just next door. 

Knock, knock. Jacintha opened the door. 

“It’s you again, what do you want?” very unfriendly. 

“I want to know if you are ready to move,” Charmaine asked. 

“Of course not,” Jacintha replied, and then she asked, 

“Have you found accommodation?” 

“No,” “I am hoping that we would still be staying together,” Charmaine said. 

“That’s for sure,” Jacintha said. 

“Then two rooms?” Charmaine asked. 

“Yup,” and then promptly Jacintha closed the door on her.

Chapter 16

“It is ok to talk about yesterday today. But please do not complain about what I did to you three years ago,” George said to Charmaine this morning. She let him finish what he wanted to say all at one go without interrupting. 

Again, today George asked Charmaine to move out. 

Charmaine had no reason to stay except that she had nowhere else to move to. She stood firm, telling George that it was all a pack of lies. How could this house be a graveyard?! They had a roof, a garden, dilapidated it may be, as well as a garage, for George to park his car every time he came by. 

Minutes later Charmaine heard George’s car zoom out of the garage. 

Immediately she went in to change back into her pyjamas to prepare for another sleepless night. She could see that the moon was right in the middle of the sky. With no clouds she was sure that it was not going to rain tonight. Charmaine didn’t know how to call the weatherman, so she was basically using the clouds to read the forecast. 

She dreaded the thought of changing location. She was told that for herself someone born in the year of the rat, she must enter her house from the north, meaning that the front door must face west. She has ascertained that her current abode faces west, so that the windows on the opposite side of the door got the morning sun. 

Chapter 17

The weather outside looked good, so that Charmaine took her steps out gingerly. She guessed she wasn’t concentrating so that she tripped over a beer can and fell flat onto the ground, her knee blead as though someone had used a knife to scratch at it. 

Charmaine did not feel any pain, only the sight of blood frightened her. Quickly she made her way back to the house and went into the toilet, found some antiseptic lotion and she used it to clean the wound, then she covered the area with a plaster. They have transparent plasters to conceal the ugliness of the bandage. 

Charmaine laughed at her own carelessness and was glad that no one saw her. As she was having her dinner – Hokkien Mee tonight – Charmaine thought of Jacintha. She was not at the dining table. 

Jacintha was thin framed very small sized and a 35. Charmaine always marvelled at the way she put herself together – a black cardigan and a pair of back sandals with dark red nail polish. 

Whenever she did not appear at the dining table, it meant that she was sick, or that she was having one of her moods again. Charmaine could hear Jacintha blowing her nose loudly which often made her wonder if she had enough tissue paper to take care of all that mucus. 

In Real Time 

Chapter 18

Elsie always used a wet cloth to clean the shrine. She would dap some Dettol and rinse the cloth under tap water leaving half of it dry. It gave the entire place a sanitised smell as though she was in a hospital. 

She found some plaster tore open and a bottle of antiseptic lotion on the table and was wondering where it came from. Nevertheless, she brought them to the dustbin to dispose of them. 

Afterwards she went to the shelf and got herself a can of beer. It always quenched her thirst. But now they didn’t look the same. She found three bottles missing so that she started counting them again. And then finally she was satisfied that someone had come in and taken the three missing bottles. There was no other explanation to it except that George had taken it. 

“Mr Seow will be back later,” Elsie told herself. And she quickly went up to the switch box to turn on the lights – one at a time – until the last one was on. Then quietly she went to the refrigerator to get herself a yoghurt. There were only two left, and she realised that she had to go to the supermarket tomorrow. 

Elsie was the only one who stayed here apart from Mr Seow. This was not her home originally. In the beginning she was a little uncomfortable here, but she knew of no other relations apart from Mr Seow after her parents passed away and he offered her this abode. 

The world was as it should be – lonely. Elsie was coming to her fourth year, and she quite cherished the comfort of tranquil existence. No noise from the traffic outside and no one to come in here to order her around. Her previous job at the supermarket was tough. The supermarket was always swamping with people. She was the main cashier and often having to account for the shortfalls made by the other staff. 

Mr Seow did not disturb her. Though his room was untidy at times, he never expected Elsie to clean it up. Whenever he ate at home, he always brought his dishes to the sink at the back to wash up, before retiring back into his own room. 

Elsie has no complaints about this place, except that Gemma barked somewhat too often. When the dog did so, Elsie often thought that there were other people in the house. She would get up to survey the situation, but that no one was there, which was very frustrating. This happened usually at dinner time when George was here. 

Mr Seow was a middle-aged man with no immediate family. He occupied the room downstairs, and no one was allowed to go in unless it was a Sunday. Elsie didn’t know why Sunday, but she guessed it has something to do with the fact that on Sunday Mr Seow usually went out. 

Apart from Mr Seow Elsie had no other boss. And so, Elsie attended to Mr Seow with trepidation and a kind of assiduousness that was quite uncommon. 

There was no one to evaluate Elise’s job performance. And Mr Seow wasn’t doing it either. Elsie did her chores at her own whims and fancy, depending on how she felt. She took no money from Mr Seow so she wasn’t a salaried worker. Occasionally Mr Seow would put some money on the bureau and Elsie took it as money for the groceries and other household expenditure. 

In the way when Mr Seow was not in, apart from looking after the premises Elsie would look after Gemma the dog. Gemma was a silky terrier, a bitch and was adopted by Mr Seow. 

After the freshening up, Elsie distinctly looked better. Even she herself was surprised at how presentable she could be. Then she went into the garage to take out an umbrella and walked out to the main road to catch herself a taxi. 

Traffic was not heavy in this area, and she waited for quite some time before the taxi came. 

Chapter 19

It was not easy to understand why dogs barked – what they saw and what they perceived about the environment. But when they barked, it was a clear sign that someone else was there, although sometimes it could be for no apparent reason. 

Minutes later Elsie heard George coming in. You couldn’t mistake him for anyone else as he always announced his arrival with a loud hello. Elsie didn’t object to George’s arrival except that whenever he was here he talked to himself. She couldn’t say if he also behaved likewise when he was outside. 

Elsie was not a detective, neither was she an inquisitive person by nature. Gemma did not bark when George arrived – he was a regular guest – but the dog started to bark regularly at 7:00 p.m. when food was placed on the shrine. It was meant for the gods. 

Elsie took the dish away when she was satisfied that the gods have had a feast.

Chapter 20

It has been raining heavily so that Elsie wasn’t able to walk Gemma. She opened the black door hoping that he will do his business outside at the fence. But instead of which he peed at the door frame. The door frame was already half rotten with pieces of wood peeling off. 

Chapter 21

You could say that because of the rain, all of them were cooped up in the house, so that something was brewing in the mist. George arrived at 7:00 p.m. as usual, with Gemma announcing the guest’s presence. 

“Shall I take off my shoes?” George asked casually as he walked in with his shoes. There were traces of mud on where he walked. Elsie gasped at the dirt he brought in and she almost shouted a No out loud. But George didn’t listen to her. He brought a bouquet of flowers with him and he found empty vase by the sink, then he ripped off the wrapping paper and placed the flowers in the vase and turned on the tap to fill up some water. He took the vase and placed it on top of the shrine. The light was always on at the shrine. Elsie guess that whoever he was praying to, appreciated the flowers. 

“Charmaine, if you could forgive me, today is the third anniversary of your death,” 

“I am sure that Jacintha is in good hands now, the Lord has told me,” 

There was complete silence as George spoke. We waited for him to continue … 

“Since you died, my life has been in shakers, everything has gone down the drain, I am no longer the man that you used to know,” 

“I stopped going to the office, and I stopped sailing, the activity that kept me alive,” 

Mr Seow was at the dining table, and Elsie was laying out the dishes for him … 

“If you can hear me, please come and take one stock of rose from the vase,” George was getting insane. 

Elsie saw that George’s eyes were closed as he was fully concentrating. She went up to the vase and took one stem of rose away. And then she placed it on the dining table. 

“I have not slept since the day you left,” George was still pleading with Charmaine. Charmaine was nowhere to be found. 

And then his eyes opened, he saw the stem on the dining table where Mr Seow was having his dinner. George was overjoyed. He came up to Mr Seow and started sharing the meal with him. Mr Seow wanted to know how much George paid for the bouquet, so he asked him, 

“How much did you spend?” 

“… around eighty dollars,” George said. 

“… and the flower girl was giving me a discount,” he lamented. 

“How much money are you left with now?” Mr Seow asked George. 

“Less than ten thousand dollars,” George replied. 

“How are you going to carry on, the rental and all that,” Mr Seow asked him again. 

“I don’t know, was hoping to strike the lottery,” George said. 

“That is most unreliable,” Mr Seow concluded. 

With that, Mr Seow took his dinner plate to the kitchen to wash and Elsie quickly moved in to clear away the rest of the dishes. 

The Past 

Chapter 22

No one knew that George was talking to Charmaine. And no one knew that George was engaged to Jacintha before Jacintha died. Jacintha died of a broken heart. That’s what they all said. True. Charmaine was the one who knew it best. Jacintha was in love with George and that was how Charmaine was introduced to George. But when George saw Charmaine, he fell in love with her. 

Charmaine was not particularly pretty, neither did she have a good figure. But it was the topics of conversation, the things that interested them both. They shared the same tastes in food, wine and paintings. And most of all they have the same sense of humour. They laughed at the same old silly jokes. And then they enjoyed the same music and read the same authors. It was love at first sight. George and Charmaine did not hesitate to exchange cell phone numbers before they parted company. And minutes later Charmaine received his text “let’s make it again next weekend,” on her WhatsApp. 

Afterwards Charmaine broke the news to Jacintha: 

“George and I slept,” 

“George loves me and not you.” 

Jacintha listened, then she saw the engagement ring on Charmaine’s finger, so that she knew that it was the truth. But of course, it could have been any other ring, bought from a flea market. But Jacintha believed her. 

Once Jacintha started drinking there was no turning back. Charmaine saw the number of emptied wine bottles lined up outside her bedroom door. She knew that Jacintha needed her to break up with George. But she wanted George. George was hers since the day she met him. Charmaine didn’t want to be the loser. 

In Real Time 

Chapter 23

George came today. Without the bouquet. Elsie heard George talking to himself again and remarked to Mr Seow that this man was going insane. Mr Seow ignored her comments and went about his own business. In the end, George left a note behind on the table to tell them that he wasn’t coming anymore: 

“Dear Mr Seow and company, I have found another life …. I would be back again someday …. If all goes well …. The flower girl ….” 

Chapter 24

Wendy sold flowers to pass time, not as a means to earn a living. When George appeared, she could see that he needed money. George was good looking, and for an old maid, Wendy had to act fast. On his second time around at her shop, she asked him if he would want to move in with her. 

“A small ceremony will do. I don’t need any guests,” was what she said to George. 

And so it happened, like in a fairy tale. 

On the wedding night, with only the solemniser to witness the vows in the day, George told Wendy that she only condition for being his wife was that she must answer to the name Charmaine. 

“My name is Wendy, not Charmaine.” Wendy said. 

“And my name is Peter.” George said. 

“Huh? I thought you said you were George?” Wendy asked. 

“And I thought you were Charmaine.” George answered.

With that, George asked Wendy if she would go to a house with him, to meet with a lady by the name of Jacintha. 

“And who is this Jacintha?” Wendy asked. 

“Your sister. You can’t remember?” George said. 

It was an old bungalow with only the two of them – Mr Seow and Elsie – naturally the entire place was rusty if not mouldy. You could smell the grass creeping up the walls and if you went closer, you might catch one or two worms. 

Wendy fell in love with the house and her owner. She told herself that she would not give up anything else for this. In her mind she had decided that she wanted to live here with George. She would allow herself to be Charmaine. 

When they were both upstairs, George picked up the red dress on the bed and told Wendy to put it on. She sensed that it was what he liked. It was expensive, and Wendy could see it. 

When Wendy put on the red dress, it fitted her perfectly. The dress had red flowers sewn all over, and she was surprised that George found it for her. 

“That’s a nice dress,” George said as he saw Wendy. 

“Weather is so hot. And what perfume is that you are wearing? George commented. 

“Pleasures by Estée Lauder.” Wendy replied. And then she walked down the stairs, George could hear her sandals making its way to the altar. 

Downstairs at the dining room Mr Seow saw Wendy put the flowers in a vase and running some water over them and filling up the vase. He saw the Hokkien Mee which Elsie had bought and placed it on the dining table. Afterwards Wendy came to join them for dinner. 

They sat there and waited for George to come down to join them.

The Past 

Chapter 25

Jacintha died of an overdose. She took sleeping pills with too much alcohol. 

When the news of Jacintha’s death was broken to George, George was having a candle light dinner with Charmaine. It was Charmaine’s birthday. She wore a white dress with lots of frills as she was expecting George to propose that evening. George in fact did have an engagement ring hidden in his breast pocket. But a phone call came in. 

“Hello, is this Mr George Tan?” 

“Yes, this is he speaking, may I help you?” 

“Do you know this lady by the name of Jacintha Chin?” 

“Err, yes, but not very well,” George said. 

“She just died, we called you because we found s suicide note with your telephone number on it,” 

“WHAT?!” 

“Where is she now?” George asked. 

“The police had taken over the scene, I think it best you left them alone,” 

George prolonged the dinner party with Charmaine and made sure that if the police contacted her he would be in the know. They must end their investigation soon, he thought to himself. 

And then he remembered the ring in his pocket. He took it out and gave it to Charmaine, 

“Jacintha, would you marry me?” George said. 

Charmaine, too eager to marry George, ignored the mistake. 

Who cared if he called me Jacintha or Charmaine? It is I who would wear the ring. It is I whom he was engaged to. She didn’t know that Jacintha was dead. 

You would think that Charmaine and George would end happily ever after now that Jacintha was out of the way. No, one day Charmaine corrected George when he called her Jacintha repeatedly. 

“I think I must correct you once and for all. My name is Charmaine and I am not Jacintha,” Charmaine said. 

“That was the condition upon which you married me!” George said. 

“Says who?” Charmaine tried to argue. 

George never told Charmaine about the phone call on the engagement night, and Charmaine had no means of knowing it. George had been too much. She tolerated it for too long. How could he be calling me Jacintha all the time? What was wrong with this man? Charmaine was so incensed by George that she ran out in the pouring rain. 

Half an hour later, George received a telephone call from the police, 

“Are you Mr George Tan?” the voice was solemn and clear. 

“Yes?” George half expected the bad news. They all sounded alike. 

“Your wife Charmaine had just net with an accident, am afraid that she didn’t make it,” 

“We are very sorry, and we need you to go to the mortuary to identify the body,” the voice on the other side gave him a few seconds to register. 

The Theory 

Chapter 26

They said that after you died, you were reborn again. You came back as someone else, but that the past was erased from your memory and you couldn’t God damn remember whom you used to be. 

If you believed in Buddhism, then the theory of reincarnation meant that Jacintha was reborn into Charmaine, then Charmaine into Wendy. But if you did not so believe, because you were a Christian, then George Tan was crazy. 

Or was it entirely George in the making?

Are you behind the door?

Chapter 1

The words of a dying person always took precedence over a living person. The reason being that that was probably the last thing he would have to say to you. But how would you know? 

Over the years, I have collected words said by Rosemary, meaningful things that she said to me and words of sentimental value. You could not say that I wasn’t close to my sister. 

And when someone was dying there were usually a lot of visitors. They were kind and wanted to offer help and prayers were usually made. 

I remembered the day very clearly. 

I came back, walked passed the amour of people gathered together, taking the carved wooden staircase curving to the upper floor to look for Rosemary as usual. Their heads were bent around the small statue of Mother Mary with a candle lit by the side. The combined effect of their prayers was loud enough for me to know what the gist of their petition was. They were praying for world peace. As usual. 

I took the steps up the carved wooden staircase to the bedroom to discharge my belongings and to freshen up before I came down again, as was usually the case. The bedroom door was ajar. I could see some light coming from inside. That meant that Rosemary was still awake. 

There was no sound. Usually Rosemary would greet me the minute I walked in. 

Surprised by the silence, I continued on my way, leaving my bag on the chair and taking off my watch. Rosemary was not in the bedroom, so I walked to the bathroom to check in on her. I saw that the water was full, and I could see a body lying inside. Hold it, it was Rosemary! 

Shocked, I went up further and then I found her entire body submerged in the water. There were some bubbles coming out from her mouth indicating that she was still breathing. It took me ten seconds to realize that I mustn’t pick up Rosemary’s body to allow her to breath properly. 

I let her lie there and I decided it best not to disturb her. She was at one of her spa baths again. Rosemary spas herself at least once a week.

I knew Rosemary. She did not like to be disturbed if she was in a spa or sauna. Fifteen minutes later I went in there to look for her again. There were no more bubbles coming up from her mouth. 

I was always at Rosemary’s beck and call. She told me what to do in the mornings and usually the first thing that I did when I woke up in the mornings was to ring her although we stayed in the same house. 

Five minutes later I heard the shower. Rosemary had finished her spa bath. I was quite happy for that, as that meant that she could go out for dinner with me. I didn’t eat with the rest downstairs. I dreaded the food.

I always got a very lull, full stomach after eating, which made me very lethargic. The buffet spread was always too much for the guests and the kitchen had to finish it within the day, before the food turned sour. 

I was not a greedy person by nature. And I didn’t liked food. 

Chapter 2

As a walked out of the room, I saw the medicine by the side. Rosemary suffered from depression and she needed those pills to help her sleep. And then I saw a note on the dressing table. Could Rosemary have left a suicide note? If it were so, then it best that it be kept until after investigations were over. The beneficiary was usually the first suspect. Although I did not kill her, I was the only beneficiary to her estate. 

When you have committed murder, you would want to be away from the scene of the crime as quickly and as far away as possible. But when you were not the direct cause of death, and you didn’t know who and how the death arose, you became unsure of whether you should report the matter. Any act committed by you could be misinterpreted and you might be called upon to give testimony, which might become incriminating. 

I decided to look at what the note said: 

I, Rosemary Chan Lay Geok, of NRIC S7508748C, hereby leaves my property at this address the Hamlet Mansion, to Johnny Wong Keng Hock. Could I get a lawyer and produce the document in court now? 

Oh my God! In Rosemary own handwriting, she said that she wanted to give all her money to Johnny her God son!!

There must be some mistake! I rushed into the bathroom again hoping to revive Rosemary in order to confront her. She might not be dead as it could just be a mistake. And then I saw her face – a pale green. 

The note I held in my hand if found on my body would disinherit or exonerate me. However there was no signature to it. But of course anyone who knew Rosemary’s handwriting would know that she wrote it. 

I knew that I must leave the room now to go downstairs. I could not report the death of Rosemary as I was the sole beneficiary and the beneficiary was usually the prime suspect. Apart from that suicide is almost impossible to prove without a suicide note. I could not produce the note as it declared Johnny as the beneficiary instead of me, her sibling and the only next-of-kin. 

I took time to compose myself, and then I walked down the steps wondering if and how to break the news to the rest of the crowd downstairs. 

Chapter 3

As I was saying the rosary I was still calm about the whole thing. Jasmine was at the third decade when I sat down, so that I quickly joined in to continue from there. Jasmine was a cashier at the Bank of Kuwait and married with two sons. 

As far as I knew, nothing bad would happen to you if you missed one or two decades of the rosary, although most Catholics do all the five decades once a day. I tried my best at the task but was not able to pick a suitable time every day. 

After Jasmine, Jimmy spoke. Jimmy is Jasmine’s husband. We waited for him to finish his petition, then we continued with the fourth decade. “Hail Mary, full of grace, blessed are you amongst women, and ….” 

All along I was planning my escape route. I knew that the last person who saw the deceased would be called for questioning. I have nothing to fear from investigating officers except that the suicide note was with me and that I could have picked Rosemary up immediately upon seeing her in the bathtub. 

Now the shock of seeing Rosemary in the bathtub and then having to be detained in the same house made it altogether very difficult. 

And then Keith prayed, “Let God heal Rosemary Chan’s cancer, let the pain go away, and let God heal her wounds, …. Rosemary was only thirty-six, it was not time for her to die yet …. “. Keith was the other regular who owns an interior designing company. 

I wanted to stop Keith on the spot, I have material information which might discredit his prayer. But that I didn’t want to mention it now. I could not declare Rosemary’s death until the doctor came and put his stamp on a piece of paper. I could not say anything until I have destroyed the suicide note. 

I opened my eyes and saw that everyone was deep in prayers. I was considerably stressed by now. I wanted to leave the group to go to the kitchen to get myself some water. None of them were looking at me. And I was unsure when I should take my leave. I needed to be around to see to the whole thing, and to turn up at the right time to claim my inheritance. 

Chapter 4

Rosemary was dead! I wanted to tell the crowd. Stop these incessant irrelevant prayers on her. But at the same time I knew that I had to remain silent. I needed someone else to tell me that he saw her dead body. So I waited. Calmness was a virtue. I remembered Rosemary telling me that I must be calm under all circumstances. I let Mei Lim pray what she wanted to petition for and I continued with the act. Mei Lim was Keith’s wife and a housewife. 

All the time I was wondering if I should pretend to be ignorant. The water I drank was ice water so that I sneezed. The circumstances that led to Rosemary’s drowning was still unknown. I still couldn’t say for sure if she were dead as I only saw her fleetingly. I have never seen a dead body before and I really wondered if I should drop everyone here downstairs and went up to check on her. I pondered on the thought, and then I decided to keep numb about the whole thing. 

And then suddenly Damien asked, “Where’s Rosemary? Haven’t seen her for quite a while.” I knew that I must say something by now. Silence was not good for the soul. Automatically I said, “she’s upstairs,” a non-committal statement which did not say one way or the other. I could conclude that Rosemary was upstairs without having seen her, as if she were at home she was likely to be upstairs. Her car was parked at the garage. Anyone could see that.

Chapter 5

From the corner of my eye I saw Johnny going up the stairs. Not that Johnny could not go up, but that there was a dead body in that part of the house. If Johnny walked into the bathroom and saw Rosemary lying in the bathtub he would alert everyone here. So far I didn’t want news of Rosemary dying spread around. My reasons were simple: I have not procured a copy of her Will yet. I was her sister her next-of-kin and she could even have drafted a Will on favour of Johnny already. 

At the same time, I could not stop Johnny from going up to look for Rosemary. With quick thinking I shouted after Johnny, 

“Wait, Rosemary is coming down,” 

“Oh, I was just going up to get my jacket,” Johnny said. 

“Rosemary will be down soon,” I replied. 

I knew that there was nothing I could do to stop Johnny from going upstairs. In the meantime, the rest were at the Mysteries. I let the combined effect of the prayers settled my anxiety. Then I told the crowd, 

“Rosemary and I have decided to go for a holiday,” 

“Oh good, where?” Keith asked. 

This piece of news was neither here nor there, and normally announced when both parties were present. But I felt that I must make known the bond between Rosemary and myself before anyone else interfered. Everyone looked at me with a question on their face, and again they asked, “where is Rosemary?” I saw that and I quickly added, 

“Oh, we decided on this yesterday,” and in order to give credence to my words, I added, 

“Over dinner at The Bar last night,” 

“Where is Rosemary?” again someone said. 

“Rosemary is upstairs, she will be coming down soon,” this would refute any allegations that I might have been the one who killed her, since I was ignorant of her passing. 

And then I heard a loud cry. It must have been Johnny’s for only he was upstairs. Minutes later we saw him rush down the stairs.

“Oh my God!” he cried. 

“What’s wrong?” the prayer leader Damien said. 

“Nooooo ….” Johnny stammered. 

I was waiting for him to declare that Rosemary was dead, and true enough he did. 

“Rosemary is lying in the bath, unconscious,” he said. 

“Are you sure?” Damien the leader of the fellowship asked. “Her face was green!” Johnny said. 

“No, Rosemary wasn’t dead,” I blurted out. The image of her blowing bubbles in the water from her mouth still eluded me. 

“You saw her?” Daniel, who hardly spoke, asked. Daniel is the younger brother of Damien. 

“Yup, Err, …. when I had dinner with her last night,” I said. 

“I thought I saw you go up just now?” Jimmy said. 

“No,” I had to say that. I didn’t want anyone to say that I killed her. Fact was that I didn’t. If she died, then she killed herself. No one asked her to do the spa bath. 

Chapter 6

Rosemary came back last night. I could hear her talking to me. 

“Where is my bag?” she asked.

“Bag?” 

“Yes, the one that I always carried with me,” she said. 

“I don’t see it anymore,” I didn’t want to say that I had given it away. 

I still missed Rosemary a lot, so that I continued talking to her … 

The next morning, I woke up before dawn, as though I had been awake all the while in another dimension. 

In the morning in my pyjamas I had my usual Americano coffee for breakfast. And I asked for my cold milk as usual. The waiter brought me hot milk. I wanted to yell at him. But Rosemary told me to pardon him, “be more tolerant,” she said. I waited a long while before I could finish the coffee as it had to take time to chill out to room temperature. 

Strange that Rosemary was still talking to me. I wondered if she knew that I could not see her. 

Chapter 7

Over the week, my most imminent and pertinent question was whether I should show the suicide note. I procured it under circumstances which I did not want to reveal. If Rosemary didn’t die in the bathtub, then the note has no meaning at all. It could just be an expression of thought and contents therein could be changed at any time. 

But if the note was written just before she died, then it would be construed as a Will, as it contained directions as to how her property, this house that we are sitting on, should be dealt with. I was no legal expert, but I knew a thing or two. So, shall I tell the crowd that I went up to see Rosemary shortly before she died? Assuming that she was drown in the bathtub before Johnny went up to see her. 

At the same time, I wondered if Johnny had seen the note before I went up. If he had seen it, chances are the that he would have kept it. 

I decided to consult Louis about this. 

Louis my fiancée was a lawyer and also Rosemary’s spiritual counsellor. If Rosemary had made any Will she would have asked him to draft it. I made a photocopy of the note and kept the original. 

Louis did not think twice before he told me to write a cheque for three thousand dollars. 

“For that I will ensure that the property would be in your name.” 

“Thank you, Louis,” was all that I could say. 

At least I got some reassurance and I was feeling much better. Then I left the office to go to Kentucky Fried Chicken for some chicken wings. But I couldn’t help thinking of Rosemary’s face in the bathtub and I was sure that no one else went up to see her after I came down and before Johnny went up. 

I, Alicia Chan Lay Cheng, being the only next-of-kin made me the rightful owner to the title by default. The house was mine! To claim what was mine wasn’t wrong, despite the note on the dressing table suggesting that the house was to be Johnny’s. 

Chapter 8

Louis rang me today and told me to go to his office. “A Will must be witnessed by two persons,” he looked at me and said. Then he paused and further added, “I could give it retrospective effect,” 

“after all, I was her spiritual counsellor, it is not inconceivable that she looks for me,” he continued, 

“I would be the one who dated it as well,” further on he said. 

“Put it as 8 May.” I blurted out. 

“Huh? That was the day that she died, isn’t it?” Louis asked. 

“Err, yes, she wrote it the day she died,” I said. 

“How did you know?” Louis was as sharp as a leopard, I guess all lawyers were. 

“She must have written it before she died, it makes sense,” I said, getting a little bit nervous. 

“I know you didn’t kill her, she died of suffocation – to be precise, drowning by water.” Louis vouched for my innocence. 

“How long do you think I have to wait?” I asked. It is normal to be impatient under such circumstances, to want to get it all done away with. 

“Perhaps, two, three weeks, depending on the Court calendar,” Louis said. 

“But wait! Who did Rosemary leave the money to in her actual Will?” I almost forgot to ask Louis.

Chapter 9

It was not unnatural to miss a person after she has gone away, and it was helpful to keep one or two of her items as mementos. I began thinking of what items I must take from Rosemary. Rosemary had a large collection of jewellery and I particularly liked the red pendant. She wore it whenever she was in a good mood. And I have been out with her on several of those occasions. I also liked the one that I strung for her – I learnt the technique from a Japanese lady. But that piece didn’t seem to be around. Perhaps she had kept it in another box. 

I was there on the day of the wake, which was held in the living room downstairs. Rosemary’s coffin was placed directly in front of the marble fireplace the unmistakable stamp of the occupant when she was alive. What was uncommon was the fact that Johnny wasn’t there. Johnny was her God son, and if not for anything else, he was the one that found her dead. I had to frame Johnny so that it looked as though he had killed Rosemary. 

Whilst everyone was saying their prayers, I tip-toed upstairs. Half way through the steps, I saw the pair of slippers that Rosemary used to wear, still boldly displayed as though the owner would come back and claim it anytime. I picked it up from the steps – an automatic reflex, then I heard Rosemary said, 

“Hey, put it on, see if it fits you,” the voice unmistakably hers. 

So then I put it on. 

I took another bold step, this time all the way up to the landing. As I reached the top, I took a look down and saw that everyone was deep in prayers. No one would have seen me. 

The bedroom door was ajar, and I didn’t think that anyone was inside. In any case I took a calculated risk, if found I could just say that I wanted to use the toilet and that the toilet in my room was wet. 

True enough, no one was inside the bedroom. I was here at the right time. I glanced around and naturally arrived at the drawing table. There was a small jewellery box and I opened it. A large Peranakan broach was staring at me and I was surprised at how large the diamonds were. I never saw Rosemary wearing that! 

I grabbed the broach and quickly put it inside my pocket. And then having taken such an expensive item I was quite satisfied. I told myself not to be greedy. This diamond broach could fetch at least twelve thousand dollars in the black market. 

Without a sound I walked out of the bedroom, down the stairs where the muffled sound of the combined prayers continued to occupy the hot and sultry night. I came home by car, but I offered no one a lift and I drove straight out of the quiet prayerful night of Hamlet Mansion into another scene where Louis my fiancée had agreed to meet with me …. 

I had forgotten to take off the pair of slippers. My Ferragamo shoes were left behind. 

Chapter 10

Sergeant Jacob called me today. I had expected the call. Having been at the scene of the death I was bound to be questioned. The only problem was that I had to lie. I didn’t want to give the impression that I was the last to go upstairs, but that I thought it better to surrender the suicide note in case I became the suspect. I had to refute any allegation that I killed Rosemary. 

For every wrong doing there must be an accomplice. This usually gave the culprit a sense of security and a certain amount of reassurance that he could get away with what he was doing, be it right or wrong. This person we called him an alibi. 

Louis was my alibi and very helpful as he knew the law. 

“You could tell the Police that there was a suicide note. Pretend that you had seen it on the bed, just beside where she was lying when she slept. After all, you were living with her, weren’t you?” Louis said. 

“Yup, so I should say that I found it well before she died?” I asked innocently. 

“Yes, of course!” Louis was at the top of his voice. 

“And then date it the day after she made her Will,” I continued, trying to be calm. 

“You still haven’t told me who Rosemary left her money to in the Will,” I said, “I was the next-of-kin the beneficiary by default.” I emphasized. 

“Then you wait for the Police to pit the evidence on the crime scene,” Louis further advised. 

We must act rationally. But at some point-in-time we have to do something which might turn the tide in our favour. Louis my fiancée was my confidant. I have not told Rosemary about our relationship as I knew that Rosemary was also interested in him. 

Although Rosemary and I were sisters, we didn’t look very much alike. Rosemary was shorter, and she kept short hair, whereas I liked to keep my hair long, tied in a bun. Also, I never wore pants except for a pair of jeans. I would say that on the whole I looked more attractive than Rosemary. However, that was merely my opinion. Louis has never made any comment about my looks which was something I was most unhappy about. 

Chapter 11

I went to his office every time I saw Louis. 

I would stop at the drop off point at Tower 3, walked up the escalator to the second floor to the Mexican Café and have some coffee and some food the name of the dish I couldn’t remember. And then I would take the lift located on the lobby directly to the fourteenth floor where his office was. 

As the lift was ascending passing the fifth floor, I felt nausea and started to vomit. 

It must have been the Mexican food. I told myself. But that I took only coffee just now. Could it have been the dinner last night? I screwed my brains trying to find an answer. There was no reason for me to feel nausea unless I was pregnant. Immediately I thought of Louis. Shall I approach Louis?

We were only engaged. If I got pregnant it would put me in a bad light. Moreover, it would affect my inheritance. Would a sibling with a fiancée be entitled to inheritance? The answer I would need to consult Louis again. Louis is indispensable!

Chapter 12

Today I received a text from someone: Your life is in spiritual bondages. Hidden camera. 

I wondered if Louis has CCTV in his office. But that was not important. All I wanted to do was to break the good news to Louis. But before I could do that, I threw up on his carpet in the client office. 

I simply did what I was told not to do. 

The minute Louis saw me, “Are you pregnant?” he asked. 

“You come with me to the clinic,” I asked Louis. 

“I am busy these few weeks, I have an important client from KL,” he explained. 

Further on Louis added, “Let me know the result.” 

Good! At least he was showing some concern. I thought to myself. And then I went straight to his toilet on the fourteenth floor to clean myself up. 

My iPhone rang. I picked it up and the caller hung up. I saw the text message again – hidden camera. Why would anyone want to film me? 

Chapter 13

Ok, it must be the job of inspector Jacob. I called him inspector Jacob and not Sergeant Jacob as I knew that he was after me. I was waiting for him to question me about the pair of Ferragamo shoes I left on the staircase when I changed into Rosemary’s slippers. Why would I want to do that? Why would I wear my shoes halfway up the landing? It was certainly food for thought. 

Over the next few days, I tried to think of many reasons for my odd behaviour. I couldn’t tell anyone that I heard Rosemary’s voice, for they would tell me straightaway to see a shrink. 

At the same time, I remembered hearing someone at the shower after I saw Rosemary at the bathtub. Who was that? If Rosemary died in the bathtub then it wasn’t she who was showering, which meant that someone else was in that part of the house at the time. And then I did not see him but that in all probability he must have seen me going into the bathroom. 

OMG! He would also have seen that I did not pick Rosemary up from the bubble bath …. Hey! But wait!! If he didn’t think fit to save Rosemary from drowning why would I think otherwise?!

I love Rosemary. Rosemary was my sister and my only other relative apart from Louis. Louis was my fiancée and until I bore his child I was not related to him by blood. 

And fact was I was now pregnant with his child. Louis was aware of it but that he was busy attending to his business. This client from KL …. Hold it! Was she Louis’ other girlfriend? Women usually became particularly suspicious of their husbands when they were pregnant. Louis’ lukewarm reaction upon hearing the news of my pregnancy certainly did not help me at all. 

Chapter 14

I decided to be proactive. I browsed the website, and then my mind clicked. I logged into the Registry of Marriages and I found Louis’ name – he was married to a lady by the name of Rosemary Chan Lay Geok!!! 

When did they get married and why wasn’t I informed??? 

I needed to say no more. 

Louis would take precedence over me as a spouse on the claim for the inheritance from Rosemary as the spouse was always the first in line. The only way in which I could break up the relationship between Louis and Rosemary was to say that I was Louis’s common law wife and that I was now pregnant with his child so that the marriage between Louis and Rosemary became null and void. 

Thank God I was already pregnant. 

I went to the gynaecologist and did my medical check-up, duly on the appointment date. Then I went to the Mexican Café where Louis’ office was, pondering on how to break the good news to Louis. 

Of course, I won’t know if it were a boy or a girl yet. 

I was surprised to see Louis’ office door locked, the newspapers lying on the floor outside his office suggesting that he had not been in for quite a few days. 

No need to worry. I told myself. You have Louis’ number.

I rang the man and he picked up the call straight away. 

“Hello dear,” the voice unmistakably Louis’. 

“I am … “and before I could finish, Louis had hung up the phone. 

I told myself the line was bad. He was in KL. No reason to get alarmed. I rang again. 

Louis’ never picked up the call. 

Seven months later, Alicia was safely delivered of a boy. 

Alicia named him Johnny Chan. 

Hamlet Mansion the house where the rosary prayer fellowship was regularly held was transferred to Louis in name, he, being the deceased’s spouse. The house was still there to date but Alicia never went back again. 

The man Louis was at large. He never came back to claim his son. Louis was never a criminal for he knew the law. Then who killed Rosemary?

A road less travelled ….

Chapter 1

If you were nice to someone you must be consistently nice to him. Likewise, a thief must be apprehended if goods have been stolen. 

I have a bag that is transparent. I put my wallet, my key holder, my MRT card, my tissue pouch, my pink lipstick etc. inside my bag. And I carried it wherever I go. I never left it on the chair next to me, I never put it on the floor and I always slung it over my shoulder. 

In my office where I worked, I sat in a large room comprising the seven of us, apart from Mr Mori. Asaki has one large table and a side table. Seats were arranged so that he sat at the head facing us. We have two tables facing each other and my table with Angela was nearer the exit. The rest of the staff were seated at the other table. Our tables faced each other and not Asaki. 

Mr Mori could be very demanding if he wanted to be. He would come around and stand behind us and looked at our papers from behind. His shoes were dark brown and leathery but that always gave me a creepy feeling and I always felt a chill running up my spine. They reminded me of my late husband Dan’s shoes. 

Chapter 2

When I got on the bus this morning, I sat next to a guy with ear plugs on. Most people always chose seats that were single and far away from others whenever they had a choice. But I normally sat at the entrance near the driver. I was afraid of being alone since Dan left. I smiled at the bus driver, but he ignored me. I put my transparent bag on my lap and not on the seat next to me even if it were empty. 

When I arrived at the office. I greeted Angela, but she ignored me. I didn’t know why she gave me the cold shoulder. Was it the clothes I was wearing that put her off? Maybe because I was in black. Or was it because she was envious of my transparent bag? Angela was my immediate supervisor. She was middle-aged married to a businessman. When Angela smiled, you could see a set of small and evenly arranged teeth, which made her very attractive even for her age. 

Chapter 3

It was raining so heavily this morning that I instantly decided not to leave the house. I rang the office and Jackie the admin officer picked up the phone. I coughed a little, 

“Hey, I can’t come in today, I got the flu,” my voice was sounding a little hoarse, trailing away … 

“Oh yeah of course, take care and be sure to see your doctor.” Jackie said. She sounded sympathetic. 

Jackie smoked a lot and was married to an air-steward. 

“Yes, yes, I shall,” I quickly ended the conversation. 

I knew exactly where to get the medical certificate from. 

Chapter 4

I still could not forget the quarrel Asaki had with Mr Mori the other day. Mr Mori called Asaki into his room. The room was large, and it has venetian blinds on its glass wall. No one could see what was going on inside, but everyone could hear what was going on inside. 

“What is this that you have done?!” I heard Mr Mori asked. 

We strained our ears, but we couldn’t hear a word from Asaki. 

“Do you know that this is a very serious error?” 

Omg what has Asaki done?! 

“You have leaked a very confidential information, as well as mutilation of personal property.” Mr Mori was angry, I meant ANGRY. 

All of us outside were quiet. It was after 4:00 p.m. so that the counter was already closed for operation. 

“What has happened?” outside Joanna asked. 

“Quiet,” Junie said. 

“You think Asaki would get the sack?” again Joanna asked. 

“Wait till we see Asaki come out,” but the one that came out was not Asaki, it was Mr Mori. 

“Tell Ah Chee to give me a cup of green tea,” he said, not looking at anyone of us. 

Ah Chee came, and that was the end of the matter. 

After that I thought that Mr Mori cooled down. 

Chapter 5

Mr Mori was an angry man. I meant, he looked angry all the time. He had this perpetual frown on his forehead, and his eyes were intense and large. When he stared at you, you got the feeling that he was trying to eat you up. I never liked to be in Mr Mori’s room, but I was the one who brought Japanese tea to him every morning. He was usually not in at the time before 10:00 a.m., and I would leave the tea on his table just next to where he put his pen holder. No one told me to serve him, but just that, as a secretary to the department I thought it only fair that …. Hold it … The pen! My pen! 

Dan’s Cross pen was inside Mr Mori’s pen holder! 

Chapter 6

Lunch time we usually ate together, without Mr Mori of course. Today I looked at Asaki and he was staring at me, so that I managed a smile. But he didn’t return my gesture. Instead Junie spoke, “where are we going for lunch?” 

“The usual I guess,” Asaki said, talking to Junie instead of me. 

I took out my transparent bag, ready for another round of chicken curry. Joanna was always amazed at how I could eat curry without rice. And she greatly disapproved of it. Her opinion didn’t matter to me, so that I continued with my habit. As usual we were going to the Bhaha Curry stall for chicken curry with papadum. That seemed to be Asaki’s favorite. 

At lunch, Angela bought a plate of fruits for all of us to share. Before she put the plate on the table, she remarked that she chose the fruits based on its colours – that she got a colourful plate of fruits rather than a savoury plate. She chose apples, oranges, kiwi, papaya and banana, to make up for a multi-coloured plate. And then she announced that this was the way I decided on things – looks mattered most to me rather than the actual value. 

I couldn’t agree with her more. Asaki has this boyish good looks and he has a strong physique. Asaki also spoke two languages proficiently. If I were ten years younger I think I would have fallen for Asaki. But Asaki did not own a car. 

Chapter 7

As I was coming home today, I felt someone following me. I turned around and true enough Asaki was behind. I lowered my head and quickened my steps. My transparent bag I lugged it under my arm. I did not want Asaki to catch up with me. He was bound to talk to me about Mr Mori, and that would get me involved in his problems. 

Although Mr Mori didn’t have CCTV in his room and that he couldn’t see what we were doing outside, sometimes I did get the feeling that Mr Mori was watching us all the time. I tried my best not to be distracted by Asaki, who sat at the head of the section all the time. 

Whenever there was something bothering me, I always confided with Angela. She might be bad tempered, but she always gave me good advice. I decided to talk to her about my encounters with Dan. Dan was my late husband.

Chapter 8

Two nights ago I thought I saw Dan. It was at the poolside. He was reading a book and I wanted to go up to ask him if he wanted to come up to the house and have dinner. 

Then later on I saw Dan with me on a boat. “Do you want to jump?” I heard Dan ask me. 

“No, I can’t swim,” I said. 

And then I woke up. 

In the morning Dan was gone. I made some coffee and quickly left for work. Any delay in the house would incur further conversations with Dan. Fifteen minutes later I was at the bus-stop. The bus arrived on time and I chose a seat near the driver. I wanted to be visible. I was afraid of being alone. 

Dan died in a car accident. The police refused to divulge further information except that he died on the way home after some drinks with a friend. 

Chapter 9

Today as usual, I walked out of the office punctually at 4:30 p.m. I turned into Caterpillar Road and then out into the main road. As Asaki caught up with me I asked him about his family. Just to test him. 

“Is your wife working?” 

“No, why?” Asaki became a little defensive. 

He didn’t deny the existence of his wife. That meant that he was married! 

So what Angela told me was true … then why was he pursuing me like this? 

In order to pretend that I was not jealous. I asked, “what is she doing?” 

“Nothing at the moment, she looks after the baby,” 

Asaki must have read my thoughts. He added, “baby is only one month old,” as though this could mitigate the fact that he was already a father. A month-old Dad is also a Dad! 

I couldn’t say that I wasn’t disappointed. So, in order not to show that I was disappointed, I tried to be practical, “Would you have to wake up in the middle of the night to feed the baby?” 

Chapter 10

Not everyone you talked to talked back to you. It was not that every time you addressed a person he responded. Asaki, and I were like that. 

We would walk the length of Caterpillar Road. I would say something, and he would decide if he wanted to reply. Whenever we walked past house number 44, we would see a large parrot perched on the only tree in the house. His neck was long, and his thin fingers resting precariously on one of the branches made him looked as though he was ready to sing at any time. I always greeted him, and I often wondered if he were there waiting for us. 

And when we arrived at the main road we would part company. 

“See you again tomorrow,” 

“Yup, see you tomorrow.” 

We never said bye to each other. 

On one occasion I wanted to ask Asaki to take a picture of myself with the parrot but that would mean that I have to walk into the house. The house seemed unoccupied … but if the parrot lived there, surely some other person did too. It could mean trespass, so I refrained. I was sure that the parrot was willing for the shot. 

Chapter 11

By now Asaki and I have formed the habit of walking out of the front gate of our office into the street. 

“I have a house in Japan,” today Asaki said, as we were walking along the road before we greeted the parrot. 

I looked at him, a little puzzled. Asaki was a Japanese from Japan. If I were not mistaken, he just arrived not too long ago. Obviously, he has a house in Japan! Why did he need to give me this piece of information? Why was he giving me this information? Was he trying to ask me to go and live with him in Japan? Wasn’t this a little premature? 

I quickened my steps, hoping to lose Asaki and arrived at my usual joint for coffee. The café was newly set up and brewed the most fragrant coffee beans apart from the set of tea with two scones. The coffee would help me to stay awake for another six hours, so that I would have some useful time after work. 

But Asaki was insistent, “My wife’s sister has come from Japan,” 

“So?” I couldn’t help replying. 

“She wants to stay at a hotel,” he said. 

“Then stay in a hotel.” I said. I had nothing to contribute. 

“They are usually very expensive,” Asaki said. 

“Then the problem belongs to you and your wife,” I said again, as a disinterested third party. Of course, Asaki knew that I was a widow and have an empty room in my house. 

I want to have my coffee. 

Three more steps. Then we reached the end of the road. 

Once we hit the main road, traffic became heavier, the sound of the car engines would muffle up our conversation so that it became less intense. I knew that Asaki was trying to engage me in his plans although I was not so sure what his plans were. 

I continued to walk to the bus stop. No one was following me except Asaki. I thought that after the parrot we would have already parted company. 

“Let me Google it for you,” I decided to say. 

“Try one of those new hotels,” Asaki suggested, and then he hopped onto an oncoming bus. I wanted to see where he was going but that the bus had already left. 

I continued with my coffee after work, and then I arrived at home just in time to see the security guards change shift. 

My transparent bag was nice, and I usually swung it up to show the guards that I have nothing to hide. I was a loyal faithful servant of the Lord. I read the Bible and I followed the ten commandants, and I saw Dan at the Columbarium at church every Friday.

Chapter 12 

This afternoon Asaki started the topic: 

“I heard that Mr Mori has two wives,” 

“What do you mean?” My eyes rolled big. 

“He was in Sri Lanka before this,” “she killed herself.” 

“One would have thought that she was killed by the natives.” I said. 

“And apparently he still has a family there.” 

“Oh, dear, what a complicated situation,” I said. 

I thought about it and I still couldn’t believe it. Mr Mori looked like a disciplinary master. His face was thin and gaunt and when he spoke to you, he stared straight at you without blinking, the magical spell in his eyes always made you tell the truth. 

I often got the feeling that Mr Mori was hiding something from me. 

“His has another wife …. she killed herself when he was posted to Sri Lanka … “

“Oh ok, she died,” I tried to remain disinterested. 

Then out of curiosity I couldn’t help myself asking, 

“There could be several methods to suicide. Did she point a gun at herself? Did she jump down from a building?” I gave Asaki a few examples. 

I sensed that Asaki was not ready with the information, so that I quickly added, “let me know when you are ready, I know that this is P & C.” 

Chapter 13

I sensed that Dan was with me in the same house, although I couldn’t say for sure which part of the house he was occupying. I have a double bed and Dan used to sleep on it with me. Of course he was not there with me now, he was stuck somewhere in a niche in the St Francis Church. But fact was that Dan left on a sudden note, almost in a hurry. He didn’t plan to leave, that was for sure. 

Every morning when I was at Mr Mori’s room I saw my Cross pen staring at me. It was a gift from me to Dan shortly before he died. The pen has the engraved words “I love you Dan,” on it. 

Chapter 14

When you have done something wrong usually you didn’t tell other people about it. So far, I have done no wrong. I have no intention of entering into any relationship with Asaki, assuming that this was what he wanted. And if anything, it was always he who followed me out into Caterpillar Road. 

Today we walked further down the street and we arrived at the Fur Café located just as you turned right from Caterpillar Road into the main road. Asaki attempted for the first time, 

“Want a cup of coffee at Fur Café?” 

I usually have my coffee there anyway after we parted company. Our office closed at 4:30 p.m. so that it was not yet crowded as most other office staff were still working. I took the initiative to go up to place the order for the afternoon tea. 

When I brought the coffee to the table where Asaki was seated, he said, 

“Do you know that if you drink too much coffee you are prone to cardiovascular disease compared with those who drink less?” 

“Rubbish!” I said, “I drink in moderation. Moderate coffee consumption could have cardiovascular benefit.” 

“According to research.” I was adamant. 

Chapter 15

Today I decided that I wanted to show Asaki that I trusted him, so that I left my transparent bag with him. 

“I’d only be gone for a while,” I said. And then I took only my wallet from the bag. Surely, he would wait for me until I returned. He won’t run away with my bag. He was my colleague not a thief. I walked to the cashier. 

“How much is the food?” 

“What are you having?” 

“A set of tea, two scones,” instead of coffee I decided to take tea today. 

“Any other orders?” the cashier was meticulous. 

“No,” 

“That will be fifteen twenty,” she said, thus I dug into my wallet to take out the change. 

When I went back, Asaki asked, “what is this that you have in your bag?” 

“Oh, that’s nothing, that’s just my jewellery pouch,” 

“How did you know that I have it in the bag?” 

“I can see from outside. Your bag is transparent!” 

Yes, my transparent bag. My bag was transparent. 

“Is it for sale?” Asaki tried to be funny. 

My transparent bag is not for sale! 

My transparent bag was my life. My identity card, credit card, and discount cards, etc. …. they were all inside, so that if I lost my bag I was gone. The bag contained all worldly possessions to tell people that I was Rachel Wee of Chinese descent, aged thirty-six this year, and in possession of some amount of money. 

Chapter 16

In retrospect, I should have realized that the office suspected something going on between Asaki and myself when Joanna spoke to me out of the blue one afternoon. She leaned over and whispered in my ears, “Try to tell lies if you can,” 

“You mean to say that I have something to hide?” I retorted immediately. 

“Nope, I am just saying it as a general principle,” 

“Ok, got you,” I nodded my head and carried on with my food.

I thought that the others did not hear us. 

Chapter 17

As a said, there was no reason why I should not like Asaki. He has this boyish charm and baby good looks. He looked young for his age, and he talked to me as though I were his age, even younger so that I was not so sure why he liked me, or why he chose me to be the subject of his affections. But one thing I knew for sure, he was not going to give up until he got what he wanted, which was still quite undefined now. 

Today Asaki and I walked the length of Caterpillar Road in silence, each in our own thoughts. I was nursing a wretched cold, but I didn’t know why Asaki was quiet. Perhaps he was thinking of his wife, maybe even his new born baby. Angela had told me to give him a birthday card for his baby – to register with his wife of my existence. Like a caveat.

Chapter 18

Co-workers in the office were not supposed to engage in romantic affairs. I had not done anything with Asaki except to walk the distance of Caterpillar Road. No one was a witness of our interaction except the parrot. 

So that now I found out that he has a wife I didn’t know what to do with Asaki. He seemed genuine. And fact was that my husband Dan had just died. It was too soon for me to enter into a new relationship with anyone. Dan’s belongings have not yet been cleared. All I wanted was to keep my job. I have rent to pay, and I needed to foot my groceries bill. 

I have no intention of doing anything romantic with Asaki, apart from having tea with him, even though I much preferred coffee. He always paid me back for the scones and tea. There was absolutely no exchange of favors from him to me, and vice versa. 

How do I end the relationship with Asaki? How do I put a stop to the stroll along Caterpillar Road? 

Before Mr Mori discovered our acquaintance borderline on romance, I had better tell Asaki that I wasn’t keen on him. If I lost this job, I have nowhere to go to. I would be out of a job for at least six months. Moreover, this was a special skill that I acquired – to read other people’s passport and make judgements on whether there were valid reasons for accepting their applications for travel to Christmas Island. 

I conducted myself as though I were going to exit anytime. I stopped buying new clothes to impress and I counted every cent that I spent. Mr Mori stopped smiling at me, but I still continued lunch with Joanna and the rest. Of course, Asaki was always present. 

Chapter 19

I didn’t know why Dan came back last night. 

I saw his shoes – the same shoes as Mr Mori’s – at our entrance. But I didn’t believe my eyes. I ignored it and went into the house as though Dan was not in. I made my own dinner – some fried pork and pickled vegetables. Then I went out to the balcony to take in some fresh air. I needed to think about the relationship between Asaki and myself. It was clearer now. Asaki was interested in me. 

The lights in the bathroom were on, to give the feeling that Dan was still living in the house. Dan might come back anytime, that was for sure. He left this place in a hurry, after a car knocked him down at the traffic junction. I kept his things here as they were before, still kidding to myself that he was coming back. I was not yet used to his absence. Last night I distinctly felt his weight on the bed. 

Chapter 20

The next morning when I picked up my transparent bag from the kitchen counter, I found that it was lighter than before. I didn’t think it mattered. After all I was the only one in the house, nothing could have happened to it. And then I left the house closing the door behind me. 

My front door could be locked easily. Once you slammed it, it locked itself and you could not open it unless you have the keys. 

I had mentioned it to Dan before. To change the lock system. But Dan refused. Dan was a particularly difficult man. If he said one you were not allowed to mention two. If he told you that Susan was pretty you could not deny the fact even though she was fat and grumpy. I thought about Dan and suddenly felt unhappy about him. I thought I might be beginning to fall for Asaki. Or wasn’t I? 

As usual I took bus 174 from Beatrice Point. The journey was short and took me directly to Poets Road where I worked. Mr Mori would be there to receive me. I meant, he would be in his office siting at his desk, waiting for me to get the password to start my computer, my Cross pen staring at me.

Chapter 21

Today I had lunch alone. After lunch when Angela came to collect petty cash for the department, I found only a hundred dollars in my wallet. I thought I had two hundred. I couldn’t remember where I spent my money on but I was quite sure that I had five pieces last night. I didn’t buy anything yesterday after work. And the wallet has been in my transparent bag the whole time. 

Chapter 22

The phone rang. Angela picked up the phone. 

“Hello,” she began. 

“ …. “, from the other side. 

“Are you working tomorrow?” she asked, her voice was getting loud. 

“ …. “, we could guess what the other side was saying. It must have been a no.

“If you are not working, why should I be working?” and then she followed this by slamming the phone down with a loud Bang!

We were all taken aback. Why was Angela so angry? 

I sat frozen. Was tomorrow an off day? 

When you were working for someone, you must follow his line of thinking. Angela was obviously in a bad mood. Did she quarrel with her husband last night? Or was it simply just that she didn’t wake up in time for breakfast this morning? 

Chapter 23

The weather was colder today so that I picked a knit wear for myself. 

“Your blouse is nice!” Joanna was the first to notice. 

“Yup what a nice colour,” Junie said.

I went to my desk. I sat down. Angela said nothing. Then after a while she got up from her seat and came to my side, she touched my sleeve briefly, and she said, 

“Nice texture. Did you buy it yourself?” 

At half past four, we waited for the rain to stop. There was sun, but the temperature was cold, masked by the moisture that came with the rain. Asaki and I decided to brave the rain. 

I normally carried the umbrella with me. Asaki told me to share his with him, 

“We don’t need two umbrellas, two persons with two umbrellas is strange, come, I hold it, I am taller than you.” 

A car passed by and splashed the water on the ground collected from the rain right onto my shoes, my pants was soaked with rain water. The car zoomed past without even saying goodbye. 

“These careless driver …. “, Asaki said. But I got this vague feeling that perhaps it wasn’t pure carelessness. 

Then I saw the car number plate. It was Mr Mori! 

Chapter 24

Once in a while the office fumigated the grounds. White fog filled the entire area outside our large carpeted room. The plants at the corner shivered with the loud noise generated by the fumigation machine. We paused at our work using this as an excuse. 

When it was time to go home, Angela remarked, 

“I wished I had a bodyguard,” as though referring to Asaki. 

But we didn’t do anything! Fact was that Asaki and I walked in silence without much conversation. We looked forward to the parrot each day, that’s all! 

Chapter 25

I found money missing from my wallet again. This time it was twenty dollars. I was sure that no one handled my wallet. So, I decided to make a record to keep track of my money. The only time I left my wallet unattended in my transparent bag was whenever I went up to pay for the afternoon teas with Asaki. But Asaki couldn’t have stolen. Why would he want to steal from me? It was such an insignificant amount for him! 

As usual Asaki followed me out of the front gate into Caterpillar Road. I saw a police car passed by and I noticed that it seemed to slow down when it passed by Asaki and myself. I decided that I could not report the money loss to the authorities. For one, I could not confirm if it were indeed taken from my transparent bag. How do I record the things in my bag and put a stamp of ownership on them? True that the bag was transparent and that you could see what was inside. But why did you leave your bag with Asaki? Who told you to trust him?

Chapter 26

Mr Mori never came out of his office. He would intercom us to go in. We were told to pick up the phone on three rings – not too long and not too short. Basically, we were service oriented. We decided on who could travel to Christmas Island. We wanted to give the impression that we were very efficient. 

When you were old no one wanted to go out with you. I was old, so that Asaki going out with me fed my vanity. But I was more interested in Mr Mori’s affairs. They said that Mori’s wife killed herself because of him. Could it be true? Could Mori be a regular assassin? 

Today I decided that I wanted to explore on this mystery. 

Mr Mori had his chauffeur as his trusted confidante. So that I went up to have a chat with Mr Muru. Mr Muru usually sat at the area just outside the pantry reading the day’s newspapers. 

“Do you know that Mr Mori has two wives?” I began. 

“Two? I thought three,” Mr Muru said. 

Then he continued, “Mr Mori is a very rich man …. doesn’t need this job, he owned several properties in the West Coast ….” before going back to his newspapers. 

“Are they all legally married?” I asked, meaning Mr Mori with his wives. 

“Are you ok? What a silly question! How could he be?! You should know that bigamy is not allowed under Australian law.” 

“Then are his wives all still alive?” I ventured further. 

If Mori were my boyfriend, then I wanted to know who I was competing with. 

“I don’t know, it seems that the first wife died in India, or was it Sri Lanka, I can’t remember …. she killed herself …” 

So, it was true! Mr Mori’s first wife committed suicide. 

“ …. but don’t tell anyone,” Mr Muru added. 

“Promise,” I raised my right hand and put an oath to my assurance. 

At the same time, I needed to use the toilet, so that I decided to make Mr Muru a gratuitous bailee. Maybe if I showed him that I trusted him he would furnish me with more information. 

“I’ll be back,” I said, and then I walked away. 

“Don’t leave your bag behind,” Mr Muru shouted after me. 

When I came back, Mr Muru wasn’t at his spot anymore as he was sent to fetch Mr Mori. My transparent bag was there but my key pouch disappeared. The net result was that I had no keys to enter my house. 

I checked into the Paloba Hotel located at the Poets Road, the one just opposite my bus-stop. I used my name Rachel Wee the same name as I have used for the booking of Asaki’s sister-in-law who never turned up. 

Chapter 27

Whenever you have made a mistake you must always say sorry immediately. Otherwise you made the other person feel that he was to be blamed. I had to tell Asaki that I was staying at the hotel now, the one that I had booked for his sister-in-law. Asaki asked me for the room number and insisted on paying for the bill. I accepted it as I had not enough money to pay, even though it would appear as though Asaki stayed with me for the night. 

For this I confided with Jackie. Jackie dealt with admin and she was pretty good at this sort of thing. 

“Just make sure that you check-out alone,” “If no one can get a picture of you with Asaki, they cannot say anything,” 

Err, did Jackie know about my non-existent affair with Asaki? 

Chapter 28

When you were older you read people faster, as you have acquired a certain kind of instinct that came with experience. Mori might be old and pigmented, he was attractive in a very strange way. He was intense and deeply profound, maybe because he was very well read and thus very well informed. Nothing missed him, and he was always full of reserved energy. 

Today Mr Mori issued a statement: I have a private life which I do not permit interference …. it must be respected. 

I went back to the hotel puzzled. Surely Mr Muru did not tell Mr Mori about my enquiry?! And even if he did, surely Mr Mori would not have cared. 

But I had things to do. I needed to open my house door and I called for the locksmith from room 762, the hotel room which I booked for Asaki’s sister-in-law. It was a quick fix to my problem. I borrowed some money from Asaki and bought two sets of new clothes and I went to the office directly from the hotel. No one knew about this except the security guards at my house who hadn’t seen me for several days. 

And of course Mr Mori. 

Chapter 29

The coffee tasted a little bit more bitter at Fur Café. I finished it nonetheless. And then I went back to the hotel to sleep again. 

… I need to pay the locksmith for opening the door and … my wallet is missing …. No, my whole transparent bag is missing. But one thing was … for sure. I cannot report the loss to the authorities, they already suspect me of having … an affair … with Asaki. 

… The past needs to be dealt with, signed sealed and delivered. Dan’s death must be classified either as a car accident or … as an unnatural death by other means … Dan cannot continue to live in my house … as a free spirit coming and going as he pleased. I have to … find a new partner … 

Chapter 30

But Rachel Wee never woke up from her sleep. The last person she saw that day at the Paloba Hotel was Mr Mori, and the last conversation she had was with him, 

“You slept with my subordinate,” Mori said.

“No, I didn’t,” Rachel could barely protest. 

“You deserve to die, just like your husband,” Mori was angry. 

“Why? Why did you kill my husband?” Rachel’s voice trailing away … 

“He killed my wife,” this time Mori was angry. 

When Mr Mori was angry, he was ANGRY. 

Chapter 31

As Asaki examined the contents of Rachel Wee’s transparent bag in front of Mr Mori, he quietly said to himself, 

“Everything is for sale. The only issue is the price.”

A rose from Christian ….

Book A

Chapter 1

There was nothing sinister about Mark and Suzanne. Mark kept short hair and not too clean shaven so that when you looked at him, you would know that if you entered into a fight with him anytime, chances were that you would lose. Suzanne was thin and willowy wearing her hair over her shoulders. They lived on top of our unit on the fifth floor at 5A. 

Chapter 2

I lived on low ground in an apartment behind a large house. The piece of land has no name and the entire estate was large and unkempt. Overgrown trees and brown leaves dripping from the branches gave anyone who came here the general feeling that this place was uninhabited. No one would know that you lived here unless you told them. You drove into a street, then turned left into the estate, and then you went further down the road, before you found us. 

It was the large Christmas tree standing in the middle of the large old garden that attracted Mother and I to this place. Once we saw it, we quickly made a down payment and booked the apartment for ourselves. At the time it seemed that all the other nine units were occupied. 

After three months we realized that our landlord seemed to be too busy with his other properties and as I tried to make enquiries on him I was given a firm warning to let things be, which resulted that we have not been able to pay rent for the last three months. If it did not bother the landlord, it should not disturb us. 

Chapter 3

The weather these days was bad. It rained every day at unpredictable hours, you couldn’t decide on whether to bring your umbrella along with you when you went out, so that I found a bag large enough to carry the bulky item in any case. The bag I left it on the bench outside our front door. 

Chapter 4

Mother and I moved in on Christmas Eve 2013. We could hear the sound of the Christmas Carols from far away background and saw that some of the apartments had their balconies decorated with Christmas lights. Mother told me to take out a bottle of red wine to celebrate this new chapter of our lives. At the time we didn’t know that Mother had cancer. 

On 26 March 2014, two days before Mother’s birthday, she was diagnosed with liver cancer. This piece of news shattered us, she more so than I, for she was given only one year to live. Mother had wanted more. I was still too young to comprehend what that meant. The thought of not having to see Mother again never occurred to me. 

In the subsequent months, Mother and I lugged her medical reports, scan results and all other relevant materials, from one doctor to another, hoping to find cure. We even met with church workers who specialized in divine intervention. Not being satisfied, we ordered alternative medicine online, some which were primarily unavailable in the country. 

We tried to salvage the little time that we have been left with now but that the bad news had a toll on our relationship. We knew that we must part on good terms but that once we made up, we were afraid that that would be the ending. So much so that we were never satisfied with just one long conversation. But we also did not know that the neighbours could hear what was said behind closed door.

Chapter 5

Today as I was waiting for my Grab on the first floor, 1A where Elaine and her golden retriever lived, she happened to open her front door. She saw me and without a hello, said, 

“Forget about your ex, he is a bad guy, move on ….” 

How did she know that I was divorced? 

I pretended not to hear her, and merely returned her hello, and then just at the time my Grab came. I quickly hopped in and left her. Her golden retriever barked loudly and seemed to want to follow me. I shut my car door tight and ordered the driver to bring me to my destination. 

Ok, so Elaine heard Mother and me. 

Chapter 6

As I came back this evening as usual, I met Lydia at the foot of the stairs. Lydia was our second floor neighbour who lived with her sister Emma. She was always friendly with a bright smile. Today she said to me, 

“you must have your own reasons for divorce, don’t let your mom influence you.” 

Just at this time, Tommy Lung from the second floor at 2B opposite the sisters also came back, “Yup, don’t let your mom disturb you,” Tommy Lung worked in Citibank. 

OMG! The whole neighbourhood could hear our conversation! 

I resolved not to talk to mother again. 

Chapter 7

Now that since my quarrels with Mother could be heard by the neighbours, I drafted a note to offer an explanation, which was that Mother was ill and that the illness took a toll on us. 

As a matter of fact, my patience was beginning to run out – not that I wanted Mother dead, but that I wanted some certainty which was positive. If Mother could live for another three years, then I would shelf my plans for graduate studies at the University of Birmingham. 

Once I decided to make peace with the neighbours, I went into action. At night, after Mother had gone to bed, I drafted a note: 

Dear Neighbours, If you hear some loud noises from this neighbourhood, please pardon us, it will quieten after a while, so that you could enjoy the rest of the evening. My sincere apologies. Your friendly neighbour. 

I refused to acknowledge the fact that the noise came from Mother and I, for I was not about to incriminate myself. 

Afterwards I did not hesitate to drop the note, copied into 9 pieces, into the letterboxes of all the residents in the block, which comprised the ten of us. I didn’t expect any reaction from the neighbours. 

Nothing happened until three days later when Mother had another argument with me. This time it was about Brother Joseph. Brother Joseph was a priest who resided in India and he came to Singapore with a miracle oil which he vowed had healing properties. 

“All you needed to do was to rub it where your body was ill,” he said affirmatively. 

“If it were that easy, all the doctors should be dismissed,” I thought to myself. I found it difficult to believe in Brother Joseph’s oil. 

Nonetheless Mother got a bottle from him and kept it close to her side. It irritated me tremendously. I would have put it together with all the other medicine since it promised to have curative powers. 

Chapter 8

As I was at the ground floor waiting for my Grab again this morning, Tommy Lung sauntered down from the second floor. 

“Don’t be too hard on your mother,” he said. 

“Huh? What do you mean?” believing that he did not hear our quarrels. 

“Do you have to pay for this miracle oil?” Tommy asked. 

OMG! He heard us! 

“No, I don’t think so,” meekly I replied. 

“Then let her, at least she has something to hold onto,” Tommy emphasised his words. 

“I guess so,” I had nothing more to say. Looked like the entire neighbourhood was living with us in the small apartment. I almost wanted to cry.

Chapter 9

I was still yet to find out whom the rest of the people living in the block were. First floor I knew it was Elaine with her golden retriever, the second floor I knew Lydia and Emma, and then on her side the third floor was Johnny and Florence. Florence was pregnant and due any minute and was in most of the time. The other side of the block on the first floor I knew David and Elizabeth. They have two young children and I particularly liked the younger one baby Lucas. 

On the second floor was Tommy Lung which you already knew, and on the third floor 3B was a tenant of obscure origin. He kept his door shut all the time and rarely came out. His balcony was also shut as you could see from far and that there seemed to be no activity inside. 

The one I most often saw was Mark and Suzanne. I found Mark aloof. On the contrary Suzanne greeted me whenever she saw me in the common area and I always looked forward to the chance of seeing them, singly or together. The ease with which Florence did things attracted me to her. Like the way she would fold her umbrella and the way she clipped her handphone under her arm whilst her hands were carrying the groceries. 

I told myself it was good to be married. 

Chapter 10

Cancer patients suffered from a kind of anguish, as it was as though God has given them an ultimatum of when they must return, so that their journey in life no longer held any more surprises. There was nothing to look forward to except death. Needless to say, that put a mask on everything that they did. 

I was also angry myself. I had thought that Mother could enjoy the rest of her life with me here, at this time, in this small estate grounds. I thought that every day would be Christmas as I had just quit my job as a data analyst with Hewlett Packard, after having saved up sufficient retirement funds. 

And then one night I heard someone moving his furniture. I was sure that it came from upstairs. The movement was loud enough for me to determine which direction it came from. It was from the upstairs not next door. It must have been 5A. Number 5A was Stuart. 

I wanted to charge upstairs to tell number 5A to stop being so loud. We didn’t often make friends, but we couldn’t help making enemies. If I went up now I would make 5A our enemy. 

True enough Mother did not sleep well last night. She complained of neck pain which only Brother Joseph’s oil could help sooth her nerves. 

Chapter 11

Today I saw Mark and Suzanne again, Mark holding out the umbrella for Suzanne. The image of them together played in my mind, and the sparkling diamond ring on Suzanne’s finger did nothing but created a certain kind of jealousy in me. How much did it cost? Were Mark and Suzanne legally married? I noticed that the diamond ring did not come with a wedding band to secure it. 

The next day late at night I returned, and as I got out of my Grab, I saw two figures in the dark and I saw that it was a man and a woman. The two figures entwined together I could see that they were deeply in love. I recognized Mark’ umbrella on the ground. 

In the distance I could hear the birds chirping as though they were cheering them on and I could almost hear music in the background. And as I knew that it was none of my business, I walked past them and headed straight back into my apartment. Mother was waiting for me. 

I dropped my shoes outside the front door before I got into the house. We have a shoe rack and we left it outside the house for we didn’t think that anyone would want to steal our old shoes. For one, our feet were smaller than most, and the thief had to be sure that it fitted her. 

The entire night I wondered if the woman was Suzanne, and if it were so they need not conduct their intimacy in the dark in the garden. They have their entire fifth floor at their disposal! 

Chapter 12

The rain suddenly came on my way home. I had not expected this, and that the driver dropped me at the porch behind the garden. The minute I arrived, something moved, and it was two figures who separated themselves. I didn’t want to confront them as it was not in my habit to confront anyone. I lived quietly on the fourth floor with my mother who was suffering from cancer and I really have no inclinations to invite more trouble. 

But one day as I met Mark on the ground floor, he suddenly approached me and started conversation. Mark never spoke to me. 

“Are you going overseas recently?” Mark said. 

“Not in the near future, why?” I replied. 

“I thought that you could look after my plants for me while I am away,” he said. 

Before I could reply. Mark continued, 

“Why haven’t you married?” 

“That is really none of your business,” I said quietly. 

I don’t want to water his plants for him. 

I gave him one of my toothless smiles and I turned and walked away, straight up to the apartment where mother will be asking why I took so long. 

But I felt distinctly uncomfortable after the interaction with Mark. He asked me for information which was not relevant to my relationship with him. I need not declare my marital status to him to water his plants. And I thought that he, including the other eight apartments, already knew that I was divorced. He was only my neighbour, it was really too personal. 

Chapter 13

Again, Mark attempted to talk to me, 

“Do you have any siblings?” he went straight to the point. 

“No, why?” naturally I was more guarded this time. 

“No reason, I don’t see anyone visiting you so was just wondering,” 

It was as though he had prepared himself each time. I asked myself if I should continue to meet him like this even though I had no choice in the matter. But I didn’t have that many friends. At forty-four most of my friends were already married. 

Chapter 14

A person who was good looking knew that he was good looking. Number 5A Stuart was like that. It was no surprise that he worked in It was Good to be Back Story by Lee Su Min 10 the Japan Airlines as an air steward. I was also impressed by the fact that he spoke Japanese. 

One day hanging my clothes in the backyard I found a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. I took the jeans and examined it. It was large and clearly a man’s trousers. At the same time when I was unfolding it something dropped out of the jeans pocket – it was a passport! 

Curiosity got the better of me, and I immediately turned the pages to the biodata page to see to whom it belonged. It said, 

“Stuart Lin Chi An” 

I quickly put it back in the pocket for the document was semiwet soaked with water. It must have gone into the washing machine. Chances were that the apartment on top was sunning the pair of jeans and that it had fallen into our backyard from his. I pondered on the thought to return the passport back to the rightful owner. 

Hey wait! Stuart gave me the impression that he was Singaporean, and to all intents and purposes he spoke Singaporean English. But his passport was a Japanese passport! 

Did he have dual nationality? 

Chapter 15

As usual I found my way home after I had gone for some coffee. Coffee has become my source of food rather than rice, since the kitchen was no longer in operation for me. I usually started to count the steps once I was at the entrance of the estate. That was to make walking up to the fourth floor a less awesome task. 

“Mother, I am back!” I yelled, making myself sound as cheerful as I could. 

No reply. 

I walked further in, to her bedroom. Maybe Mother was sound asleep. But hey! Mother was gone. 

In panic, I rushed around the house to all the other rooms to see if she were elsewhere. But alas, no! 

Immediately I went to her room to see if her handphone was there. No, she did not bring it along with her, so that meant that she was uncontactable. I saw her Rosary. It was lying there right in front of me staring at me. Now I have no choice but to resort to using this as a tool to relieve stress. I picked up the rosary and started to meditate. I have been to the church I was seeing Father Jeremy Koh, so I knew how to pray the rosary. I have no other resource. I was her only child, I have no siblings to confide in. 

I sat in semi darkness for at least an hour before I heard the front door open and someone coming in. 

It was Christian.

Chapter 16

The threat of dying loomed over us. We knew that time was running out as we approached the ninth month. Dying has never been so real to me. I never encounter death. I never went near a dead person, so that I was still unable to comprehend the finality of it. But I loved Mother. Since my divorce I had depended entirely on Mother for emotional support. 

Today I opened one of Mother’s luggage. Inside was my marriage certificate. I wanted to confront her before I remembered that I had asked her to keep it for me. Since the divorce, I had left all It was Good to be Back Story by Lee Su Min 12 matrimonial articles with Mother, including my wedding ring. This was not something which I wanted to keep, but it was also a souvenir that most would find it hard to abandon. I wanted to ask Mother if I should inform my ex-husband to come in to see her, but that meant putting her in distress, so that I refrained. Mother was in a poorer state of health now, frail and almost without meat. I knew that she was deeply upset by the laboratory report, and we did take one week to recover from the shock. Why. She did everything that the doctor asked her to do, took all her medications. Yet her condition hasn’t improved. 

Chapter 17

It was the two figures in the back garden again. I decided not to intrude upon them. They were minding their own business, yet something compelled me to expose them as I felt that Suzanne ought to know about this, since the woman did not seemed to be her. Although I had no right to determine their actions, if what they did was wrong then I could call on the authorities. But so far I have no proof of any wrong doing unless I could prove that Mark was legally married to Suzanne, and for that I would have to procure their marriage certificate. That was definitely not within the scope of the duty of a neighbour. 

Chapter 18

I sought counselling with Father Jeremy Koh Soo Liang. 

“First of all, you must tidy up your religious belief. You have to decide which God suits you most …. Of course there are more than one God. But we the Protestants and the Catholics believe that there is only one God, which is Jesus Christ the Son of God.”

I pondered on his words and decided that it was too difficult to digest so that I went home and slept on it. When I woke up, I saw a rose by my pillow. 

I might have brought it home. 

I picked it up and brought it to a vase and added some water before putting the stock in. And then I had my coffee. The booklet which Father Jeremy Koh gave me stared at me from the table. I knew that I must see him again this week. 

But actually I had already decided on Buddhism, for it allowed me to believe that Mother would come back as another person after her departure. This was more acceptable than waiting for another ten twenty years before I could see her again in heaven. I told myself I was going to take my leave from Father Jeremy Koh. 

Chapter 19

Happiness was like perfume. When you wore some others would enjoy it too. So was illness, someone who was perpetually ill made bad company. I couldn’t say that I did not entertain the thought of leaving Mother. I was close to moving out. Mother was a different mother now. 

In cancer, there was no formula for cure, no formula for death either. Mother’s illness has progressed, meaning that the cancer has spread to her other organs. She was angry and often threw things around. Food was left on the table without her touching it. After she has ordered me about she felt vindicated, as though I were the cancer cells circulating in her body finding a nest to settle down. 

After scanning a five page report to Dr Chang Wai Mun our radiologist, I rested for a while. Mother had found yet another alternative health specialist who told her that there was cure. The thing was that Mother believed him, and that he had reasons to suggest so. But I myself was not so encouraged. I belonged to the old school of thought, that once you had cancer there was no cure. The issue lied in how much time you could bargain with God. I wanted to be by her side to say goodbye to her. I loved Mother and Mother loved me. 

Chapter 20

By chance I met Stuart with his suitcase. He was on one of his trips again. 

“Wait! How are you going to travel without your passport?” I asked. 

“Huh? What do you mean?” 

“I got your passport with me,” I said, non-categorially. 

Stuart did not reply. 

“Are you a Japanese or a Singaporean?” I couldn’t help but blurted out. 

“Oh, so the pair of jeans are with you … was looking high and low for it,” he muttered. 

“Listen, you seemed young and available, why don’t you come to Japan with me?” out of the blue he offered, and then he added, 

“ …. after your mother is gone …. so you can start a new life.” 

It seemed like an option has been presented to me. I asked myself if Mother was going to come back as Stuart. 

“You still have time to think about it, she … your mom … is not so seriously ill yet?” 

“I shall consider your proposal, thanks …” I replied. 

I did mention that Stuart was good looking, and that I would need someone. 

Chapter 21

As usual, I went out for some coffee to relieve myself. The kitchen was now primarily used for cooking food for cancer patients. Sugar has been prohibited and nowhere to be found, apart from salt and oil. The best part of the fridge the top compartment has been reserved for Vitamin C sachets purchased online ordered by Mother. 

Whenever I wanted to do some cooking I often found one or two ingredients missing. 

Later on in the day when I met Father Jeremy Koh again, I told him that I’d rather believe in Buddhism. 

“They believe in the theory of reincarnation, so that meant that Mother would come back after she’d been gone … in another person. This theory gives me a lot of comfort. I cannot accept the fact that I will never see her again,” I told Father frankly. 

“May God bless you.” Father has his final word. 

Chapter 22

“It is imperative to make amends with your mother before she died.” Dr Chang advised me before we left his consultation room today. I had no choice but to accommodate Mother in all of her demands.

Today I saw Mark and a woman on the car on my way back from the office. Mark was driving and the woman was putting on her lipstick. I could only see her profile. I tried to greet Mark from inside my car but he did not see me. And we still haven’t decided on when to water his plants yet.

Chapter 23

I found Mark’s umbrella at our shoe rack amongst our shoes. Did he abandon it? Or did he mean to leave it there temporarily? I looked at 4B and noticed for the first time that Mark and Suzanne didn’t have any furniture outside their apartment. 

Lying in bed waiting to fall asleep, it occurred to me that Mark might have wanted to find out how much I knew about his affair and to ask me to conceal it for him. 

I am still yet to confirm the identity of the woman. 

Chapter 24

I believed that both evil and goodness exist in the same realm. When someone was dying the evil would come and make an attempt to take him as well. But if the dying man was a good person, the angels would be able to take his soul up to heaven. 

The problem still lied with my religious belief. I didn’t want Mother, a staunch Catholic, to know that I have faith in other beliefs. To her, they were the lesser gods. 

But as luck have it, I couldn’t help the exchange on religion. Mother wanted her way. 

Today Mother suddenly said to me, “I have an appointment which I think I might be late, could you check for me?” 

“What appointment is that?” I asked immediately. 

“With The Almighty.” Mother said. 

I didn’t know why on this particular instance Mother choose not to call Him “God”. Nonetheless I entertained her. 

“Oh? You could go to Mass to look for Him,” I thought that Father Jeremy Koh might have told her of my decision to choose Buddhism.

“No, I want you to see Father Jeremy Koh with me to do an anointing,” Mother ordered me. 

This could confirm me as a Catholic, which was against my better judgement. I believed in Buddhism now. I have not abandoned God, just the mode on which He could be contacted. 

In order to lighten things I said, “Let me check with the Bible, I am sure they will tell us,” and then before I started to tear I walked out of Mother’s sight. I went into my room and sat on the chair for ten minutes, then I started to pray the rosary again. I had forgotten that it was a Catholic rosary. Tomorrow I shall go to the temple to purchase a Buddhist charm. 

Book B

Chapter 25

To eliminate someone from your system you must do so systematically and logically and control your urge to go back to him, if you think that it was a bad habit.

I have resolved not to go back to my ex-husband. Under normal circumstances, this was a scenario where exceptions could be made. After all bereavement was not something that happened every day. 

I buried Mother according to her Catholic faith, and I spoke to all the relatives and friends until everyone was satisfied that she has gone to heaven. 

Chapter 26

At night I woke up and I moved her belongings from one room to another, hoping to find them a resting place. At 3:00 a.m., I thought that I heard Mother calling me again. I didn’t know where she was, but I was certain that it came from her. The voice seemed to have come from outside, so that I opened the front door. And once I stepped out, there was no turning back. I have to find the source of the voice as it belonged to my late mother. 

I saw Mark and his girlfriend … and this time she looked like Suzanne. 

I saw Elaine and her golden retriever … 

I saw Lydia and Emma … 

I saw Tommy Lung … 

They were the same persons, but now they did not seem so connected to me. 

And then suddenly they vanished from my vision. I looked at the time, and instantly recognized that it was late after midnight. 

Chapter 27

Since Mother’s passing I have been living alone in a shell. Like a tortoise I came out by day when everyone else was having their lunch and sometimes when they were preparing for dinner. Mother was my best and only friend I have no other source of companionship. I shunned all my friends after my divorce. 

Again I opened Mother’s cupboard to see if I could dispose of some of her old clothes. Mother was a thrifty woman and she sewed her own apparels. I have not had a chance to learn that skill from her before she died. I picked up two pieces and I quickly kept it in my wardrobe. 

And then I moved her belongings from one room to another. I walked from Mother’s bedroom to mine, then to the kitchen, and then back to her room, before walking to my own bedroom to sit down and cry again. I never felt more alone. 

“Clang!” 

I knocked on the vase by the side and it fell down, the glass breaking into several pieces. The stock of rose also fell onto the floor. I picked up the pieces of broken glasses, and the rose, and I tried walking to the nearest dustbin, before I dropped everything onto the floor again. Then I went to the backyard to bring the mop to wipe the water that was in the vase. 

“Let me clean up the mess for you,” I heard a voice. 

Don’t tell me I am hearing voices … 

And then someone held my hand. I looked up, my eyes met with another. 

“I am back. Since your mom fell ill, I have been wanting to get in touch with you again. Your mom came to see me some time ago and told me to look after you when she was gone. And after having saw you that night I have decided that I would be most pleased to do so …” 

“And by the way I have taken care of the rent, you could stay here for as long as you want …”

“ … I have also spoken to Father Jeremy Koh, he said that since both of us are Catholics, we were never considered as having been divorced in the eyes of God.” 

It was Christian.

A woman in her law office ….

Chapter 1

If you got the impression that someone didn’t like you, chances were that you were right. And being nice to a person did not mean that she would be nice to you in return. Yes, Marcus knew all along that I didn’t like him. 

Marcus was a small looking man, a bit mousy looking. You could say that his complexion was slightly too dark in colour. His small beady eyes always looking sideways whenever he spoke, and he wore an oversized shirt that was crumpled and unbuttoned at the top. But that was not the reason why I didn’t like him. 

I had no choice but to deal with him as he was my client. He came to see me because his wife had walked out on him. 

The first thing Marcus said to me was, “I heard you are the best divorce lawyer in town.” 

That put me on guard straight away. I usually didn’t take compliments easily. If you said that I looked good, chances were that I didn’t believe you. I was just your girl next door and I couldn’t be plainer than plain Jane. 

Chapter 2

“If you are still after your enemy even when you have taken revenge, chances are that you still haven’t let go, and that meant that she or he has an emotional hold over you.” This is what I always told my client. The enemy of course I was referring to the spouse, either the wife or the husband. 

Chapter 3

On the second consultation, Marcus went straight to the point. 

“I hit her,” 

“My God! Was there any injury?” “I mean marks or blood stains … I assumed that you used your fists,” 

“I didn’t see, I was too shocked by my own behaviour,” 

“What did she do after that?” 

“She went downstairs, and I think she called her lover,” 

“So, there is no way in which you could run away with this?” 

“That’s why I am here for,” “I need your advice,” 

I opened my drawer to take out my pen and note book. And then I looked at the clock in front of me. The second hand was starting to tick now. I pretended that I was doing something but actually I wished my client hadn’t confessed that he had hit his wife. It made my job more difficult. If the confession came as an allegation from the other side I would deny it straight away. 

After about fifteen seconds, I looked up. Marcus was looking at me with pleading eyes, I think he wanted me to conceal the information for him. 

“Fine,” I said, without him saying more. 

“We just wait for the papers,” I said. 

“You mean Mei would file for divorce?” the mousy man in front of me said. 

“Obviously! Unless she has come back after that evening,” I assumed that he had hit her after one or two drinks. Men didn’t’ hit their wives when they were sober. No, not in this country. 

Chapter 4

This morning even before Evelyn had served the coffee, I asked my client who was sitting in front of me, 

“Where is she now?” I thought my client might have some idea. This would make my job easier. I would then know where I could send the divorce papers to, if the other party did not file papers. 

“I don’t know, when I went down she had already gone,” Marcus looked distressed. 

“Which means that she is not with you now?” I reiterated what I already knew. 

“No, I have been living alone since,” Marcus said. 

And then he added, “… and the clothes in the wardrobe seemed to be missing …” 

“Ah, she had been back to collect her belongings,” I remarked, and then I added, 

“Which means that she had decided to leave, which is good news.” 

“Or is it, bad news?” just to be sure that divorce is what this man wanted. 

“No, on the contrary, it is good news for me,” Marcus reaffirmed his sincerity. 

I looked at the mousy man. He had come to file for divorce. Of course, if he had wanted his wife back, he would have gone to a counsellor not a lawyer. 

“Do you remember why you hit her?” I looked Marcus straight in the eye. 

“I assumed no one saw it,” he avoided my question. And then he said, 

“Oh yes, the family pet … Kobe saw it ….” 

“That means no one saw you hitting her?” I corrected Marcus. 

“Err, yes, you are right … No, I did not hit Mei,” Marcus finally got it right. 

I began to probe further, “And may I ask you a pertinent question?” 

“What?” Marcus was by now beginning to trust me. 

“When was the last time you slept with your wife?” I put it forward very plainly. 

“No, I can’t remember, must have been a long time ago …” 

“Would you say more than three months ago?” I asked. 

“Oh yes, certainly, …. I remember that we fought on the eve of Christmas, today is …. fifth of May,” 

“Ok, that’s good. I don’t want her to come back and claim half of everything you own, and maintenance for her unborn child, then we would have to order a DNA,” 

“Oh, ok. But there was no evidence that she left on New Year’s Day?”

“That is why you need me to draft the affidavit for you,” I said. I was a lawyer.

Chapter 5

Having to conceal something was difficult but not particularly stressful. I have managed to hide five adulterous affairs and three family violence, so this was just small feat. To exonerate myself I visited the chapel every week, said fifteen decades of the Rosary, which was three rounds of the beads, and then I would leave for dinner at the Marriott Court.

I knew that God would pardon me. I was not a habitual liar, but for the purposes of my bread and butter I needed to keep my clients’ secret for them. Like if you were a priest you would have to carry the confessions of the sinners to your grave. 

Chapter 6

I always wondered how Mei looked like. My impression of her was that she was tall and attractive, and also well educated. After all Marcus was a professional, and a rich man. If he divorced Mei, she would stand to gain at least three million dollars as a lump sum pay out. She probably looked like Mona Lisa, or one of those models who advertised beauty products in a commercial. For some strange reason, I imagined her to be having flawless porcelain skin. 

Chapter 7

Waiting for someone to fire a shot was daunting and required a lot of patience. Marcus and I had nothing in common except waiting for Mei to serve us the papers. It was like waiting for it to rain. You knew that it had to rain but you didn’t know when. 

“If someone quarrels with you and refuses to make up, chances are that he has got some other plans,” I told Marcus. 

“I am almost hundred percent sure that Mei is otherwise engaged,” I probed further. 

“You mean she has found someone else?” Marcus was starting to look desperate. 

I saw that he didn’t want a divorce. Marcus just needed someone to talk to. So, it was my job now to persuade him to come around to the inevitable separation and eventual divorce. After all divorce was my bread and butter. 

Chapter 8

The worst thing that could happen in any case was when your client worked against you. He did just exactly what you told him not to do. It was not only frustrating but downright dangerous as well. He could suddenly make up with your opponent’s client and support their case. You ended up with a bad reputation because your client cheated on you. 

I specifically advised Marcus not to contact Mei. If Mei hadn’t filed for divorce that meant that there was still hope. But if Marcus moved then he might agitate Mei to do something else. I didn’t want Mei to go to the police. 

“Let’s confine this within the Family Court,” I put it to Marcus. 

Chapter 9

DPP Laurence rang me today. Laurence was one of the guys who worked at the attorney general’s office. He was the public prosecutor who argued that you should be fined or put to jail. He was also my ex colleague in law school and I could say that we were on pretty good terms. 

“Listen, I want you to act for a lady,” he began. 

“What is the charge?” I went straight to the point. 

“Assault and battery,” he made it sound simple. 

“Who was the attacker, in a public place?” I asked. 

“No, it’s her husband,” Laurence did not mince his words. 

“Oh, family violence,” I added. 

“Can you do a pro bono?” Laurence requested. 

“Certainly, just let me know when I can visit the woman.” I said, then further on, 

“I presume she is no longer living at home,” 

“Of course not, I will send you the file and then you would know where to find her.” Laurence did not waste too much time in talking to me. 

I put the phone down and then I asked Evelyn to bring me a cup of coffee. I needed it to set my thinking straight before I picked up one of my files and started to work again. 

And then I remembered that I had forgotten to ask Laurence for the name of my new client. 

Chapter 10

It rained and then it stopped raining. The sun was on the horizon but unable to make a full, bright presentation. I took Rover out for a walk then quickly came back in case it suddenly started to rain again. 

My client from DPP came to see me this morning. I wasted no time in talking to her. 

“He tried to kill me,” the first things she said. 

“Oh yeah, did he recently buy an insurance cover in your name?” I enquired. 

“Insurance?” woman looked blankly in my direction. I saw that and knew that she hasn’t woken up from her relationship with her husband. 

I looked at the file, and I found his name: DPP vs. Kevin Fong Li Choon. The police have taken over the matter and prosecuting the woman’s husband for abuse following a personal protection order against him. 

The couple stayed in a landed property in an expensive district, no signs that they were in financial difficulty. So that I could rule out the insurance bit. Then why did Kevin hit Nicole? Was he really intending to kill her? 

“Did he use any weapon?” I asked the woman sitting in front of me. 

“No, I said something that made him angry, and he just suddenly jumped up … used his hands to strangle me …” woman said. 

“So it is not premeditated,” I pinned the parameters. 

Chapter 11

Evelyn came to work in a bright red dress this morning. I let her make my usual coffee for me but I wondered what the occasion was. 

“What’s up?” I asked, casually. 

“I am having a reunion dinner with my ex-classmate tonight,” she replied, nonchalantly. 

I assumed that the ex-classmate was a woman. 

Evelyn was my right hand, she greeted me with a cheerful smile every morning when I came in, she prepared my coffee, as well as ordered lunch from the nearby Fishermen’s Court so that I could relax a little in midday. I depended on her for files, as only she knew where they were being kept. My appointments were also scheduled by her, as she kept my diary. I spent all my time and energy at my work, with no time for social life, yes, you were right, I was single. 

Chapter 12

I have no weaknesses for men, but I have a special weakness for jewellery – rings especially, as it was something that I could see when I was wearing it, unlike a pendant. So, whenever I was free, I would pop in at Crown 1983. They have a small collection of fine jewellery. I browsed around, and I always came to an emerald ring. It was square and large, set within 2 medium-sized diamonds. The band was also set in diamonds. I told myself to hold on as it was somewhat expensive. 

But today I have decided to make a purchase, I have been thinking too much of the emerald ring. And since I have taken on these two new cases, it should bring me at least thirty thousand dollars. I wanted to be able to enjoy the emerald ring at my own leisure and kept it in my own safe at the office, rather than having to come in toCrown 1983. I might not wear it though, as it looked very expensive. Michael the salesman I was sure was also tired of seeing me every week without any fruitful purpose. I have not been asking to see any other pieces.

Chapter 13

To tell you the truth, as I told you before, for one reason or another, I did not like Marcus. The fact that he had hit his wife did not make me like him more. As I said, men didn’t usually hit a woman – they were of a weaker sex. I wanted to know exactly why. What precipitated the argument, and why Marcus would hit a lovely wife like Mei – unless she has committed adultery. So that I have decided to do a PI report on Mei. For this I needed to get Marcus’s permission, the PI would need some form of interest. You couldn’t just walk into Spider’s Bureau and ask for a report. 

Chapter 14

I made my own coffee today. My Nespresso was bright red in colour and was placed at the corner together with two pots of small money plants. They said that money plants bring in good luck, so I’d rather err on the side of caution. The plants were also easy to maintain and didn’t need a lot of sunlight. 

Shits! I forgot to wash the froth maker for the milk!

I unplugged the jug, brought it to the sink, then I remembered the emerald ring that I bought yesterday. I suddenly had a strong urge to look at it. It was still in my bag. I decided to take out the little parcel and unwrapped it to admire the piece. 

Ooh la la! It was gone! 

The parcel was gone! Not inside my bag! Shocked, I couldn’t believe my eyes! I was sure that Michael passed me the parcel yesterday. My habit whenever I arrived at the office was to go to the Nespresso to make a cup of coffee and that day I was too busy answering an incoming call at the same time. 

My first reaction was to pick up my iPhone to ring Crown 1983 immediately but hey, for loss of personal property, the proper channel to report to should be the police, not the jeweller who sold you the gem. But fact was that I didn’t see the emerald ring being packed inside. 

There were two possibilities: either Michael cheated me, or that someone stole it from me subsequently. Both of which were not a prospect I looked forward to. I sat down on the carpeted floor and stared blankly at my bag, a Louis Vuitton, my mind stopped working suddenly. 

Chapter 15

Someone tapped me on my shoulder. I turned around straight away. It was Marcus. 

“Why are you here?” I asked, not too friendly. 

“You looking for something?” he seemed to know that I have lost my precious emerald. 

Zeep! I zipped up my LV straight away. I didn’t want more people to know of my misfortune. 

“Mei has filed for divorce,” the mousy looking man announced, speaking over my shoulder as I was still sitting on the floor. 

“Oh that’s good news,” I tried to make myself sound cheerful although it was difficult at this point in time. 

“To get rid of your wife, you really need some skill,” the man continued. I could see that he was considerably cheerful, not to mention relief. 

“Huh? You were hoping for a divorce?” I said. 

“Yes, I want her to do the filing, so that on record I did not initiate it,” 

“Why is that so?” I pursued. 

“We were married in church, the community is very small … if I am known to have divorced my wife … they would not like me very much,” Marcus elaborated. 

A devil pretending to be a saint! I thought to myself, I told you that I didn’t like Marcus. This gave me another ground for my not liking him. I got up from the floor, went to the desk, and pulled the chair out for Marcus. 

“Sit down,” I said. 

“Yes of course,” the man sat down obediently. 

“Now, we need to know exactly how much money you have,” I told my client. 

“The house was bought in joint names,” he lamented, as I detected a note of regret. 

“So she has half,” I put it to him. 

“The bank accounts are also in joint names,” client said. 

“Do you have anything that you own without her?” I quizzed.

Now I have forgotten entirely about my emerald ring. 

I gave Marcus a piece of paper, “write your assets down, try not to miss anything, you would be surprised that she knows more about your money than you yourself.” I warned my client. 

Then I got up and went to the Nespresso, and gave myself more caffeine. 

Chapter 16

No one knew where my emerald ring was, neither did Michael. When I went back to see him, he was prepared to swear on the Bible that he packed it faithfully. 

“We have a reputation to protect?!” “How could we do such a thing?! – to pretend to sell?! – I thought I packed it right in front of you?!” Michael was adamant. I was afraid to offend him, so I quickly apologised – “Must have been my mistake,” I confirmed. 

My Christian friends always told me that whenever you lost something, the best person to pray to for its retrieval was Saint Anthony. The Saint is known to be working for the “lost and found department”. 

I had no other solution but to resort to divine intervention. After all, the circumstances upon which the gem was lost was really quite inexplicable. It had to be one of the two possibilities. 

Chapter 17

Thinking of Marcus’s case I couldn’t fall asleep, so I took the Grab and arrived at the office just after midnight. I opened the wooden door as usual, the door was slightly jammed, and then I was surprised to find that the lights in my room was on. Did I forget to switch it off when I left earlier in the evening? 

I lay the suspicion aside, and proceeded to go to my desk. I took out my note book from the drawer, and I opened the file marked “Soon Yee Mei vs. Marcus Wong Kai Fong”. I wanted to put myself in the shoes of Marcus, and argued on his behalf. But fact was that Mei was a woman, so I could sympathise with her. Men were not supposed to hit women, no matter how provoked they were. Although I represented Marcus, I could not play judge. I knew that my prejudice was not helping me. 

Marcus’s file was always on the top as it was my latest case. I opened my Mac, got the document from Desktop, and then I started typing from where I left off: 

“A violent man is not always violent … the defendant was a family man who provided for his wife adequately, at no time did he entertain the thought of using force on his wife. The incident arouse purely out of anger and disappointment, that despite everything that he did, his wife went ahead and entered into an extra-marital affair …” 

Having satisfied with my opening lines, I printed it out and looked for the file to keep the hard copy. The file was on top as this was the most current case at the moment. But … hey! … my file was not there!! 

There was no one in the office. Evelyn has left for the day, and I remembered that I locked the door earlier on in the day. No one could have come in. Evelyn didn’t have to surrender the keys before she left the office for the day. So she could still come in. But why would she want the file? There was no motive. 

There was a thief loitering in the office! My suspicion was confirmed. And again the culprit had to be Evelyn. But I didn’t want to alert Evelyn yet. I was going to install CCTV, and caught her red handed. 

This would be better than reporting loss to the police. After all, it was just my statement. No one could confirm, apart from myself, that I had some stolen files, and an emerald ring. I have to be very careful. 

Chapter 18

I didn’t know who Mei’s lover was. I had to get more evidence in order to help Marcus. I was certain that Marcus knew the information but that he chose not to reveal it to me. Maybe he was ashamed of it, maybe he thought that giving the name of his wife’s lover to me wouldn’t help his case. I decided to wait. 

To end a relationship there must be mutual agreement on both sides. Now only one party to the marriage wanted to leave. And to exhibit this intention, Mei had actually left the matrimonial home. The door was open for both sides to file for divorce. If nothing happened the marriage could be dissolved in three years’ time under “irreconcilable differences” that the parties were no longer living in the same household. Marcus didn’t want a divorce for sure. It was I, the divorce lawyer who wanted it. If the parties got back together I would have no case to work on. I was not hard up for money, neither was I the other woman waiting to marry Marcus once he was divorced. 

But since it was my bread and butter I had to work at it. 

Chapter 19

Life was in passing, we have memories, we have photographs. The photographs, we used it as hard copy when our memories failed us. I decided to ask Marcus for a photograph of Mei, and then once I obtained this, I would persuade him to allow me to hire a PI to look into Mei’s affairs. I was hundred per cent sure that she was having a lover outside, for otherwise she would not have the means and courage to stay away for so long. It had been at least five months by now. 

Spider’s Bureau had managed to produce a photograph of Mei with a man. But that was all. A woman and a man standing together, side by side, with nothing to prove that they slept together, either immediately before or immediately afterwards.

Chapter 20

Marcus was getting impatient. I could see that he wanted some certainty. To wait three years was a long time. But certainty was finality. I saw that, and I said, “Unless you have evidence of her adulterous behaviour, you cannot divorce her.” 

“Did you confront her?” I asked him point blank without even having established the fact of an adultery. 

“No, I dare not,” Marcus gave a helpless look. 

“When she lost her temper, I got into a frenzy,” he attempted to explain. 

“Why do you bother, you are the bread winner,” I tried to tell him to be brave. I haven’t been told then that Mei brought in more money to the marriage. 

“No, I have to deal with it, as otherwise I would carry it to the next day,” “I can’t afford to lose concentration at work.” Marcus’s reason. 

Chapter 21

I couldn’t sleep again tonight. As usual I found myself back in the office. 

Then I walked passed the Nespresso table, heading straight towards my room. At the other end I saw the lights on and the door ajar. 

Don’t tell me I forgot to switch off the lights! … 

… And then I heard some noises. The sound was not loud enough for me to identify the speakers. Nevertheless, it warranted some investigation. I followed the trail of the voices and found myself standing right in front of the conference room. 

“Don’t go yet, I haven’t eaten,” 

“We need to leave soon, in case she comes back,” 

“Don’t worry, she never does, I know her pattern,” the female voice. 

“I go first, don’t forget to lock the front door … and leave the file back on her desk …” 

The voices quietened, and I quickly walked back into my own room. 

I looked at my iPhone, the time was 2:20 a.m., too late to go home to sleep and too early for work. All the restaurants and hawker centers were closed by now. I stayed in my own room, preferring to let the uninvited guests to decide for themselves what they wanted to do. My office is a law office, other than a few series of law books and an antique wall clock, I have nothing for them to take, assuming that they were thieves. But from the conversation I heard earlier, it seemed that money was not what they were after. They were just here for a good time. 

I inclined my chair and tried to relax a little. Marcus’ case was difficult to handle. I have no idea what my client really wanted. Was it a divorce? Or was he merely trying to save money on the alimony? But now I was quite certain that it was a divorce he wanted. He seemed happy when we received the affidavit from Mei. 

My mind drifted to Evelyn as I knew that she had found a boyfriend. Otherwise she won’t be dressing so well these days. Maybe I should make her do overtime and see how she responded. I thought I was a little jealous of Evelyn. 

By the time I decided to leave the office, it was time for breakfast. I went out of my room, checked that the conference room was empty, before I locked myself out of the office. No one was inside the conference room at the time. 

Chapter 22

If you found that you were doing something incriminating and you tried to conceal it, that meant that you were sound. 

I found my missing file on top of the coffee table, where I would usually get my coffee from, as sometimes I would help myself. I told myself I could have left it there by mistake, but actually on the other hand I was pretty sure that it was missing since the night I came back. However no harm was done as nothing was missing from the file. At most the thief just saw my draft affidavit. I couldn’t even call him a thief, since he didn’t take anything. 

I let the file sit at the coffee table, and I asked Evelyn to bring me the “Marcus File”. She merely said, 

“I saw it just now, you brought it out,” and without another word from her, the file came to my table. 

I wanted to confront her but then I realised that I had no proof of her taking it from my desk. I might just incur her wrath, for after all I wasn’t paying Evelyn a very high salary. 

So then I was happy to continue with my affidavit:

…. We mustn’t always assume that the one who used force was at fault. The victim could well be the indicter, you have to look behind the circumstances that induced the scene. Mei was undoubtedly an attractive woman, and had committed adultery in the eyes of my client. He confronted her and she refused to address his concerns. If she wasn’t unfaithful she could easily have said no. Instead she abused my client by calling him a bastard. These are not kind words you tell your provider. Although she has brought in a certain amount of funds when she married my client, but due to her spending habits, the funds are now depleted ….

Chapter 23

To gain a person’s trust, you have to do it slowly and over a long period of time. Evelyn was my right hand man, and I trusted her completely. I saw no reason why she would want to betray me. Although her salary was not very high, the job was cushy. She came in past nine every day, and left the moment she felt that she has finished her job. Me, on the contrary, made my own coffee if she were late, and was usually the one who locked up the office. I never once reprimanded Evelyn for anything that she did, rightly or wrongly. 

So that even if I was a little unhappy about the file incident, I let it be. I’d rather prefer to think that it was simply misplaced. 

But I decided to go back to the office this morning at 1:00 a.m. I wanted to know if the uninvited guests whom I heard the voices from came back to my office again. If they made my conference room their regular venue for rendezvous, I thought I have a right to charge them a fee. For after all if you checked into a hotel, a decent room would cost you at least three to four hundred dollars. 

True enough, the room was occupied. The door was shut tight, and I remembered that I left it wide open before I logged out from the office. I could hear traces of laughter as I went nearer. I almost wanted to open the door when I heard one of them saying, 

“Be careful, she might find out that you took it,” 

“She went into her room straight away, and there is no CCTV here, so she can’t possibly accuse me of it,” 

“But I am surprised you knew that there was a parcel inside,” “She wrote it down in her diary – Guan 1983 – and I just tried my luck,” 

“Clever job! You never spoke to her in Chinese?” 

“God no! This is a law office, not the Chinese Chamber of Commerce,” the lady said. 

“ ….. ” 

And then they were quiet again. I assumed that the man is on top of the woman by now. I quickly walked to my room to hide inside for I didn’t want either of them to know that I was privy. Immediately I thought of installing CCTV to monitor the moments in my office. But of course by then it was too late. 

I knew that if I went to the Police the first thing the officer would ask me is where I got the item from in the first place. I could prove possession by just getting Michael to support my report. But how could I prove that Evelyn had taken it? 

My purpose was to get the emerald ring back, not to prosecute Evelyn. I was a lawyer, I knew the law of evidence. I had to have hard evidence to show that my second man has taken the liberty of stealing my property. And also that I must prove that I have sufficient funds to make the purchase. I knew where I kept my income tax file, it was in the safe. Immediately I walked into my room to the safe to see if I could retrieve the document. 

And then my mind clicked, I suddenly remembered where I left my parcel with the emerald ring. I had gone for coffee after I came out of Michael’s shop. I ordered an Expresso Macchiato and was sitting at the table with two chairs, the waiter asked me to make myself comfortable taking the parcel out of my hand, putting it on the seat beside me. And then after coffee I was in a hurry to get back to the office … OMG! I left the parcel at Happy Café!

I knew that I could not go back to retrieve the parcel now, it has been a week. The answer was clear now, I have lost the gem. No one would return it to me even if he had found it. Although I couldn’t possibly say that the waiter was a culprit, he certainly was keen on taking the parcel off my hands. Again, this called for the law of evidence. I have no hard evidence that someone stole my parcel, it would have been impossible to demand Happy Café to show me their CCTV recordings for the entire week. Why should they? What right have I got? I was a lawyer, so I knew straight away that I had no case.

Chapter 24

I almost tripped when I tried to answer the call. It was Marcus. Usually after a few consultations, I would give my clients my mobile line so that they could contact me after office hours, and for this service I charged them at twice the billable hourly rate. 

I was not expensive, just efficient. 

“Hello Marcus, what can I do for you? ” I have keyed in my client’s name as one of the contacts. 

“She took Kobe … can you get him back for me?” 

“Wait! You mean you lost your pet?” 

“No … she took him ….err, yes, Kobe is not in the house.” 

“Ok, I come right now?” I dropped everything and ordered a Grab to Park Avenue. 

“What number?” driver asked. 

“I will tell you when we arrive at the road,” I wasn’t sure if my client was waiting for me inside his house. 

The road was dark and I thought that the street lamps were too few and far in between. One of the lamps has also fused. Nevertheless I found the poor man standing outside his house on the main road. I dropped off immediately. 

“How can you be so sure that she took your pet?” first thing I asked. 

“Kobe is not in the house,” 

“Have you thought that he might have ran away, or that someone else took your pet?”

“The maid said she came back … and then when I came home he was gone …” 

“Calm down,” I said. 

I let the man settle down, and then I took him by the side, gently nudging him back to his own home. 

The house was empty. 

I took the seat in the middle of the living room by the side of the coffee table. 

My client was more composed now, he looked slightly better under the chandelier. Chandeliers were bright and exquisite. I wanted to ask for a glass of water. 

“Want some tea?” client asked. 

“No, actually all I need is a glass of water,” in my mind I was wondering how to turn this meeting into a consultation so that I could charge the man. 

If I took the offer of a drink that meant that we were having a social gathering. 

Marcus walked away, I assumed he went to take me the glass of water. 

Almost immediately the man came back, a crystal glass in his hand. I took the glass, and Marcus took over the conversation. The man suddenly dished out something from his trouser pocket, went down on his knees, and he said, almost in a whisper, 

“Would you marry me?”

I heard him, but I couldn’t believe my ears, what was this man saying? Was he insane? 

“Since I first met you, I have set my eyes on you, you are a beautiful woman, and you helped me to forget about Mei,” he said. 

I saw his face, his beady eyes looking straight at me, I could see that he wasn’t joking, but in order to avoid his proposal, I had to say, 

“Sorry Marcus, what are you doing? I am not Mei,” 

I pretended that I did not know what he was doing. Waiting for him to get up on his knees, I took the glass which he just gave me earlier on, and sipped at it. 

The man sensed that his enthusiasm wasn’t met. He got up from his knees, slowly and quietly kept his box, and as slowly and quietly he turned and sat himself on the sofa. Once he was seated I went back to the main topic, which was why I came here for in the first place, 

“Does Kobe have a collar?” I asked. 

“No, he has no dog collar, so even if someone found him, they won’t know that he belonged to me,” my client pulled a long face. 

He does recover quite fast! 

Marcus was remarkable. He sounded so desperate just now. I made sure that I gave him a piece of advice before I called it a day. This was to ensure that I could bill him for my trip here tonight. 

“The dog is one of the matrimonial properties, if you have genuinely lost it she cannot claim for it. Go and make a police report tomorrow morning.” And in case my client was still worried, I added, 

“No worries, Kobe is a dog, he won’t talk.” She I was of course referring to his wife Mei. By now we need not mention our opponent by name. 

With this, I walked out of Park Avenue and into the darkened street. For once, I couldn’t find my own shadow. The street lamps were fused. I wanted to go back to the office, but decided to deviate to Happy Café to have a hot drink, I needed to digest what Marcus did tonight. It was certainly out of character. 

At Happy Café after two camomile teas, I decided that Marcus was just teasing me. He couldn’t have fallen for me. As I said, I was plainer than plain Jane. But if he did, he was certainly very quick about it. Imagine, marrying the lawyer who did the divorce for him. The story could go into the front page news. Come to think of it, I haven’t had time to read the evening paper yet. 

Chapter 25

I went home, unable to know what to do. Marcus had changed the perimeters. If I had accepted his proposal just now, he would have become my fiancée straight away, which made me the wrong person to act for him, since there would be a conflict of interest. Should I discharge myself? 

I couldn’t sleep, but I didn’t go back to the office this time. 

I let the sound of the author from one of the books in Audible lulled me to sleep. In the morning I woke up having finished the entire book without knowing it’s content. I must admit that I do have a sleeping problem. 

I was very surprised by Marcus’ behaviour. What game was he trying to play? Whose heart was he after? 

By now I have made up my mind not to handle Marcus’s case anymore. He was flippant, slippery and mousy. My impression of him remained unchanged. I decided to draft a letter to him to discharge myself, 

“Dear Mr. Yap, ….” I began. 

And then my iPhone rang. A voice on the other side, “Your client is now warded in the Black Forest Institute, we require you to present yourself at the reception to check her in,” it was urgent and loud, unmistakably from a police officer. 

But which client? Whose client? I lost my mind for a moment. I had been working on Marcus’s case day and night, I was still at the part where Kobe disappeared. Automatically I said, 

“Hello, this is Daphne Chong, who is this?” 

“You must come down straight away, you have to sign the papers for admission and discharge,” the police officer said. 

I dropped my phone, went to put on my jacket as the weather has just turned chilly. And then after a distance away I realized that I had forgotten to lock my office. Being absent minded was one of my habits nowadays, not character flaw but just bad organization. 

Chapter 26

At least five people were waiting for me when I arrived. I went straight up to Nicole, 

“He hit you again?” 

The woman looked at me, raging, 

“Why did you hit me?” she asked. 

I looked at her firmly, “Pardon, I didn’t hit you,” I said. Of course, I didn’t hit her. 

There were two police officers around, I knew I had to defend myself, so immediately I said again, 

“No, I didn’t touch you, this is only the second time I am seeing you, Madam,” 

One of the officers looked at me with a queer expression on his face, 

“You a legal counsel?” he asked. 

“Yes?” I saw no harm in admitting that. 

“This lady has lost touch with reality, so that if you can be her guardian, we will be in touch with you from time to time, until she is off the hospital grounds,” officer said. 

Of course I consented. This was my bread and butter.

Chapter 27

The next morning when I woke up the first thought that came to my mind was to visit Nicole. She had been taken ill and she would require some form of help, most probably a listening ear. Her husband had hit her. But of course she was ill so her testimony might be doubtful. I told myself I had to get her well. 

I had no problem gaining access into the hospital grounds when I showed my name card. I also brought along papers that showed that I was the patient’s caregiver.

Nicole was happy to see me. She had already been changed into her hospital clothes and she looked refreshed, probably because she has taken the first dose of her medication. I was surprised that she could recognise me. 

“Hello Ms Daphne, nice to meet you,” she said. 

“Yes, nice to meet you too,” I said, followed by, 

“How was breakfast?” not a silly question. 

“Noooo,” she replied, “I couldn’t eat the bread because it was not toasted,” 

Huh? What did she mean? 

“I only eat toast,” she added. So I asked her if she slept well, but she didn’t seem to remember how many hours she slept. But fact was that she looked rested. I knew that she would recover, and then I would be able to get the alimony for her. I have a reputation to protect. I have managed to secure a seven thousand dollar monthly maintenance together with a three million dollar pay out. 

I adjusted my blouse and then I told Nicole that I will be coming in to see her again the next day. She looked at me, a little blankly, and then she smiled shyly. I walked out of the hospital with confidence knowing that Nicole would soon be able to see me in my office soon. This was one hospital where there was no mortuary as no one actually died inside. Unless of course it was suicide. But the patients were all sedated and the windows were grilled so that there was no chance of any successful attempts. 

Chapter 28

I might as well confess to you now that I do have a problem with sleeping. Often I turn and toss in bed without being able to fall asleep immediately. Tonight was the same. And this time I really didn’t want to go back to the office. The two uninvited guests I was sure must have been in the office again. 

I wanted to charge them for using my office premises to conduct their affair, but I was too afraid to confront them directly. If I were to change the front door lock, Evelyn would have to know as I would need to give her a duplicate since sometimes she reported to the office earlier than I. 

I was in a dilemma. 

I was going to lose a client and a secretary. 

Chapter 29

But first and foremost I continued with my letter of discharge: 

“Dear Mr Marcus Yap, In the light of the recent circumstances and after much consideration, I am unable to continue to act as your attorney, and would therefore like to discharge myself with immediate effect. I wish you all the best in your pursuit.” 

I wanted to add the words “of happiness”, after the words “in your pursuit”, and “the recent circumstances” I did not elaborate. Marcus must know what I was referring to. His display of affections in his house the other night was most unwelcomed and out of character. I doubted if it was genuine. If it were, then Marcus must have been mad! 

I waited for his response. But nothing came. I even forwarded all my incoming calls from my office line to my iPhone. Eventually when I couldn’t contain the suspense any longer, I made Evelyn draft out a bill and send it to Marcus’s address at Park Avenue. If he could afford to buy me an engagement ring, surely he could afford to pay for my consultation fees! 

But fact was that I somewhat regretted having rejected his offer. I should have let him show me the engagement ring first, and then decided based on how expensive the gift was. After all the price could be used to ascertain his sincerity. I was nearing late thirties, if I did not marry now, the chances of it happening was almost nil. Besides, I was working every day, and the people whom I met was either a prospective criminal, an intending divorcee, or simply an angry man who had a vendetta against someone. I was not about to enter into any relationship with them. 

Chapter 30

Marcus was gone from my life. So were the two uninvited guests. I never saw nor heard from them again. My letter to Park Avenue was sent by registered mail and I checked that it was properly delivered. The bill Evelyn had sent via email, so there was no chance of it being lost, unless Marcus did not access his account. But that was only two thousand and twenty dollars so that I could write it off as bad debt in the event that he refused to pay. I still have other clients and oh yes, Nicole! 

Nicole was most pathetic. The consultant psychiatrist reported that she suffered a heart attack and died within the hospital grounds. And that Kevin came to pick up her body and promptly buried her. It seemed that he too, like Mei, was having an extra-marital affair. 

Yes, Mei! What has happened to Marcus? 

No one knew, and I think even if they knew they won’t want to tell me. I went into Spider’s Bureau again, but this time to check out on my client. What was my interest in this matter? 

None. 

I was merely a jealous ex-solicitor. When Evelyn came to tender me her resignation this evening, her right hand had a large emerald ring glaring at my face. Square and large, set within two medium-sized diamonds, the band was also set in diamonds. 

“From my fiancée,” she merely said. 

“And who is the lucky guy?” I asked, when I already knew the answer. 

“Oh you won’t remember him, Marcus.” Evelyn replied, her smile not showing any of her teeth. 

Damn! So that was the ring that Marcus tried to give me the other night!! 

“Oh yeah, what happened to the bill?” I suddenly remembered.

“He didn’t respond, so after two months, I took the initiative to go to his house to look for him, that was the time he proposed to me.” Evelyn knew I wanted the story. 

By now I thought you must have guessed who the two uninvited guests in my conference room were. Evelyn was lying under her teeth. It was she and Marcus. But that also meant that she was sound. For if she confessed to the theft I would have reported the matter to the police right away. 

But then I never got the impression that Evelyn didn’t like me. If you didn’t get the impression that someone didn’t like you, chances were that you might have been wrong.

I need to shrink in order to get into my house ….

Chapter 1

I saw the shoes. 

There was nothing unusual about the shoes, or shoes in general. But there was one thing that struck me. The shoes were arranged in a very neat manner, one lined on top of the other, the black sandals on top, the black shoes in the middle, then the black slippers on the last shelve at the bottom of the rack. It was perhaps too neat. 

If someone had just come in from outside, it would be just casually placed, not directly one above the other. After all the shoe rack could store more than one pairs on one rack. It gave me a creepy feeling. But I was not sure if it were unwarranted. 

There was always a rack at the front door. You should have a rack. Every house has a shoe rack at their front door. It’s meant for putting shoes. 

The owner of the house has a very clean habit. If you accidentally walked in with your shoes, he would reprimand you straight away. 

Chapter 2

Denise was late for lunch as usual. I didn’t mind her being late, I was just afraid that she won’t turn up. But she did. 

The first thing she said to me was, 

“My husband Charles is having an affair,” 

I was shock. How could Denise have known? 

Of course, I replied diplomatically, 

“I am sorry to hear that,” 

“You still seeing him?” Denise asked. 

“What do you mean, Denise?” I was careful to answer correctly. This concerned my reputation. 

“I know all about you and him,” Denise said. 

“There was nothing about me and your husband,” I was careful to refer to Charles as her husband. 

“You think I don’t know?!” she was adamant. 

I became worried, I quickly reminded Denise that I was a Christian, 

“You know I won’t do such a thing – I am a Catholic,” I said. 

“So now you admit – such a thing – what thing you know right?!” 

I was stuck for a while, but I composed myself. 

So the minute I saw the waitress standing by the side, I quickly caught her attention, 

“Please give me an Earl Grey,” I said. 

“And a Chamomile tea for me,” Denise didn’t forget to order from the waitress at the same time. 

“Milk and sugar are by the side,” the pleasant looking girl said. 

We waited for tea to arrive before we resumed conversation. The silence was awful. Denise started to engage herself on her handphone. I too started engaging mine. In the end when the tea arrived, we had nothing more to say to each other. 

Chapter 3

I first met Charles on a hot and sultry evening. But the fact that the weather was hot had nothing to do with the events that unfolded subsequently. The impression I got of Charles was that he was rightly sized, meaning that he was not too thin and not too fat, and having enough muscles to support his frame. He had a mole under his chin, which unless he tilted his face upwards, was not visible. I saw it by chance, when he was looking up at the big portrait of myself hung on the wall. 

“What a large picture of yourself you got there,” he said. 

“That was taken within the last six months, still valid,” I said. 

“You are a narcissist,” he lamented. 

“No, I am not,” I denied the description. 

At this juncture Denise chipped in, 

“Where did you get this done? I mean, which studio was it?” 

I kept quiet, I didn’t want Denise and Charles to know too much about myself. 

Denise and Charles were my close friends, and my best friends. But I didn’t know Charles at all. Charles was Denise’s husband, and unless you knew Denise, you won’t know Charles. 

“Let’s all go out for food,” I said, after having shown them my apartment. 

Chapter 4

I was generally not fond of having a relationship with a married man. It put me in competition with another woman straight away and in violation of the Woman’s Charter, not to mention the Bible. 

But I was not a staunch Catholic, I did not hold the view that Mother Mary was the only way to communicate with God. God, in His omnipotent form, must surely be contactable from all platforms, including Buddhism and Islamism. 

Tonight, after dinner I went straight into my room to write my affidavit. My new client had just met with an accident. And she was sure that the driver was paid off and the entire scene premeditated. I hesitated to comment. She wanted to sue the driver and I needed more time to establish a casual-ink between the mens rea and the actus rea.

The phone rang. An unknown caller. 

I picked it up. 

“Who’s this?” I asked. 

“Pretty woman, this is me, Charles,” 

“Oh ok, what do you want?” I wasn’t rude, and if you could hear the tone of my voice, I was actually quite friendly. 

“Listen, I was just wondering if you would like a cup of tea?” Charles asked. 

“I’d rather a glass of wine,” I accepted the invitation without fully realizing why I said what I said. I didn’t actually fancy Charles. In the first place, I found using the name Charles presented a pompous character, as that name actually belonged to the Prince of Wales. 

“OK then, I swing round at 3:00 p.m. tomorrow, see you!” all in one breath and without further reply from me he put down the phone. I actually stopped thinking for a while. 

After he hung up, I quickly picked up my phone again, tapped on Phone then quickly on Recents, selected the top on the list, and tapped again to save the number. On my Contacts I keyed in Charles name.

Chapter 5

One thing good about being single was that you never have to account for your time, and whom you went out with. You could just hop onto a bus and walked into a café whenever you fancied. So that when Charles asked me to share a meal with him, I complied immediately, although I didn’t know the agenda then. 

Charles and I have nothing in common except Denise, so naturally when we met, we talked about nothing but Denise. It seemed that Charles met her when they were at a Christian fellowship meeting. Denise was crazy about Jesus, which got Charles excited. He told himself he must get Denise out of this craze, so he set himself up to compete with the saviour. The fact was that he himself was looped into Christianity as well, and he ended up marrying the woman. Of course, Denise had some good looks to accompany the set up. 

So that as soon as the excitement of matrimony was over, Charles found himself wondering how he could extricate himself out of the trinity. He knew that getting involved with another woman was a sure way to trigger off a divorce, and I being a lawyer might be able to furnish him with some useful tips. 

I heard Charles. So, I offered my solution, supplying Charles with the grounds for divorce: 

“Adultery, unreasonable behaviour, desertion, you pick one. Otherwise you would have to wait three years, and during these three years, you have to make sure that you stay away from her completely.” I warned Charles. 

“I can’t wait three years,” he said. 

“Then you would just have to pick one of the above options,” I told Charles very frankly. 

“Wait!” Charles said. 

“What?” I said. 

“I have another option,” he looked me straight in the eye. 

I looked at him, and he sounded very earnest. 

“What if Denise ceased to exist?” he lowered his voice. 

“How can she not exist? Suicide is a crime. She is not contemplating to kill herself?” 

“No, I mean, I could help her with it,” 

“Huh?” I was getting confused there …. 

“Abetment to suicide is a crime, although suicide may not be a crime anymore. We are contemplating decriminalizing suicide.” I put it to Charles.

“I’ll have to hire a contractor then.” Charles sounded like he already knew what to do. 

“It is a dangerous thing to do, the spouse is always the chief suspect,” I cautioned Charles. 

“I just don’t want to be controlled by her anymore. She is quoting from the Bible all the time! 😂” Charles gave me the tearful look telling me that that was the real reason why he wanted to leave Denise. 

I began to feel sorry for the man. 

By the time we finished our meal, I had more or less made up my mind to help Charles. 

Chapter 6

I had not been married before, so naturally if I had an affair with Charles it concerned no one but my own reputation. I was ruthless, cheap, and treacherous. But if you asked me, matters of the heart were just between the parties concerned. Who actually initiated it? Was there reciprocity from the other party? 

In the beginning I was actually unsure of Charles, but I guessed deep down I wanted the relationship. It would be good if I could have a default companion, a driver, a bread winner, a cook, all rolled into one. I knew that the Bible did not permit this. It was clearly stated in the old testament … of course the new testament overruled it when the Son of God appeared. I thought of seeing a priest for confession and counselling. But I remembered the penance – several rounds of the beads and sometimes an hour in front of the Statue of Mary … quite a task! 

So, I sought the easy way out. I went to the Buddhist Temple. You could go in on any day of the week and at any time of the day. The Buddha permitted polygamy. It was one of the customs deeply entrenched in the Chinese culture. I knew that Buddha won’t mind if I went ahead and cohabited with Charles, so I went to Him for advice. 

When I arrived at the Temple, I saw masses of people, some with flowers and some merely holding joss sticks. The entire place was bubbly and not far away I could see a fortune teller on standby for anyone who wished to look into the future. 

I ignored the lady selling the flowers and I went straight up to the table with joss sticks. The sign on top said, “free” so I picked a random few. I found the furnace and held the joss sticks on top of the fire until they were smoking. Then I squeezed in amongst the crowd until I found a spot where no one was blocking me to the front, where a huge image of the Guan Yin was situated. 

And then I knelt down and talked to Guan Yin.

I had not made up my mind, yet. So that my petition was ambiguous. It was just a general vague idea on should I or should not. I stayed there for quite some time until I heard someone saying, “yes”. Satisfied, I got up, but immediately I heard another person saying, “no”. I became a little confused, the answer was neither here nor there. I told myself I must come back again to ascertain the correct answer. Then I took a bold step and walked out of the temple, away from the masses of worshippers. Afterwards I took a long time before I found my shoes again. 

Chapter 7

Charles bought me a gold wedding band today. 

He came to my office and asked if he could see me in my conference room. I was a little surprised, but I obliged him. My conference room has a round table and a large sofa. 

“Put it on,” he said, sounding very excited. 

The ring was thick with gold and the band had diamonds embossed around it. I looked at it and was immediately alarmed. “This is a wedding band,” I told myself, and although I wasn’t planning on getting married in the near foreseeable future, Charles was good looking by my standards. Marrying Charles was a fantasy, not a prospect. 

I looked at the ring, wondering how I could ascertain his sincerity. And I still wanted to help him. So, I took the gold band from Charles, put it on and started to admire it. 

“Let’s do it another day,” I pretended that I wasn’t interested, and then, 

“By the way, how much did it cost you?” I could not contain my curiosity. It looked very expensive. 

The man kept quiet, and then he made a startling proposal. 

“Would you mind going to the Registry with me?” 

“Registry? What registry? … you mean the ROM?” I quizzed with unbelievable excitement. 

“Pardon me, Candice,” Charles began to sound desperate and he was beginning to look like a bad guy. We adjourned to the sofa. 

Our eyes locked, and as Charles stretched out his hand to hold mine, his eyes never leaving my gaze, I asked him, 

“How long have you been wanting this?” 

“Since the day I met you, Candice …. You are the most attractive woman I’ve ever met ….” 

“How deceitful!” I laughed as I thrust the full weight of my body onto his chest. Charles began to unbutton himself …. 

….. 

Afterwards I sat on the floor wondering if it were tragedy or comedy. 

It was common for a heart to long and yearn for something better. It was not inconceivable for me to fall for Charles. The husband of my best friend. They said that your best friend was always your best enemy – so why not?

Chapter 8

I took a bus from my home to the office this morning. And was quite relieved to find a seat next to three school children. On the bus I found a Filipina lady speaking loudly into her handphone during the entire journey. She had the entire bus as her audience. I was very disgusted with her behaviour, yet I could not confront her. None of us understood Tagalog! 

When the bus dropped me off at the Sundance Road, I took the stairs up the three-storey walk-up apartment. It took me about thirteen steps before I reached the landing and another thirteen to the first storey. On the landing to the second storey where my office was there was an unwanted computer on the shelf, with lose wire hanging. The shelf itself was still usable but the whole image suddenly annoyed me. 

I knew that it belonged to the occupants on the third storey, and I didn’t know what prompted me to take a picture of the furniture, but I just did. Then I proceeded to walk up the stairs right up to my office. It was an effort, but I managed to do so without slowing down and pausing for rest. 

Chapter 9

When I arrived at the office, I had a new client waiting for me. His name was Bryan Chong. 

The first thing he told me was, that he had ten million dollars in his account. I never knew how he got it and why he got so much. If he divorced his wife Allison Lim, she would stand to gain half of it. 

Over the past three years, they managed to acquire a dog and two cars. Bryan told me that one day Allison served him a plate of beef steak on a dog bowl to pick a fight with him. I laughed when I heard that. 

“She does have a sense of humour,” I said. 

Bryan’s face changed. I quickly apologized. 

“It’s rather mean, of her, treating you like a dog,” I changed my stand. And then, 

“So, did you eat the piece of steak?” I was interested to find out. 

“Of course not, you think I am a dog?!” Bryan’s eyes rolled big like a pair of fish eyes. 

“Sorry!” I said, “I didn’t mean to insult you … just couldn’t help myself.” 

I quickly picked up the phone and called my secretary Poh Choo Ling in to give my client another cup of coffee. 

Chapter 10

Someone had removed the computer and I was glad. The mysterious junk remover did not leave a trace. I walked into the space where the PC used to occupy and I felt a sense of exhilaration, and then I heard footsteps coming down. I quickly walked down the stairs, turned right and disappeared into one of the coffee shops along the lane, asking for another coffee and waited until at least half an hour had elapsed before I went back to my office again. 

This time I walked up the stairs to the third storey without pausing for rest. 

I saw the shoes again. 

Who was occupying this space? I asked myself. 

Chapter 11

“I told you she has another boyfriend!” a male voice shouted. 

I heard footsteps hurrying down the stairs. And then again, 

“You don’t believe me … you go and ask her! She is two-timing you!!” the voice was louder this time. 

This was the first time I had seen him. 

I have never seen someone as dishevelled as that before. His was wearing a t-shirt three sizes too large, so that it was long and hung loose. It was also very crumpled and obviously not ironed. Together with his three-quarter length trousers, and without footwear, the man stood at the top of the staircase. I saw his beard and blood shot eyes, reminding me of no one but the latest image of Julian Assange. 

We looked at each other and instinct told me not to greet him. I quickly retreated back into my own office. I shut the office door immediately and thank God Poh Choo Ling was in. She could act as my bodyguard and witness should the man attempted to harass me. It was not yet 5:30 p.m. so we could not close for the day. But he did not come in. 

Chapter 12

Since I saw the pair of shoes the other day, I never went up again. 

Occasionally I heard footsteps of someone descending and ascending the steps, loud enough to interrupt my thoughts. I always wondered what kind of shoes he was wearing, whether it was the same court shoes that I saw on the shelves. I told myself I would find out one day. But for now, it was best not to confront the occupant and his visitors. 

Lunch time, I walked down the slope to the coffee house along the narrow lane to buy some fried noodles and Korean pickles. I carried the doggie bag and took my time to stroll back to the office, not yet feeling hungry. Coffee I made myself using just hot boiling water with the 3-in-1 sachets. My secretary Poh Choo Ling was still in the office, I could hear the sound of her typing on her computer. 

Life was monotonous. I looked at the gold band which Charles gave me and twirled it around my finger, wondering if I should wear it when I meet Denise. 

Chapter 13

I finally plucked up the courage to call Denise. Charles hasn’t contacted me since that night. Could it be a one-night stand? The gold band was making me feel very uncomfortable. I couldn’t wash my hands without taking it off. By now Charles would have looked for me if he were genuinely interested in me. Neither did Denise pick up my calls. Was she available? Has she made up with Charles? 

Suspense was no good for the soul. I arrived at the house that Denise and Charles lived. I could see a Lexus parked in the drive way, indicating that either one of them was at home. 

I pushed open the front gate and was surprised that it wasn’t locked. With a certain amount of hesitation, I walked up to the entrance, and rang the doorbell. A woman in pinafore came out to greet me. 

“Sir and Ma’am are not at home,” she said. 

“The car is here.” I replied, “she must be telling lies,” I told myself. 

“Tell Ma’am that Candice has come to look for Mr. and Mrs. Chan,” suggesting that I was no stranger to put her off guard. I emphasized the word “Candice” fearing that she could not recognize my name. The woman sounded like she came from Indonesia. 

Chapter 14

It has been a while since I saw Aunty Bee. Aunty Bee was Dr Wee Siew Bee the famous gynaecologist. I wasn’t planning on telling her about Charles, but I just wanted some decent conversation. Dr Wee was my guardian since I was in secondary school, and although I was now old enough not to depend on her for advice since I could make up my own mind about things, I did meet up with her from time to time. 

She was busy with a patient at the time I dropped by so she only squeezed me in for three minutes. All she said was, 

“Don’t forget to do your yearly medical test,” 

I was free at the time, so I decided to do it on the spot. I took off the gold band, it was getting tighter as I had put on some weight. 

As I sat down meekly waiting for my blood sample to be taken, I watched with amazement how nurse Ling poked the large needle into my veins with ease and proficiency. Then I turned my head away when I saw the bottle with my blood filled, labelled with my identity number and name. I felt quite relieved as I was sure that I was healthy and that the test results would prove negative for all the markings. 

At the same time, I also gave nurse Ling my urine sample. 

And then I did not forget to have coffee at the café located inside the hospital. 

Chapter 15

Bryan Chong was known to have a bad temper. The affidavit on the other side said so. But according to Bryan himself, his wife was always the one who precipitated the quarrels. There was more than one dog incident. I read the affidavit with interest as though I were reading a novel. 

But between the two of them I had to side Bryan. 

In the end I rang Bryan and asked him to come to the office. 

“Listen, your ex-wife said that you strangled her, was it true?” 

“No such thing!” he proclaimed. 

“In fact, she hit me several times on my birthday,” Bryan added. 

“So, she hit you. Does the fact that it happened on your birthday has anything to do with it?” I asked. 

“Sure,” he continued, 

“She complained that I often pretended that she was my mother, so that as a mother she had every right to hit her son.” 

That logic was strange. Or was its Bryan’s own reasoning? Never mind, I shall counter claim that Allison was out of her mind. 

I went to my PC and I started to type, forgetting that Bryan Chong was sitting right in front of me. By the time I finished typing, he had already left. I tidied up my desk, packed my bag, and changed out of my slippers. As I walked out of my office, I realized that upstairs had not come down at all today. This time I was not inclined to climb up to see if the shoes were still there.

Chapter 16

Sometimes when you were in love you yourself didn’t even know it. You just wanted to see the person all the time, you were talking to yourself more as you were actually talking internally with that person. 

I didn’t know that I was actually in love with Charles until he was gone. Common sense told me that Charles would not call me anymore. He had not spoken to me since the night we spent together. 

I had no idea if he and Denise were back together. After from the one-night stand, the gold band was hard evidence of his betrayal to Denise. I took it off every now and then to soak it in hot water to clean it. But one day I found myself standing right in front of Denise’s house again. 

The silver Lexus was no longer parked in the driveway when I arrived. Nevertheless, I rang the doorbell. 

A woman with coiffured hair, complete with a pair of large diamond earrings opened the door. She greeted me with impatience, 

“Yes?” she said, clearly indicating that there was no reason for me to be there. 

She was obviously not a maid. I could guess that she was the new owner of the property and that Denise and Charles have left the premises. 

“You know Denise? I mean Charles …” I said tentatively. 

“Oh, that couple, they left long ago,” she replied with a sigh. And then she added, 

“You by any chance know their whereabouts?” 

“Obviously not, else I won’t be here,” I said. 

I wanted to go in, but the woman held the door firmly half closed. I couldn’t even peep inside. And then I heard a man shouting from inside, “Celia, who’s at the door?” 

BANG! The woman slammed the door tight on me. I stood at the entrance, wondering if I could make a police report on her extremely rude behaviour. In the end, I left without incurring more trouble for myself. 

I took off the gold band and threw it away inside my bag. I told myself I had lost Charles for good. 

All signs were clear now, pointing to one conclusion, that Charles had made up with his wife, and had decided to drop me. I thought he really liked me. I stood in the darkness, with no one to call for help. I had abandoned the Christian God, now I wondered if Guan Yin could help me. 

I walked out of the gate, away from the house and then on the pavement I knelt down and cried, not caring if anyone saw me. 

It was past 10:00 p.m. The entire place was so silent I could hear my own weeping and my own thoughts were loud in the still of the night. 

I took out my iPhone, still having Charles number with me, I wanted to call him. I also wanted to call Denise. I wanted to call someone, to tell him that I had been cheated. But in actual fact I had cheated on my best friend. So, there was nothing I could say. I wasn’t an innocent party I was the mean, wicked woman who slept with a married man. 

After some time, when I heard the sound of a car passing by, I wanted to jump onto the main road to let a passing car hit me. But then no one was going to come to my rescue, it also occurred to me that I might not die just like this. I could land myself on a wheelchair, half paralyzed, which was worse. 

As my rational mind started to work, I told myself I needed to get some food to eat and get some rest to sober up myself. Wake up! This is not the end of the world! Charles is a nobody! I needed to straighten my thoughts. I mustn’t let this take control over me. I still have my clients to attend to and I still have a job to do. 

Chapter 17

The air was cool and fresh after a pouring rain. 

When I arrived at my office, Bryan Chong was already in the conference room. 

“Hello Mr. Chong.” I didn’t forget that he was my client and that I shouldn’t be addressing him in first names. 

“Yes, I wanted to know if I could register with you that Allison was no longer living at home,” 

“That’s wonderful news!” I said. “That makes our job easier,” I said, “so that now you can rely on the three-year separation, and during this time you could do whatever you want, except to initiate a contact with your ex-wife.” I mentioned it all in one breath. 

I expected my client to look happy, but on the contrary, he asked me, “what shall I do with Valentino, that’s her dog.” 

“So, you have no idea where she has gone to,” I queried. 

“Nope,” my client said, “I don’t even know if she is still in the country.” 

“Ok, then you could put your pet with the veterinarian and wait for her to come back and claim it. She couldn’t have packed everything?” I was sure. 

And I added, “in any case, it best you don’t see her at all, if you want to have the divorce run smoothly.” 

Chapter 18

If you didn’t look before you crossed the road, I didn’t blame you. But not when you were Bryan Chong about to be granted a divorce. 

I almost shouted at Bryan when I saw him at the hospital with one leg completely bandaged and propped up. 

“What do you think you are doing?” I said. 

“If you died, Allison would receive every cent that you got, without having to go through the formality of a divorce!” I emphasized, not to mention that I would lose my legal fees. 

“I want to tell you, the accident was planned,” Bryan said, almost in a whisper. 

I heard him, but I didn’t take him seriously. 

“I will check with the traffic police on this,” I said. 

“They won’t believe me,” Bryan said. 

“The fact that you were divorcing her only contributes to the motive, but how can you prove that Allison hired someone to knock you down?” I cautioned. 

“I swear I was using the zebra crossing …” Bryan said. 

“Well, we’ll have to see the police report.” I said. 

“But now that we are here, on this topic of inheritance, why don’t you do a will?” I punctuated. That seemed like a good suggestion, and appropriate at this juncture. 

“Well, now that you have mentioned, don’t say I didn’t think of it before …” thank God Bryan agreed. 

I took out my handphone, tapped on the App called Voice Memos and then I had it right up to Bryan’s chin, ready for a recording. 

“So, tell me, what are the assets you have, in terms of fixed assets such as properties you owned, as well as deposits, bonds and equities etc. you hold under your name.” I began the paragraph for Bryan. 

“I thought I have given it all to you when you wanted the list of matrimonial properties?” Bryan was unwilling to waste his time. In any case, I think he was in some kind of pain. He must be, bandaged up like that. 

“Ok, then let me just draft the will for you, and you can sign it tomorrow.” 

“So soon?” Bryan was a little unsure. 

“The sooner the better, I don’t want you to suddenly die of a heart attack, it could be very troublesome for me.” I lamented. 

Chapter 19

From the St Peter’s Hospital, I took a Grab straight back to my office. I opened my laptop and began working on the will. I didn’t even realize that I haven’t eaten, and I drafted the will in one breath without taking a break. The will was of the utmost importance. If Bryan died now, the beneficiary would stand to gain approximately ten million dollars, thus becoming a rich man by anyone’s standard. 

And for this purpose, I ensured that no one got the money except his solicitor – myself! 

On the column where I was supposed to write my name, I did a blank space, and tomorrow I shall get Bryan the testator to sign on the document on the next page. If he noticed the omission, I would just tell him that all the paper works were in order and that we could fill it up later.

Chapter 20

Now that I was the beneficiary to Bryan Chong’s estate, he need not be divorced. Things would get complicated if he did. I also ensured that I was not a witness to his will. But fact was, I might not obtain probate as I was merely the solicitor acting for him, and not related by blood. Although it was not uncommon for this to happen, I decided that I must make the bequeath more plausible. I needed to advertise the fact that Bryan and I were getting married if not already so. 

I took out Charles’ gold band and put it on again, this time I was going to pretend that it was Bryan Chong who gave it to me. 

It was not too difficult. My secretary Poh Choo Ling was the first one to remark, 

“What a nice ring you have! So many diamonds!” 

“Of course, Bryan gave it to me!” I quickly said. 

“The two of you are engaged?!” Poh Choo Ling was surprised. 

“No, err, actually we were married.’, and then as an afterthought, “last Christmas,” I supplied the date as well. 

“Congratulations!” Ms Poh said loudly. 

And then the next person to whom I declared my marital status was actually the waiter at the Marriot Court, surprisingly and not so surprisingly. 

“Where is your other half? Alone?” the bright looking man said. 

I did not usually talk to strangers, but this time I said, 

“My husband Bryan Chong is busy,” for some reason I did not want to mention the fact that Bryan was in the hospital, but I did not fail to name him as the spouse. Although since my spouse were ill, I shouldn’t be enjoying a meal outside at a posh restaurant. 

Finally, I looked into my WhatsApp conversations to see if I could text anyone else on my so-called marriage, well aware that this was a rather unique way of declaring a union, although not totally inconceivable. 

And all this while, Bryan was still lying in the hospital room, waiting for the doctor to decide if he was fit to be transferred to the normal ward. Of course, I prayed. I knew that if I wanted Bryan to die, it would not strictly be murder. It was mens rea per se. But in any case, Guan Yin was more benevolent, she was bound to pardon worshippers like me and more inclined to answer to it. I was at the temple every evening after visiting Bryan at the ICU, the intensity of my prayers depending on the doctor’s report. 

Finally, God answered my prayers. 

Bryan Chong Wee Chin died of multiple fractures at the St Peter’s Hospital. 

I arranged for the body to be brought back to his residence, held mass gatherings for his soul, and subsequently for his body to be buried according to the Catholic rites. The best part of the story was that in the process I found out that Bryan and Allison were never legally married. The two of them were only married in the Catholic Church, which meant that Bryan Chong need not have gone to court to divorce Allison. 

Chapter 21

But I have Bryan Chong’s will here with me. The fact that he quarrelled with his wife is now public knowledge. If he lived, he would have divorced his wife in any case, even if that meant being a poorer man. So then, it would not be totally inconceivable that the rich man had bequeathed his entire estate to his trusted solicitor and confidant at the time of his divorce. The fact that he died soon after was purely coincidental and not manufactured. 

The will, signed sealed and delivered, was a good documentary proof of my client Bryan Chong’s clear and unequivocal intentions at the time. I had no difficulty obtaining probate and the only problem I have now is to sell his asset the property which he shared with Allison. I went back to the house and surprisingly I saw Allison there. My first reaction was, 

“I thought you moved out sometime ago?” I said. 

“I challenge you to call the police,” the hostile woman sitting on the sofa said. 

“I am not moving in until this Sunday, I am just here to see if the house is vacant. Obviously, it is not!” 

“How dare you take my money!” the woman became enraged, she jumped up from the sofa, and I could see that she was holding a knife. 

I had no one with me, neither was I trained in martial arts, I knew not how to defend myself, except to run out of the place as fast as I could …. 

Chapter 22

In the morning still recovering from last night’s scare, I told my secretary Poh Choo Ling to get a locksmith to go to Number 6 Lemongrass Avenue to change the lock to the house. The best thing to do now was to sell Lemongrass Avenue since it was dangerous grounds. Allison might appear at the house to scare me again. 

But I received an unsolicited call at noon. Dr Bee’s clinic had rung me. A nurse who identified herself as from Dr Bee’s clinic told me to go to the clinic urgently. 

“Congratulations!” the first thing Dr Bee said when I sat in front of her in the small and cosy consultation room. 

“You are three months pregnant. You didn’t tell me you were married?!” Dr Bee reproached me. 

I was flabbergasted. How could it be? 

Of course, I knew who the father of the child was. 

It could not have been mistaken for anyone else but Charles. 

But regretfully my relationship with Charles had ended. I was supposed to be the widow of the late Bryan Chong! 

“Err, … “, I said, tentatively. 

And then without a further word I stood up and walked out on Dr Bee. I had to concoct a better story this time. How did I prove that the child I was carrying belonged to Bryan Chong and not Charles??? 

Again, I found myself in front of Guan Yin. This time I bought a large bouquet of flowers to present to the Lady Buddha. Overnight the Lady Buddha had become my best friend. 

Chapter 23

Some things were best forgotten even before they began. By now I have gotten over the bitterness and pain of losing Charles. All I wished was that no one would discover that I was bearing Charles’ baby. Of course, I wanted the baby. Abortion was out of the question. In any case Dr Bee would not hear of it. And I was not so sure that I could find a doctor to do the hideous job for me. 

But one thing for sure. If Charles returned to my life now, I would not take him back. Of course, I had manifested my intentions to Guan Yin. But as fate would have it, Guan Yin decided to play a trick on me. 

Charles rang me on November fourteenth. It was precisely this day three months ago that Charles slept with me. And I actually didn’t want to pick up his call. But he rang again and again, until I realized that he won’t stop at this before I finally pick up his call. 

“I am just passing by, could I come up to your office?” Charles said. He didn’t even bother to buy me a cup of coffee. Meeting at my office premises meant that he need not spend a cent. 

“Where have you been?” I said. 

“So, are you really married?” Charles asked. 

We both fired the questions at once. 

“Hey! You are still wearing the ring that I gave you!” Charles remarked, sounding quite surprised.

“No, this is a different ring.” I insisted, thinking hard on how to disclaim any past associations. 

At the same time, I was fully aware that Poh Choo Ling was sitting outside and that she could hear every word that were being said between us. 

“Are you still with Denise?” I asked, the most crucial piece of information. 

“Yeah, of course,” Charles said nonchalantly, which meant that the unhappiness in their marriage he complained of was merely meant to deceive me into spending the night with him. 

I got my answer now, and in any case, I have his baby. I would have a new life to look forward to. With all that money that Bryan left behind for me, I could bring up the child myself. 

Now having met Charles my curiosity had been fed. I need not even mention the night that I almost killed myself. 

“If there was nothing else, I need to prepare for some cases. I have a big client coming in to see me tomorrow,” I was so darn cool. Bravo! 

Chapter 24

It was not easy to sell Lemongrass Avenue. Not in this economic climate. The government had imposed some cooling measures which dampened the property market. But that was not the reason why I could not sell my property. 

There was a caveat being lodged. Someone had made a prior claim to the piece of land. 

And you need not second guess. It was none other than Allison Lim. Bryan Chong left his entire fortune to me, she was merely his common law wife. There was no bigamy as Allison wasn’t legally married to Bryan. Although the Catholic Church regarded Allison as Bryan Chong’s wife, I was the mother of his unborn child, so that even if I were not legally married to Bryan, I had a higher claim on behalf of my unborn child. 

An unborn can inherit provided that he would have come into consideration by the testator as an heir. 

I swore on oath that Bryan knew about my pregnancy. 

But I refused to swear on the Bible for if I followed the Catholic theology, I would have to recognize the union between Bryan Chong and Allison Lim. 

Chapter 25

My child was born on August thirty-first. 

I registered him at the Births and Deaths Department within the week and named him Frank. I had no difficulty declaring his family name as Chong since the mother was always the only person who knew who the father was. 

No one said I was lying, no one knew I was lying. 

I was the mother. I was supposed to give my child a good life. If I had told others that Charles Chan was my son’s father, he would be the illegitimate child of a poor man. If Frank wasn’t the son of Bryan Chong, I might not stand to inherit the estate, since there was no clear recordings of my union with the deceased. The will was contested by Allison Lim and if not because of Frank I might not have gotten probate so easily. 

Chapter 26

After I have settled my late husband’s affairs, I acquired his large sum of money. When you have enough money and less worries, you tended to have more leisurely time to want to know who your neighbours were. 

So, this morning when I arrived at my office on the second storey, I continued to walk up to the third storey. When I arrived at the door, I was not surprised to find the same set of shoes there. 

I wanted to knock before I went in. But the door opened itself. “Assange” was just standing at the doorway about to come out. 

“Welcome!” he said loudly, the moment he saw me. 

I stepped in. 

“Wait! Take off your shoes first,” he said. 

“Err, sorry for disturbing, I was just wondering ….” I spoke softly. 

“No need to be shy, lady!” the man was so cheerful I thought he had struck lottery. 

“I am a fortune teller, lady. And I run a small business up here.” He talked as though I were one of his regular guests. 

“Let me show you something,” he ushered me to his bureau, the only furniture visible in the living room. I was sure he must have other furniture inside his other room. 

I surveyed the scene. I could see several copper statutes of Buddhism characters belonging to the Chinese relics, sizes ranging from small to large and large to medium, scattered all over the room, with no interior designing purpose. They looked like the owner had dug them out from an abandoned grave. 

The man opened his drawer and fished out his mobile. 

“I thought you might be interested … “, he began proudly. 

“… this was a video recording I took one night … I think it was on November fourteenth … if I were not mistaken … just look at the lady … don’t you think she was gorgeous?” 

I swore I was going to die! 

It was the video recording of Charles and myself on the sofa at my office. The lights were on at the time and the images were as clear as Adam and Eve in broad daylight. I felt faint … 

“I am sure you would want it back, lady!” the bastard sounded more than cheerful. 

I wanted to slap him. I wanted to plunge a knife into his chest. Voyeuristic behaviour is an offence!!! 

But I knew, and the bastard also knew that this video clip would expose me, it would be evidence of me lying under oath that Frank was Bryan Chong’s son. Even if Bryan’s DNA could not be taken now since he was dead for the purpose of proving paternity, Charles the real father was alive. 

I also knew that even if “Assange” surrendered the video clip to me, he might still have copies in his possession. One could never be sure of the words of a blackmailer. 

I spent the rest of my life supporting my son, and a man sitting on top of my office on the third storey … 

Money is the root of all evil.

Couldn’t help the bear hug ….

Chapter 1

Nobody knows what you do in the dark, unless you tell them. 

From the witness stand I could see her sitting in the public gallery. She looked slightly different from when I last met her. Her hair was black, in fact blacker than when I remembered it to be, which made it looked faked. She also had this bright red lipstick. The colour of her dress paled in comparison to her lip colour. I wanted to greet her, but I told myself I had better not. 

She was with her husband. The man’s shirt was half ironed – I said half because only some parts were creased, which made it looked untidy altogether. A shining gold pen stood out from his breast pocket, and he seemed to be worried that it might fall off anytime, as he kept using his right hand to check if it was still tucked in his shirt. 

Although it was rude to look at another person so closely all the time, I couldn’t help but noticed her watch. It was expensive, something like the Chanel watch that I saw on the large posters at expensive malls. I could still remember the last occasion when she was wearing that watch. 

Chapter 2

The relationship between the advertising agency and the press was a complicated one, and hard to manoeuvre. The publishing company needed the revenue generated by the advertisements placed by the advertisers in their newspapers, and hence was under their payroll. Income generated by selling its core product meaning the newspapers was minimal. One advertisement in a full page could come up to thirty thousand dollars and colour advertisements were more than double the price. 

But at the same time, the advertisers needed to adhere to some rules and guidelines before their copies could be put to print. They were governed by a code of practice. For example, you couldn’t put the picture of a naked woman in your advertisement. And all medicinal products must be accompanied by an approval number from the relevant health authorities. But they allowed women in underwear if that underwear were products they sold. I guess you must have a logic to the punch line. 

I was a witness to this phenomenon. It was like telling your boss what to do. As the administrative executive in the advertising department, I was placed at the receiving end to handle this conflict. Being in charge of deciding if to accept a piece of material for placement in the newspaper for the next day’s publication, my head was on the chopping board. If anything went wrong, I was to be blamed, and the only one to be blamed. Nobody wanted the job and I took it as I was desperate for a job. I wanted to work in the publishing company. Our News Daily was the largest print media in the country. 

But as time went by, I realized that either way I was wrong. Mrs Jenny Chee my boss didn’t like me, and she was my immediate supervisor. The problem was that I didn’t know why she didn’t like me. I was obedient and hardworking. I arrived at my desk at 8:00 a.m. half an hour before the day started, and I was the last one to leave, and usually the one who switched off all the office lights. 

Chapter 3

This morning I woke up feeling more tired than usual, but I managed to put on some makeup, and arrived at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf to grab my Americano. The outlet opened at 7:30 a.m. and I was there at 7:30 a.m. Only one attendant was there but there was no queue. The man standing behind me was more impatient than me, tapping his foot on the floor. I ignored him, and continued with my purpose, which was to get to the office on time. 

The traffic lights were slow, and I waited a good five minutes for the green man, avoiding the urge to cross the road when the cars were slow, and managing to stop myself from swearing at the traffic. 

When I arrived at the office, Jenny was already in her room. She usually came in after 9:00 a.m. much later than me. I could see her through the glass panel from my desk. The office arrangement was such that we did not face each other directly. Her door was open, and that was a little unusual, as she normally shut her door tight. Then I saw Alan Fong going in. Minutes later when I looked again, Jenny was on the phone. 

A nice Christmas tree with a bell and a bright red bow a Christmas dangling was hanging in front of her door. 

Chapter 4

The advertising industry was huge. Advertisers ranged from liquor sellers, educational institutions, down to a bereaved family wanting to inform others about their loss. Each day I received about three to four hundred negatives on my table. They were either in a set of three – the color prints magenta yellow and cyan or just the plain black and white. I put them high up against the light and scrutinized them to find out if they conformed to the set of rules which advertisements must follow. In particular they must not show a naked woman. 

It was hard work. Negatives were hard to see, as you have to figure out that the dark parts were actually going to be white and that the light parts were actually black when it came out. I have problems checking if a cleavage was too low or a word used was offensive to the public. And better if they had no words. Advertisements I liked were those where the picture was large and without too many words to go through. 

Today I was confronted with this large set of negatives. They were bulky and I have to manually detach them into three pieces to read. I held them up against the ceiling, the light was fluorescent, and I found myself trying to scrutinize the perfume bottle that the woman in the picture was holding. There were some words there, and it was tiny. I couldn’t tell what they were. I decided to ignore it, and I put a check against the piece of paper that accompanied the set of negatives. I told myself that if I could not see it, then no one else would be able to see the print on the newspaper. The check with my initials was meant for the printing department to let them know that the negatives have gone through my hand and that its contents have been approved.

Chapter 5

Tonight, after I had turned off the lights, on the way out of the office to the lift lobby, an idea came to me: 

Why don’t you take away the Christmas bell dangling in front of Jenny’s office door? 

It was a thought, a temptation difficult to resist. Jenny had been very nasty to me – she always lectured me for more than half an hour, thus taking up a lot of my precious time with the negatives. I couldn’t help but to think that she did it on purpose. 

I decided to walk back to the office, and I found myself right in front of Jenny’s door. Nobody knows what you do in the dark unless you tell them. I told myself. I became bolder. I lifted my hand, and I tugged at the dangling, then I gave it a pull! The Christmas bell came off the hook, giving a light tingling charm. I saw it fall to the marble floor, and I quickly picked it up. Then I walked towards the main door. Oh, but the security guard might see me with it. I wanted to put it in my bag. But I have no reason to bring the stuff home. Hey! I am not a thief. So, I thought about throwing it into the waste basket near Damien’s desk. But then hold it, Damien might recognise that it was Jenny’s article and surrender it back to Jenny. Then an alarm would be raised as to who left the article in his basket. I was always the last one to leave, so that the natural conclusion would be that the culprit was me! 

At this moment I heard some noise. I quickly went back to my desk and pretended that I haven’t left for the day. I sat down, hid the bell in one of my drawers. And after a good fifteen minutes, when I was sure that no one was actually in the office, I decided to walk to the main door again to leave. All of a sudden, the lights went off. The entire place was in pitch darkness. And then I thought I heard some noises. A flurry of horror images came to my mind. Was the office haunted? My logical mind told me to leave the premises at once, but curiosity told me to investigate. I’ve always liked Sherlock Holms and Agatha Christie; I followed the noises and I arrived at Li Meng Hwa’s room. Mr Li was the head of the department his door was always shut. From outside I could hear the voices coming from the inside …. 

“Dear, how was your day today?” unmistakably Mr Li’s voice. 

“I managed to speak to Johnson today,” it was Jenny’s! 

“Don’t bet on it, Johnson has the habit of going back on his words,” Mr Li said. 

“… full page, continuous run for two weeks … imagine the profit margin, and not to mention the fifty thousand that will come our way … hahaha … “I could hear Mr Li’s laughter, shrill in the still of the night. 

“Are you sure she won’t have discovered the offensive words?” Mr Li said.

“Don’t worry. She is as blind as a bat!” Jenny reassured him. The she I guessed must have been referring to me. Immediately I thought of the perfume advertisement. 

“By the way darling, I am two weeks late,” I heard Jenny said. 

“What! OMG! Are you sure?” Mr Li sounded shocked, not one of surprise. 

“Have you gone for a check-up?” further down he asked. 

“Yup, appointment scheduled for tomorrow afternoon, I have already taken time off,” 

“Let me know the result.” Mr Li was earnest. 

And then I thought I heard the sound of someone walking towards the door, before the guy opened the door, I quickly ran away, as fast as I could, to the main lobby. The lights were now on but I swore that I wasn’t the one who turned it on. At the lobby the lift was coincidentally waiting on the thirteenth floor. I went in and commanded the lift to take me down to the first floor as fast as I could. 

By which time I had crossed the twelve o’clock deadline for the normal taxi fare. They charged double the fare after midnight. My taxi fares were beginning to cost more than my salary. 

Chapter 6

The next morning, I arrived at the office early at 8:00 a.m. as usual. Damien who was seated at the front near the entrance and exit was reading the newspapers as usual. I greeted him, but he did not notice me. I continued to walk to my desk, hoping that the rest of the staff would notice that I was early. Jenny’s door was still shut, obviously the Christmas bell was no longer hanging at her door. 

I walked to my desk as usual, carefully holding the cup of Americano in my hand, making sure that it did not spill. The desk was already half occupied with several sets of negatives. I placed the cup by the side table, where I had placed three photo frames of myself – one with my mother, one of myself, and one when I was in Hong Kong for a shorty holiday with Victor. Looking at these photographs always made me happier. I knew that Jenny wasn’t in yet, as her room was still dark. My secretary Siew Eng was also not in yet. 

When Jenny came in, she at once signalled me to go in to see her. I knew straight away that it was the set of negatives with the perfume bottle. I prepared my explanation on why I let it through. 

“Did you see the words on the perfume bottle that the girl was holding?” Jenny held up the newspapers to show me. 

“The words are very small, no one could have read it,” I said. 

“So, that means that you saw,” Jenny concluded. 

“I couldn’t read it myself,” I tried to defend myself. 

“But you are wrong. Everyone saw it. Look.” She held out the page with the advertisement to show me. 

“It says: for sex. You know what that means?” Jenny looked me straight in the eye. 

“I, err …. ” I stumbled on my words. 

“But the girl had clothes on,” I ventured to explain. 

Fact was that I was too tired, and too lazy to scrutinise the words, that was why I gave a tick. I lowered my head, waiting for Jenny to reprimand me. And I thought to myself, that this would be at least another forty-five minutes, if she didn’t give me the sack. 

In the end, thank God that Jenny let me off the hook. 

“No repeats for this advertisement,” she gave her final order. And that was it. I knew that it had something to do with the conversation I overheard the other night regarding a Johnson. 

Chapter 7

I had a boyfriend before. His name was Victor Lau. He was generous, kind and compassionate. Victor also had a queer sense of humour and he always made me laugh. We were very happy together. Each day after class he would pick me up in his car from my old office at Mandy Road. We would sit at the Burger King and I would recount the experiences of the day. I couldn’t care if he were actually interested in my tales. One day, …. 

“Hey Lynette, could you vet this first, I have to send this to the production department immediately,” Alan came by and sounded urgent. I did not know why I had to do him the favour, but I did. It was just an advertisement for some slimming products. Nothing controversial. 

Alan Fong was middle aged, and he has a moustache which reminded me a little of Charlie Chaplin. I quite liked him, and I thought that he liked me too, but not in a romantic way. Punctually at 3:30 p.m. he would bring me a cup of coffee from the canteen downstairs. I never failed to thank him. But then I thought that by vetting the copies for him on the spot was good enough a favour. A coffee for a quick approval! 

Things have been going on without a hitch for three consecutive days. No one complained about me and Jenny had not been giving me the one-hour lecture since Monday. I silently prayed that the good season would last me through to the weekend. And then it’s dinner at Auntie Catherine’s place again. 

Auntie Catherine was my mother’s best friend. She sorts of took over the looking after of me after mom passed away. The only regret mom had was that I couldn’t seem to find a life partner before she died. Maybe because I was too choosy. But if you asked me, I was waiting for Victor. I wanted to establish beyond reasonable doubt that he was dead before I found someone else. Although the fact that someone did not see you anymore did not necessarily mean that he was deceased. 

You did not talk to a person anymore because either you thought that he was bad company for you, that he wished you ill, or that he might ask you for a favour that you could not give.

Chapter 8

I didn’t think that Alan Fong was interested in me in any way. Apart from getting me to do instant vetting of his clients’ copy material, he hardly talked to me even though he sat opposite me. Alan was in charge of pagination. He usually buried his face in the newspapers, and I thought that that was rather unsociable of him. At 5:30 p.m. sharp, he would pack up his stuff and head straight for the main lobby, dropping by my desk to say, “take care”. I quite envy his position in the company. His job was secure as he had been working for Our News Daily for more than a decade. I didn’t think that anyone else could have done the job better than he. Jenny liked him, and she always sought him out for advice. 

Sometimes I felt that Alan was watching me from his desk. That made me a little uncomfortable, but I didn’t really mind it. As I said, Alan Fong was a married man, he couldn’t have been interested in me. The only problem I had with him was how to pay him back for the coffee that he brought for me each day. The coffee was inexpensive, it was just the favour that I needed to return. 

Over time, I found out that there were no hard and fast rules to advertising. I just had to use my own judgement to determine if a piece of material was suitable for publication or not. So long as it wasn’t too controversial, I would put my initials on it. 

However, then I ran the risk that one of the advertiser’s competitors calling Jenny the next day to complain to her that I shouldn’t have approved the advertisement. But whenever I told any advertiser to make amendments to his advertisement he would call Mr Li Meng Hwa directly to complain that either my attitude was poor or that I was being rude. Invariably I got the scolding. Life was tough.

Chapter 9

For reasons best known to myself, I arrived at the office earlier than Alan this morning. His desk was empty, unlike mine, which was always cluttered with negatives. I peeped at his mug. It had the words “I Miss You” embossed on it. I wondered if somebody gave it to him or he bought it himself. Then I walked to my own desk and began the day’s chores, which was to vet the negatives. I always started with the ones from the bottom as they arrived first. 

Even before Jenny came in, negatives were piled on top of my desk. I took a sip of the Americano and reluctantly switched on my brains. 

Half an hour later I heard some voices in the background, I recognised as Jenny talking to someone. As I turned around, I saw that she came in with Siew Eng. They were chatting animatedly. I hoped that Siew Eng had not said bad things about me, especially the way that I was slow in handling the negatives. 

“Good morning, Lynette,” Siew Eng greeted me. 

“Hi, morning,” I said. I never failed to reply to Siew Eng. 

“Already so many negatives,” I grumbled. 

“Not time yet, you could read the newspapers first,” her advice. 

I took out the Our News Daily and immediately flipped at it. My attention completely focused on the advertisements, hoping that none of the ones I vetted the day before had misrepresentations or offenses that escaped my notice, and that included any typographical errors. 

Jenny’s Christmas dangling was still in my drawer, but I had entirely forgotten about it. 

Chapter 10

Usually at 3:30 p.m. I took a breather. Most of the negatives would have been vetted, and I took my coffee break before the new ones arrived at my desk at 5:00 p.m., just in time to give me more work, thus preventing me from leaving the office at the official working hour. I was not saying that this was a conspiracy, but that this had become a natural phenonium. Of course, I wasn’t happy about it. 

I met Siew Eng in the toilet. One thing about Siew Eng was that she never failed to brush her teeth after lunch, which accounted for her sparkling white teeth. 

“Any chance on joining us for the Annual D & D this year?” Siew Eng asked, as though she already knew that I might not be going. 

“I hope it is not going to be on New Year’s Eve. That’s my birthday.” I said. 

“Wow! New Year Eve baby!” Siew Eng exclaimed with a note of envy. 

“You also get half day leave every year!” she added, quick in her calculations. 

“Not so good,” I said, “if I take leave, it would count for a full day leave,” and I made a sour face. 

And then we both continued with our separate tasks without another word. 

Chapter 11

I spent most of my time towards the end of spring 2005 to the early spring of 2006 reading the newspapers. In the mornings I read all the advertisements, and whenever I had time, I read all of the news articles. You could correctly say that I was in the newspapers business without reference to any of the publications, for I was given all of the advertisements by the company to vet, including the Malay language publication, contents of which I couldn’t fathom. I was beginning to think that it was a way in which the company was trying to get rid of me – by overloading me with work. 

And I also attended the company’s Annual Dinner & Dance, despite the fact that it fell on my birthday. 

By March 2006 I would have worked for the company for one year, and Jenny had been pregnant for five-months. I watched her tummy grow larger as the months went by, but nothing had been mentioned about the father of the baby. Everyone in the office assumed that the fatherhood belonged to Jenny’s husband Mr Chee. I was very disturbed about this. I knew the truth but that I couldn’t tell anyone about it. 

Chapter 12

I read the Bible from time to time, not as a habit but occasionally whenever I was short of reading material. 

Reading the Bible often enough would send you to the church, like if you liked Chinese food you would visit a Chinese restaurant. This Easter I found myself in a church. The church had marble flooring with a flower motif design. The colours were black and white, and the pews were made of timber wood. Many people were there, as it was almost full. An atmosphere of complete silence prevailed the entire setting, which I found deafening. Immediately I sensed that it was time to pray. So, I quickly bent down and made my petition, summarising my needs to a “let my intentions be granted”, without specifying what they were. I just wanted my life to be changed for the better. Squinting through negatives interpreting the films for twelve hours a day was definitely meaningless. Life must have a purpose.

I also knew that I couldn’t tell anyone about Jenny’s baby. I had no proof that the child wasn’t Mr Chee’s, and if I told anyone about what I overheard the other night, Jenny could sue me for defamation. 

After I made my petition, thus satisfied, I looked around at my fellow parishioners. They were well dressed but what surprised me was that they came in two or threesome. I thought to myself that surely worshipping was a matter between man and God, not a family gathering. Nonetheless I kept the question mark to myself. 

Chapter 13

Memories were a fragile thing. Once lost they could never be retrieved. That was why we have photographs – to capture the moment that memory might fail us. And so tonight, I took out my old photographs to rearrange them. Inevitably I found Victor in most of them. He was everywhere. We had spent the last six years together. In the swimsuit he looked quite exotic. Yes, Victor was dark skinned. He could have been mistaken for a non-Chinese. The fact that he adopted a Western name didn’t make his ethnic clearer. 

Today from the office I rang the telephone company during lunch hour. I dared not use the office time and in any case was too busy during office hours. 

“Hello, could you tell me who the subscriber to this telephone number 91191206 is?” 

“I am sorry ma’am, this is confidential information, we are not allowed to release,” 

“Even if I give you the reason?” I asked, and then continued, 

“ …. you see, I suspect that the subscriber is dead ….” 

“Madam, if that were the case, I would advise you to go to the police. We have no knowledge of the subscriber’s mortality status,” the woman on the other side of the line gave me a stern warning. 

And then she hung up on me. 

Well, at least he was still alive, for otherwise the line would have been given up, and the information would not be confidential. And didn’t the hotline officer say “if”? 

I made a sign of the cross and silently thanked God that Victor was still alive. At least seemed to be so. I did not go further than to ask the Almighty to make him come back to me. I knew that it was a matter between him and me, not something that even God could interfere in. 

Immediately after this, Alan came and placed another stack of negatives on my side table. I looked at my watch and saw that it was only 1:49 p.m. I cursed the man under my breath. I was not due to start work again until 2:00 p.m. 

Chapter 14

I went home after midnight as usual. The house was in pitch darkness when I arrived. Although I lived alone, I was never afraid of the darkness. This was a condominium there were security guards around. In any case, this was a safe country with low crime rates, criminals were more often than not apprehended without fail. Apart from that there was nothing worth in my house for anyone to steal, unless they want to cart away my Panasonic television. Apart from a second-hand Rolex watch and a few expensive Tiffany’s pendants, no thief would want to trouble himself to break in. 

I used the Google Nest Hub to turn on the music, calling for Armik “Piano Nights”. Once there was music I felt better. I allowed myself to be drowned in the music as I prepared to go to bed. I spent very little time at home even though the house was interior designed. This was done when Victor was around. He liked expensive things and since he was footing the designer’s bill, I had no objections. 

The next morning the first thing I did when I woke up was to look into my iPhone. No reply came from Victor, which was to be expected. I opened and deleted a message from a slimming studio which offered me a six-hundred-dollar voucher which was the last thing I needed. I was only 49 kg standing at 5 foot. I deleted this message at once and wondering if Victor also did the same whenever he saw my text. 

I would continue to text him until he replied. Or failing which, unless it was proven beyond reasonable doubt that the handphone number no longer belonged to Victor. But how could I know? How could I find out? 

Hey! I got a message! 

“I know that you stole something from Jenny” the text read.

The sender was from an unknown number.

Chapter 15

When I arrived at the office the next day, I saw that the … OMG! … the Christmas dangling was gone! Somebody had taken it! 

It must have been taken by the person who sent me the text. The same person found the article in my drawer and that was why he knew that I took it from Jenny. Who was he? Who could it be? 

Immediately I made a sign of the cross and went into a silent prayer. It was so haphazard that even I didn’t think that God knew what I was asking Him for. I was certainly in a frenzy. 

More negatives were piled at my table. I felt like calling it quits to take a day off to go home. I couldn’t stay in the office any longer. The police might come anytime. But then for such a small thing the police wouldn’t want to take it up. After all it could have been put into my drawer by mistake. Nobody knows what you do in the dark, unless you tell them. Yes, no one saw me taking the dangling the other night. Wait! There was someone. The person who turned off the power supply that night. It might not have been a power failure – the one who switched off the lights before I did at the office the other night. And all along I thought that it was a coincidence. Yes, it was deliberate. Now I have put a logic to the events the other night – someone saw me and turned off the lights to scare me, now he sent me the text to blackmail me. Yes! Blackmail! If he wanted to report me, he would have gone straight to Mr Li Meng Hwa, rather than alarming me over the phone. 

Now that I have set my brains to work, I felt much better. Relieved, I started on the negatives again. No need to take leave to go home. I could stay until midnight to finish my work. Now I already knew by heart which switches were for which set of lights. 

Chapter 16

I told myself I must engage in more meaningful activities other than this staring of negatives day in and day out. Negatives which were controversial and might pose a problem the advertisers would already have checked with the department head Jenny. I was there only as a scapegoat. And I called this “staring” as sometimes my mind drifted and I didn’t even know what I was looking at. They were all so dark and interpretations had to be made from dark to white and light to black. It wasn’t easy. 

The only thing that cheered me up was perhaps the coffee that Alan Fong brought me punctually at 3:30 p.m. He did this favour for me simply because he wanted me to approve his negatives for him. I wasn’t vain I knew my short comings. I have a weak constitution and I fell sick quite regularly often succumbing to the coughs and cold. A walk in the rain would instantly send me to the GP. No one except Victor would find me useful company. 

Chapter 17

I had only been in this room twice before. The first time was on my first day of work. I came in to see Mr Li Meng Hwa to sign for my employment contract, which would last me for two years, if I didn’t commit certain acts which would amount to a breach of contract. The contract also stipulated that I mustn’t be engaged in the same industry for the next two years after I left Our New Daily. I was also made to declare that I was physically and mentally fit to undergo the assignment. Of course, nowhere in the agreement stated that I could not be romantically involved or get married during the term of my employment. I glanced through the document without as much as a pause and quickly signed on it. I wanted the job and since it had now become available, I took the chance to quickly grabbed at it. Everything could happen next. 

The second time I entered Mr Li Meng Hwa’s room was on my first day. I came in to report to work, and I still remembered that I wore a bright red dress. That was my favourite colour. I did remember asking myself if the new boss Mr Li Meng Hwa would like it. But then I chuckled and told myself that it was going to be my work that mattered, not my wardrobe. 

So that today when Jenny sent word that Mr Li Meng Hwa was going to see me, I knew straight away that something significant was going to be happening. And judging from the fact that I overheard the conversation in his room the other night, I assumed that I was going in for a sack. Jenny let me of the hook, but the divisional head Mr Li did not. I quickly went into the ladies to freshen up, telling myself that if the company was going to dismiss me, I would give them a good long lasting impression. I knew that although my job performance wasn’t up to standard, I had done nothing seriously wrong. 

Mr Li Meng Hwa was nothing but all smiles. 

“Sit down,” he said. 

I pulled the chair out in front of Mr Li gingerly, preparing to say I quit at any moment. 

After clearing his throat, Mr Li said, 

“Based on your good performance I have spoken to the CEO, and he has agreed to offer you a promotion,” 

I was shocked, and stumbling on my words, I could only utter an “err …” 

Mr Li waved his hands, and added, “Don’t be too happy yet. The offer of promotion was for you to take on more responsibility. You would need to put in more hours, but that the salary would be twice of what you receive now.” 

I could see that it was an offer difficult to refuse. And that I must have been an idiot to say no. I nodded my head, and all I could say was “thank you”. 

Upon seeing this, Mr Li pushed a piece of paper towards me, and said “sign here,” I glanced at it, and could see that it was a new contract. I wanted to ask him if I could bring it home to study it first, but then realised that it would have been rude, and that I might miss my opportunity to the promotion if I did not take up the offer immediately. 

I grabbed the pen that Mr Li gave me and looked for the words Signature and I quickly signed on it. The document was in duplicate so that he returned me the other copy and told me to keep it. I left Mr Li’s office and went back to my desk a little flabbergasted, and then I sat down on my chair staring at the negatives. 

At 3:30 p.m. Alan placed the usual coffee on my desk. “A penny for your thoughts?” he said. 

I merely looked at him, without telling him about my promotion. I supposed that he would get to know it sooner or later, the company will announce it in the newsletter. I continued with my job until everyone had left the office, and as usual I was the one who switched off all the lights. This time I dare not turn back or even as much as attempt to hear if any noises were coming from Mr Li’s room.

Chapter 18

So that means that Li Meng Hwa and Jenny did not know that I overhead their conversation the other night. For if they did, why would they offer me a promotion? 

But money and position were never without consideration. If I gave you one thousand dollars today without specifying the purpose for such a handout, chances were that the request for favour might come, sooner or later. Then apart from keeping my mouth shut, what would be the consideration? 

I allowed the thought to haunt me for several months until Jenny finally gave birth to her baby. It turned out to be a girl. No wonder Li Meng Hwa did not file for paternity suit, for if it were a boy, he would have done so I was sure of that. 

The D & D this year was held in September at Jenny’s house to coincide with her baby shower. Jenny told us that she would only disclose the name of the baby at the house event. I told myself that she should not only keep this a secret but also the surname of the baby a secret too. 

Chapter 19

I took an instant liking to the house the moment I stepped in. The rug that greeted me was a nice white fur in the shape of a lamb. A vase with a red rose stood quietly on a small table stand. I told myself that I must not break the vase at all costs. Jenny would sack me immediately even if I did it out of carelessness. Some Jazz music was playing in the background and I knew that the other guests had arrived. 

A lizard jumped out from nowhere and landed himself on my feet. I gave a loud screech and then someone gave a tenacious grip on my arm. I turned around and saw that it was Li Meng Hwa. 

“Shouldn’t you be with the guest?” I said. 

“Why should I be? I am also a guest,” he replied. 

How treacherous! The father of the baby! I thought to myself. I think it’s about time I gave him a lesson. I decided to be frank. And for no reason I became very bold. 

“You are the father, isn’t it?” I proclaimed. 

“Oh, whatever makes you think so?” Li Meng Hwa smiled at me with a kind of grin that made me want to slap him, dispute the fact that he was paying me my salary. I liked the truth. As far as I remembered I never told a lie before. The Bible said that an honest answer was a kiss on the lips. 

“I heard you two the other night,” I said. 

“You are confusing me, lady,” Li Meng Hwa said, “which night?” 

I looked at him, unable to recall which day it was that I overheard the conversation. 

“Let me get rid of the lizard for you,” Li Meng Hwa gave his kind offer. 

“Don’t touch me! You lousy man!!” I shouted at him. 

I think he didn’t expect this, and he almost fell bending backwards. 

At this juncture, Jenny came out from somewhere inside her house. She must have come from the kitchen, for an apron was still wrapped around her waist. 

“What happened?” first thing she asked. 

“No issue, Jenny, I was just trying to get rid of the lizard for Lynette,” 

“So sorry for the scare,” Jenny said, and she quickly pulled me inside, a sparkling Chanel watch on her wrist glared at me. This must have been a gift from the father of the baby, either Mr Chee or Li Meng Hwa. 

Throughout high tea, I kept wondering if I had made a mistake, by confronting Li Meng Hwa like that. I told myself I had lost my job for good, and that I had better hand in my resignation letter first thing on Monday morning. 

Chapter 20

I prepared my letter of resignation in haste. My PC at home was an outdated model with a very old version of the Windows. I had neglected my PC simply because I was so busy at work and coming back home late at night. 

When I arrived at the office early in the morning, I saw that Damien hasn’t come in yet. 

I quickly walked to my desk, afraid that I have to explain on why I came in so early. 

Once I sat down, I took away the photo frames on my desk and put them inside my shopping bag. Then I took one sip of the Americano which I picked up this morning and prepared to hand in my letter of resignation. My only concern now was whether I should hand it to Jenny or to Li Meng Hwa. Jenny was my immediate boss, but Li was the one that I offended. 

As usual Siew Eng came in at 8:30 a.m., followed by Alan Fong. 

“Good morning Lynette,” both of them greeted me at the same time. 

“Where are your photo frames?” Siew Eng asked. 

I couldn’t offer any explanation, so I pulled one negative towards me, and I pretended to look at it. 

“Another long day,” Siew Eng said. 

“Yup Monday blues …, ” reluctantly I added. 

I had almost forgotten that Jenny had taken leave for the month, following the birth of her baby. So that now I reported directly to Li Meng Hwa. And frankly speaking I really loath that. The door to Li Meng Hwa’s room was always shut. I could not tell from the outside if he had come in for the day or not. 

I made three trips to his secretary Elaine’s desk outside his office. And I was turned down three times. Finally, Elaine rang me on the internal line, and said, “Mr Li is free to see you now, but make it fast.” 

The office was large. I had not described this to you before. A large water colour of Monet was hung in front of him. You won’t be able to see it unless you were walking out from his room. I liked it the first time I saw it. 

“You have something to tell me? Lynette?” Mr Li asked even before I had a chance to sit down. 

“Yes, I want to give you my letter.” I said, in a tentative tone. At the back of my mind I was hoping that he would pardon me for that night and tell me to retrieve the letter. 

Mr Li opened the envelope and took out the letter which said, 

“Dear Sir 

I would like to tender my resignation with Our News Daily with immediate effect. And I thank you for the opportunity to work at the company for the past eighteen months. My resignation is with regrets for personal reasons. 

Best regards 

Lynette Sim (Ms)” 

“So that’s it? You think that you can walk out on me, thinking that nothing had happened before?” Mr Li’s voice was clear and unequivocal. 

“Err, …. ” I was lost for words. “I thought, … I thought that you didn’t want me anymore, I had offended you the other day,” I muttered, as soft as a church mouse. 

“The events that happened at Jenny’s house has nothing to do with your performance here. As far as I am concerned, you are hardworking, and … I thought I had promoted you?” 

“Sure, Sir,” I swallowed a bit of my saliva. And then I stretched out my hand to retrieve the letter from Mr Li. I gave him a grateful look and then I stood up to walk away from his desk, not forgetting to appraise the piece of Monet on his wall. 

Outside, negatives had piled up mountain high.

Chapter 21

It was easy to forget the past, but not easy to forgive someone. 

Victor was still at large, and I had been praying non-stop for his manifestation, i.e. to either reply to my messages or to let me know if he was still alive. Of course, if he were dead, he won’t be able to tell me. I had no official relationship with him, and under the law had no legal right to demand his whereabouts. For all I knew he could have been married to another woman by now. 

“I Miss You” – the mug from Alan Fong came to my desk. I saw it and simply brought it back to Alan and left it there. He must have accidentally put it there. After all our desks are quite close to each other. 

Then at 3:30 p.m., my usual coffee from Alan arrived at my desk. I was too busy to tell him that he misplaced his mug earlier this morning. My head was buried in the negatives throughout. It was not until 5:00 p.m. that I had a chance to take a break by going to the toilet. 

And I almost forgot to mention that since Jenny gave birth to her second child the baby girl, she was in a much better mood, and no longer have the time and inclination to give me her pep talk. I got a chance to leave the office before midnight. However, I was still the last one to leave. 

But recently I always found it uncomfortable at a certain hour, at around 8:00 p.m. or thereabouts. I felt a presence standing behind me, it was strong and luminating. It could be due to the fact that the lights at my section was still on. The other parts of the office were in pitch darkness. I could sense the silent force moving from one desk to the other, like a hurricane. 

Tonight, I felt it most strong. I quickly packed my things and booked a Grab from my iPhone and called it quits. I didn’t want to be confronted by anyone from beyond. Packing my things, I almost spilled the unfinished coffee that Alan gave me. 

The night was chilly but not too cold for my liking. I took a deep breath and told myself that life was treating me well. As I stepped into the Grab car, I saw a text from none other than Victor. 

“You are alive!” I quickly texted back. 

“Listen, can I meet you now?” the person on the other side replied. 

“It’s past midnight, …. ” I texted back, forgetting that he was the one that I had wanted to meet all the while. 

“I can only meet you now,” the other side replied. 

“Ok, then where?” I asked. 

“Just outside Panama Cinema,” and then, “I meet you at the ticketing counter,” another text. 

I was so elated I had entirely forgotten about the fact that at this hour, the ticketing counter would have dispensed all the tickets for the patrons for the midnight shows and closed. 

So that I ordered the Grab driver to change destination. He drove me to the cinema and bid me goodnight, which was rather unusual. I was so happy myself that I didn’t bother about the driver. 

Chapter 22

The cinema was empty. Few people were there and in fact they were only the cleaners. I took the escalator up to the ticketing counter and I saw Li Meng Hwa there. 

“Thought you weren’t coming!” he said. 

“You … you are the one who texted me?!” I exclaimed. 

“Who else do you think it was?” he asked. 

And then at the same time he took out an ornament, a charm that I recognised so well. 

“Want to bring this home?” he asked. 

“I, I, I … don’t know what you mean,” I said. 

“You took this from Jenny’s office door,” Li did not mince his words. 

I could not deny it now. The evidence was weighing right in front of me. 

“What do you plan to do? Report me? This is such a small item!” I raised my voice. 

“Of course not, Lynette. This is just to tell you that we have CCTV surveillance everywhere in the office. I saw you but that I found it to be a once off affair, so I decided to ignore it.” 

“And in any case, you are a good staff.” Li Meng Hwa was gentle with his words. 

“Let me give you a ride home,” he said. 

“Wait! Then how did you know Victor’s phone number? It was you sending the messages to me, right?” I questioned the wretched man. 

“Yup, you have been sending messages to this number every day, and during office hours, so we decided to go to the telecommunications company to check on it,” Li was not afraid to disclose the facts. 

“You have been spying on me!” I shouted. 

“We are paying for your handphone bills, of course we should know these things,” Li was adamant. 

“I am done with you! I am done with your company!” I shouted, and then I walked away, back to the streets dimly lit with lights. My footsteps were bold and loud. 

This time Li grabbed hold of me again. He gripped my arm so tight that I almost screamed. Frankly speaking, Li Meng Hwa was a handsome man, if he hadn’t been with Jenny and I hadn’t overheard the conversation the other night a year ago, I would have wished him as a suitor. But now? 

Chapter 23

Late at night there seemed nothing much to do except to follow my bosses’ order. Meekly I walked with Li to his Lexus, and I climbed into the passenger seat without another word. Surprisingly he drove me back home, which was in fact disappointing. 

Before I got off the car, Li threw a sentence at me, “It is him, isn’t it?”, with almost a trace of bitterness. 

But where was Victor? I screwed my brains the entire night trying to decide if I should forget about Victor and move on. 

The next day I did not report to the office. Neither did I do so for the next three days, and the week after that. No one contacted me and I simply disappeared from the radar of Our News Daily.

Three months later I found another job, this time with a real estate company. They hired me because I looked smart and presentable which was what an estate agent needed to possess. The salary was commission based and depended on my sales. I liked the job because of the flexible hours. Compared to Our News Daily where I had to be glued to the chair for two to three hours at a stretch, this job was cushy. 

But I had a nagging feeling that Li Meng Hwa would not let go of me so easily, especially since he knew that I knew the truth about baby Elizabeth. It suddenly occurred to me that I could blackmail him. I did not need money, but I was quite thrilled at the thought that I could gain some control over the man. I still could not forgive the fact that he spied on me. 

Speaking of the devil. Li Meng Hwa rang me up whilst I was attending to one of my customers at a show flat. 

“Would you like to meet up with me?” he said over the phone, with a kind of earnestness that surprised me. 

Chapter 24

I sat down in front of the man who once used to be my boss. This time he had no power over me. I greeted him politely and asked him why he had decided to meet me after such a long time. Of course I didn’t remember handing in a second letter of resignation. 

“I have a favour to ask of you,” Li came straight to the point. 

“Huh? I am surprised, Mr Li,” I said, almost wanting to make fun of him. “You know Jenny, and her little daughter …?” he began, somewhat tentatively. 

“Yes, her daughter Elizabeth,” I said. 

“Jenny had refused to allow me to see her,” Li said. 

“Her? You mean Elizabeth?” I asked. 

“Precisely! And you know that she is my daughter,” Li put it across. 

“What is the problem? I thought you wanted me to hide it?” I queried; a bit surprised. 

“Yes, and no.” Li looked quite upset now. 

“Jenny had promised me that she would resign from Our News Daily and marry me once the divorce with her husband is finalised,” The man was about to cry.

“Then?” I asked. 

“Nothing has happened so far, it’s been almost a year since Elizabeth was born,” 

I see the picture now. This man wants me to go to court to swear that Elizabeth was his child. 

“Why do you think that Jenny refused to marry you?” I probed. He ought to tell me if he wanted me to help him. 

“Her husband came into a large sum of money by way of inheritance,” Li explained. 

“No way, I am not going to wreck someone else’s marriage.” I said, firmly. 

“If I remember correctly, Jenny wasn’t very nice to you before,” Li tried to instigate me. 

“No way, and goodbye!” This is the second time I walked away from the good-looking man. 

And I couldn’t say that I was not disappointed. 

But I was also afraid at the same time. Now that Li was certain that I knew about the secret – the fatherhood of Elizabeth, would he hire an assassin to kill me?

Chapter 25

Li Meng Hwa was not my beau, neither was he my boyfriend. But after the past few encounters, I had grown to take a liking to him. He never took it back on me, he just allowed me to do whatever that I wished, at that moment. And whenever I stormed out on him, he just stood there and waited until I had gone out of sight. I had begun to develop feelings for him. I told you he was good looking. He was also well dressed. 

I told myself I shouldn’t be running away from Li Meng Hwa like that. Like a pokemon he appeared at critical times. I was beginning to wonder if he was doing this for revenge. But why could he take revenge on me? I had not done him any harm, either wilfully or unwittingly. 

But the image of Victor Lau See Chin still haunted me. You couldn’t blame me I was living in the house in which he designed with the help of an interior designer. I decided that I should move out as soon as possible. 

I found the name of an agent – Ryan Chan Kok Liang. He was working together with another lady by the name of Crystal Chong Bee Eng, in the same company that I now worked at. Both of them have six years of real estate experience. I was persuaded to sell my house at below the market price since the economic outlook for this quarter was dim. I just wanted to leave the premises as soon as possible. Even though I had not thought of where to go. 

Chapter 26

On the day of the viewing, only three persons appeared at my house. One was a middle-aged banker, the other a couple and the third a man from overseas. I gave them my reserved price at once, and all said that they would think about it. I guess that this was a negative response. 

But two days later I got a call from Ryan Chan my estate agent. He gave me a piece of shocking news – that the house was mortgaged, so that I would have to discharge the mortgage first. I had no idea. Victor had been managing all the details all these while. I only did the domesticated chores like house-cleaning and helping him to entertain. If this were the case, then I couldn’t sell the house. But I also had no means to pay off the mortgage. What happened to the letters of demand? Surely the bank would have sent them to me?! 

“Apparently Victor Lau has another address,” Ryan Chan said. 

“Could you give me the other address?” I asked innocently. 

“Am afraid I myself don’t know,” he replied. 

It all suddenly came together. Now I knew why Victor disappeared from my life. I didn’t remember having quarrelled with him. Fact that he left so abruptly had puzzled me for a long time. He must have been in debt. But how come? As far as I know, Victor was not a gambler. 

“How many months due is the mortgage?” I asked. 

“I don’t know, all I know is that the house cannot be sold until the mortgage is discharged,”

“Can I ask the buyer to discharge the mortgage for me?” 

At night I tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep. My accommodation was in trouble and soon I will have nowhere to stay. I was merely an occupier in the house of a missing man. Apart from the fact that I had also lost my job. 

Chapter 27

There was no way out. Either I begged Li Meng Hwa for the admin executive job back, or I allowed myself to go hungry in the streets. 

I went personally to look for Li Meng Hwa in the office, this time his secretary Elaine was not seated at the outside to stop me from barging in. Thank God Li was in. 

To say the truth, Li Meng Hwa was not surprised to see me at all. He merely said to me, 

“You’re back!” and then he signalled for me to sit down in front of him. 

“You know how long I have waited for you to come around to your senses?” Li opened conversation. 

“Yes, and I know that I shouldn’t have left like this, without any note,” I said plainly. 

“For this I would demand that you write a letter to explain for your absence, to indicate that you had been employed by us Our News Daily all this while,” “…. you could say that you were hospitalised, or that you were going through bereavement …. although for bereavement the leave allowed is only three days.” Li was certainly very helpful. 

“I … err … I try my best … can you write the letter for me?” I said, I really didn’t know how to go about it. 

“Fine. Report to me first thing tomorrow morning.” 

I went home with a mixed feeling of gratitude and relieved most of all. I could start to get my life back. Victor had played me out and I should not be bothered about him anymore. He couldn’t pay the mortgage to our house, so he abandoned ship. That was certainly very irresponsible of him. 

And most of all, now I could have a schedule to my day, and I could start to have my Americano again! 

Chapter 28

The negatives were piling up again. I told myself to drink more coffee. Alan Fong was at his newspapers and doing pagination again. Siew Eng was just waiting for me to pass the vetted ones to her for her to bring them to the production department. As I was sipping the coffee reading the news for a breather, I saw …. 

Victor Lau See Chin!!! 

There was this news that a man by the name of Victor Lau See Chin had been stabbed at Panama Cinema on 15 March 2007, just three months ago, the same night that I had met Li Meng Hwa. I recorded the date in my memory because that was also the same day two years ago that I joined Our News Daily.

Yes! Even if my text messages could be read by Li Meng Hwa because my handphone bills were paid by the company, it was strange that Li could be holding Victor’s handphone on that day. How could he have gained control over Victor’s handphone? 

…. Victor was killed!!! 

Immediately my phone rang. Elaine was on the internal line, 

“Lynette, Mr Li wants to see you now,” she said. 

I stood up from my chair, like a zombie I walked to Li Meng Hwa’s room. I knocked even though I knew that he was expecting me and then I opened the door. 

“Has it been proven beyond reasonable doubt?” the man on the high-backed chair said, staring straight into my eyes, his words piercing into my ears. 

“Has it been proven beyond reasonable doubt?” the man on the high-backed chair said, staring straight into my eyes, his words piercing into my ears. 

I turned and rushed out of the room as fast as I could ….

Chapter 29

Inside the court room on the witness stand, I fought hard not to look at the prosecutor. The man was asking me,

“We have now gathered all the evidence to show to the court that the man Li Meng Hwa killed the victim Victor Lau See Chin. But evidence also points to the fact that the killer Li was not acquainted with the victim Lau. Ms Lynette, maybe you could tell us, specifically how the two men became known to each other and their relationship to each other in this entire episode,”

I need to find the motive, fast enough to give a plausible explanation to the story that has been developing now, but all my mind could see was the black and white negatives, with words all over the images ….

“Ok, let me start from the beginning. Ms Lynette, you currently reside at Sunrise Park, is that right?” the prosecutor asked.

“And if I were not wrong, the property is owned by the deceased Victor Lau,” the man continued,

“and, by servicing the mortgage loan, you are contributing to the payment of the property, thus earning the right to keep the property as your own, am I right to say that, Ms Lynette?”

“I certainly hope so, I have nowhere else to stay,” I said, “although I am not sure it works that way,” I added.

“Tell me, when was the last time you saw the victim?”

“September the 13th, 2006,” I gave him the exact date. This is the date I know so well in my head.

“In that last meeting, did the deceased mention that he will not come back again?”

“Of course not, we parted on good terms, I mean, he just disappeared. One day he decided he didn’t want to come back anymore,” I replied, a little exasperated this time.

And then I decided to be funny, “Can I report his MIA with you now that we are on this track?”

“Victor Lau the deceased has been registered as the owner of the property Sunrise Park since 2003, January. I assume that you were also staying there since …. ” the man changed his line of questioning.

“Yes, we saw the property together and we bought the property together,” I supplied him with the storyline, “and since he had more money than I, he decided to foot the bill, and thus my name was left out of the land registry,” I guess this sounds convincing.

“Ok, the arrangement between two lovers …. I shall not quarrel with that,” the man was definitely onto something I didn’t like, fact that he wasn’t interested in denying the facts I gave him.

“You are also in possession of his papers, I gathered, he never mentioned his family to you, Ms Lynette?” 

“No, not that I know of. Victor didn’t used to get along with his family,” I told him the truth. 

“Is that why he is giving you all his money? Money that he has made out in his will?”

OMG! I finally get what this man is up to! He is trying to say that I killed Victor, or conspired to kill him!

“NO!!!” I shouted, “The answer is No!” I emphasised the word No.

“Yes,” the man replied, ignoring my loud protest.

I see that you are also trying to sell the property Sunrise Park at the moment. But then even if the property is sold, the proceeds will still go to the deceased, so there is no way that you could lay hands on his money except to kill him.

No!!! I shouted again, this time at the top of my voice.

“Calm down,” the judge interjected.

“Ok,” I backed down, “assuming you have all the motives, how did I kill Victor? You have no evidence of it,” I didn’t do it, so I knew that the prosecutor had no evidence.

“Yes, Oh yes, you got your beau Li to do the act,” the man, who has now becoming hideous to me, “we know that you met him shortly afterwards, after Victor has died, in the Panama cinema,”

But I was still unconvinced, on the night I merely saw Li Meng Hwa, no dead bodies, no knives, no weapons, how could any one of us kill Victor?” 

“You were quite clever to choose each other as your alibi,” the prosecutor said.

“So, do you know who killed Victor – since you got all the motives,” I decided to be bold.

“Perhaps I ought to be blunt,” the man said, “You were wearing black when you met Li on the fatal night, black being the mourning colour, it would seemed that you already knew what was coming ….”

How could he have known what I was wearing???

“Sir,” I decided to be polite as I think this requires some kind of skill. The man has put me in a situation I never envisaged myself in. 

“Frankly speaking, I can’t even remember what colour I was wearing, if you look into my wardrobe, half of the clothes  I have are black,” this is outrages. I turned to the judge, it’s time I discredit this man, I thought to myself.

And then, no one knows what you do in the dark, unless you tell him .…

It came to me like a ray of sunlight, a promise that nothing I do or did would be revealed.

When Dennis and I were together ….

Chapter 1

I took off my mask, adjusted my collar, tucked my hair behind my ear and put on my most solemn expression. After a deep breath, I turned the doorknob and I walked into Court 23 again. 

The only thought on my mind was that it won’t be long before my enemy found me again. The man was still at large, and I had reported him for a criminal breach of trust. I resigned and he resigned. Of course, the authorities knew where to find me, I had given them all my details and also all the information I knew about Dennis Chan. 

Today I had to defend a woman in long hair. I called her “a woman in long hair” simply because I couldn’t remember her by any other name, her long hair covering all her features. Justice Suzie Temple was the presiding judge. The moment I saw her Justice’s expression I knew that my client was guilty. Clients didn’t usually tell you the truth, when they actually expected you to defend them. 

Chapter 2

The charge was that my client Christine Wong stole a pair of sandals from an expensive boutique. And the staff described her behaviour as being weird when she walked in. The first defence that came to my mind was that she was a kleptomania. But then the staff said that she asked to see the item and had in fact tried it on, then later on she wore the pair of sandals out of the boutique “in broad daylight”. The question remained – why didn’t the sales staff stop her? Was there a conspiracy to frame her? 

Christine Wong came from a well-to-do family. At the time of the arrest, she was in possession of at least two thousand one hundred and forty-six-dollars cash in her wallet. There was absolutely no reason for her to shoplift a pair of sandals. Why would anyone want to shoplift when they could afford to pay? I checked with the officer-in-charge to find out what else she took. And the answer came back as “no other items”. 

At the material time Christine Wong was living alone. Although she was unemployed for at least four months, it was difficult to establish a motive save as to say that she was a kleptomania. But this being the first time that she stole, I could not use it as a defence. 

I knew that it was hard to explain human behaviour. You needed to talk to several people before you could read a criminal’s mind. And most importantly her religion. We all have a God, a faith, who was Christine Wong’s God? And why had He done this to her? Did she idol worship? Clearly her mind wasn’t telling her the right thing at the material time. As I was talking in my mind, I tripped on a stone and I fell flat on the ground. 

No one came to my aid, I had to crawl up then pick up my files on the ground. They were scattered all over the place. Law was my bread and butter. The files were more important than my injured knees. I had to get my files home and kept them safe. No one should be allowed to have access to its contents. My injury wasn’t severe enough for me to see a doctor or call for an ambulance immediately. 

When I arrived at home, I put all the files on my dining table, which had become my worktable as well. I was too tired to do any sorting out. I left them there and I went straight to give myself a hot shower. 

After the shower I went straight to bed. but it had not been my habit to fall asleep immediately. I lay in bed, and suddenly the image of a man came to my mind, at the bus-stop where I always alighted on the way home. The man was in a black shirt and black pants. I remembered that I looked at him, and he turned away. Later on, he looked at me again, I stared back at him wondering why and how I could have attracted his attention. The strange thing was that he made a 90-degree bow, facing me, pretending to be looking at his shoes. I stared at him. I had never seen him before. And why was he there in the first place? 

Fear was a natural response to any threat, especially when it was a threat we didn’t completely understand. At the time I had this vague feeling that I was being followed. 

Chapter 3

The streets were quiet today. About one in ten of the people who were out was wearing a mask. I collected my masks at the government hub yesterday. It was smooth and no fuss. I watched with dismay how the authorities were trying to trace the contact points in order to stamp out the transmission. Covid-19 was by far one of the most contagious disease. I hurried on with my groceries then I went home. 

Once I reached home, I quickly washed my hands and then took a quick shower to get rid of the layer of germs mapping on the surface of my clothes. I had never been so conscious of hygiene before. Afterwards I went back to my PC to start on my affidavit on Christine Wong. 

“… law is the basis of everything that governs human behaviour, and nobody wants to be a criminal for a minor misdemeanour. Christine Wong was just careless on the day of the incident. She was preoccupied with … and had in fact wanted to make payment. In her mind, she had expected the staff to ask her to pay, but that since none of them did, she thought that she had already made payment when she walked out. My client Christine Wong was not hiding the fact that she had the pair of sandals on. If she had intended to steal, she would not have walked out of the boutique with so many pairs of eyes watching her. We could only conclude that she was merely forgetful. Perhaps she was nursing a broken heart …” 

And then before I went to bed after I had put on the dressing for my knees I prayed before the miniature statue of Mother Mary at the altar. 

Chapter 4

Everybody was tense. I tried to smile at the security officer who was scanning my briefcase. She looked beyond me. 

“Anything inside?” the lady in navy blue uniform asked, the badge on her chest shinning. 

“The usual,” I said, thinking that she would recognise me, I was a regular here I came to court at least once a week. 

“Open up,” she said, I opened my handbag. The woman used a stick to poke at its contents. Then she put a sandwich bag on the conveying belt. I looked at it, inside was a surgical mask. 

“Put it on,” she said. 

“I …,” I wanted to argue with her but refrained. How could I present my case in court if I were to be wearing a mask? 

I had to attend court. I was representing Daphne Lim this morning. Representing Daphne was no easy feat. It took me five phone calls and thirteen text messages to get her to agree to come to court. If not because of her mother, I would have discharged myself a long time ago. 

Daphne Lim’s mother was my ex-colleague. To tell you the truth, I was shocked when June Chia came to my office. I haven’t seen her for almost twenty years, I didn’t even know that she was married. 

“So, who did you marry in the end?” I asked, the first thing I said when I saw June at my office. 

“I am divorced,” June was direct. 

“And the purpose of your visit? I was impatient. I was having several files to attend to, and two affidavits to write for the case on Christine Wong. 

I carried on, “So, you are not asking me to do a divorce. Then wills, probate? Or property?” 

June looked dishevelled, “Ok then I get to the point, my daughter is being scammed,” 

“Have you reported the matter to the police?” I asked. Scams were a matter for the police. 

June shook her head. 

Why not? I asked. 

“My daughter is a very educated woman, if word gets out that she is being cheated, we might all sound very foolish,” June said. And she was right after all. 

“So then why are you here? I became a little irritated. She couldn’t have come here to ask me to support the scammer. 

After a pause I said, “Oh then, you want me to represent her?” 

June put an envelope on my desk. I glanced at it, and I said, 

“I don’t accept cash,” 

“Open up,” she ordered me. 

All lawyers were in the habit of opening mails on the spot. We couldn’t leave anything sealed lying around. 

Inside were several letters. I saw that they were in my own handwriting. I picked up one of them and started to read its contents. They were my love letters to Dennis Chan. 

“How did you get hold of them?” I was shocked. 

“Believe me, I know where your lover is,” my new client June Chia told me.

Chapter 5

The Covid-19 virus had no agenda, neither did it discriminate, there seemed to be nothing to stop the virus from spreading. No, we hadn’t found a vaccine yet. 

More confirmed cases had been identified, and tourism and retail industries had been badly affected. I watched with dismay every night on television that new cases had been reported. 

As I was sipping coffee at Black Brewers, several messages from friends came. One was a forwarded message from the Archbishop Gerald Fong See Beng. He was being interviewed, and he gave his reasons why he had decided to suspend all Masses. Sounded good and logical, but frustrated parishioners had resorted to online attendance. I was not in the habit of going to Mass, and simply had no time to do so. So actually, I was in absentee for a long time. The suspension did not affect me one way or another. So long as the courthouse was still open, I had a job to do and a purpose. Life must go on cases must be resolved. 

I changed into my slippers the moment I got into the office. The 4-inch heals were meant to give me an edge over my opponents. Over the years I had acquired the habit of holding my head up as I was always looking up at the bench. 

Leena had prepared my lunchbox. I went to the fridge, took out the salad and dressing and I gobbled at the vegetables. Since Christmas I had been trying very hard to lose weight. My weight had been on the constant rise and very soon I would turn into a fat woman. 

Chapter 6

One of my old clients looked for me again. It was Edward Leong. He wanted to know if I were able to act for his son, this time a divorce. Frankly speaking, I had never been married before and I didn’t know how to do a divorce. But both Edward and his wife Penny were very insistent, saying that I was the best lawyer in town – something which I myself had never heard off. 

I kept myself free in the afternoon so that I could meet with the family. I had never met the young man, but I was taken aback when I saw Penny Leong. She was Omg bejewelled. From top to toe she had diamonds decorated, looking like a Christmas tree. 

Penny carried with her an air as though she were superior to me. Frankly speaking I didn’t see her as being any better than myself. The only plausible reason for her to look down on me would be that she had more diamonds on her body. 

After the consultation, I became very unhappy, and I rushed out to Tiffany’s to look for some jewellery to upstage Penny the next time she came in to see me again. At Tiffany’s I chose the first diamond ring I saw, and I put it on my finger even before the salesman had swapped my credit card. 

Chapter 7

I was almost late for the hearing this morning. A large queue had already been formed at the entry points. They usually scan our bags and belongings, which I had gotten used to. But this time they were also funnelling us through a few entry points, to detect if anyone of us was febrile. Obediently I stood amongst the crowd. Silently I prayed, hoping that I wouldn’t be late for Justice Suzie Temple. 

I began, 

“Your Honour, my client Daphne Lim Yoke Lin was … young and naïve, thinking that she could find love from a man whom she had never met, and he took advantage of that. There was certainly no intention on her part to deceive anyone but herself … Daphne Lim was estranged from her own natural family and was devastated when she discovered that she was actually an adopted child by her mother … so that she sought consolation from an outsider …. ” 

Chapter 8

The World Health Organization on Wednesday declared the novel coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. There were 118,000 cases, more than 4,000 deaths, the agency said, and the virus had found a foothold on every continent except for Antarctica. Vietnam is no exception. 

I found the streets no less crowded. People minding their own affairs were already masked with a glum face. I wore my surgical mask but knew that it was just a useless self-precaution. 

If you asked me if was afraid of anyone, I would tell you it was Leena. Leena my secretary was my confidant as well as my alibi. Whenever there was a call say from a troublesome client whom I didn’t want to talk to, I would tell her to tell him that I was in court. Over the years, being in court had been one of my best excuses for absentee, although when actually I was watching a film at the cinema. 

There was this film “Knives Out” that I must see this week. I bought the tickets for 1:40pm and tucked it in my LV bag. The tickets were purchased online and had my credit card details although if I went on a weekday, I could get a fifty percent discount. I preferred to do everything online so that I could capture all my expenditure by looking at my credit card monthly statement. Yes, I was on an austerity drive. 

And then I was almost late for the show. The door to Hall 3 was already closed. I drew the curtains apart and immediately a woman in torchlight came to my rescue. 

“Show me your ticket,” she said. I put my hand inside my LV and tucked at the paper. There were no tickets! 

“I booked it online, let me show you the booking,” I tried to remain calm. Thank God my iPhone was obedient, and I retrieved the booking on the spot. J9. The woman let me in, and I crossed over the legs of several patrons before I could find my seat. Luckily the screen was just showing what was coming soon. At least I could relax for a while quietly without my clients and Justice Suzie Temple. 

When the show started, I already knew how it was going to end, so actually I was just using my time in the cinema to send some unread messages on my WhatsApp. 

I braved the rain to take the bus after the film ended. The weather was fine when I boarded and frankly, I thought that the weatherman won’t have expected it to rain either. 

After I arrived at home, my clothes were soaking wet with rainwater. My first instinct was to take off the diamond ring before I washed my hands. As usual I left it on the vanity counter. 

When I was falling asleep on the bed at night, I thought about the booking at the cinema, and was wondering how a mistake could have arisen from an online booking. Did someone tamper with the internet?

Chapter 9

I read with dismay that several countries had imposed a lockdown. In the evening after work I rushed out to buy instant noodles and toothpaste, some can food and whatever that came to my mind, including fresh milk. The supermarket was crowded, and the shoppers’ faces were miserable. I managed to grab some toilet paper as well. The joke now was that toilet paper was greater in demand than a diamond ring. I looked at the Tiffany’s diamond ring on my hand and I toyed with it. 

When I stepped into Black Brewers, I ordered my usual coffee and it came in a paper cup, which only served to remind me that there was a pandemic. Nevertheless, I finished the brown liquid and was about to leave before a young woman sat in front of me at the same table. 

“Are you the lawyer who is acting for Christine Wong?” she asked. 

I was stunned for a while, and I wanted to walk away. But curiosity overtook me. How could she have known? Was she at the hearing? It was an open court, so that I couldn’t help replying, 

“Yes, indeed I am her solicitor. You have something for me?” I asked. 

“I can confirm that Christine Wong was framed,” she looked straight at me. 

“How? You were there at the boutique?” I became interested. 

“No, I am a staff. I can tell you that the boutique does not have CCTV,” 

“Huh?” I was taken aback. Lawrence the public prosecutor had said that he had a recording of Christine walking out without paying. 

“Can you prove that to me?” I became excited, I needed hard evidence. 

“I’m afraid not,” the lady said. 

“Then can you give me your name? Can you swear an affidavit?” I wanted this badly. 

The lady merely shrugged her shoulders. I put one foot forward and sat down in front of her again. 

“Look. You could save a person from going to jail if you would cooperate with me,” I began pleading with her. I must win my case. 

“I don’t want to lose my job. I can’t give evidence.” She was firm. 

“Then what is your purpose here now?” I became irate. 

Chapter 10

Before I went out this morning, I took my hand sanitizer and masks. I packed three masks as once you had used it, you must change into a new one. 

If you did an activity often enough you were bound to get tired of it. I was getting tired of going to court. Of course, my four-inch heels had a lot to do with it. The only thing that motivated me was the fees I received from my clients. 

In order for me to make out a case that my client was a kleptomania, I tried to ask Christine if she had seen a shrink before. 

“Indeed, …. ” she said. 

“I go for confession three times a week … at different venues, to more than one priests. Father Damien Cheng is very forgiving, and Father George Lim is benevolent, so is Father Jason Wong … in fact Father Damien is a great listener, and I particularly liked the penance dispensed by Father Jason Wong … he never made me recite more than two decades of the rosary as penance … 

So that meant that the woman used the priests as psychiatrists! I shrugged at the thought and decided to check with the church if priests had actually gone through some sort of psychology training. 

In the meantime, I was glad that the hearings were going on as usual. 

Chapter 11

I only had one mode of transport – the bus. And I only took Grab when it was either raining or threatening to rain. 

When you put on sunglasses you gave other people an eerie feeling, as though you were trying to do something for which you didn’t want to be caught. I saw a woman sitting directly in front of me on the bus. She was looking in my direction, but I couldn’t tell if she was actually staring at me. The journey to the office seemed longer today as I wanted to be out of her range. 

Was she another woman who could help me with my client’s case? Or was she a proxy of Dennis Chan? 

I knew that I was beginning to draw conclusions without any cogent evidence in support whatsoever. But that so long as Dennis Chan was at large, I could not feel safe. 

As I stepped into the lift, I found several workers inside the lift. A pandemic team with hazmat suits was doing disinfectant cleaning. It lifted my spirits immediately seeing for the first time a cleaning crew in full personal protective equipment. But that also meant that a suspect or confirmed case had been in the area. I had not been paying close enough attention to the news lately as I had been too busy with my cases. 

At the time a little coronavirus was lurking in the corner to latch onto Irene Ng …. 

Chapter 12

The promise from the Christian God wasn’t sufficient for me. I went to the Kwan Im Temple to seek guidance – you shake at a tin for a divination stick to spill out, then use the verse on it to refer to the Buddhist prophecy in the Scriptures. Dutifully I did the ritual and true enough the result said that it won’t be long before my enemy found me again. 

At this point in time, I wished that I hadn’t reported on Dennis Chan. Surely, I could have pardoned him. It wasn’t my money that he took, it was his client’s money. Why was I being such a busy body?! 

Chapter 13

If you think that you were being followed, go into a ladies’ room, no man will follow you there. I found a man walking closely behind me on the way from the office to the bus-stop. I couldn’t see his face clearly as he was wearing a mask. 

It must be the diamond ring. I thought to myself. I wanted to take it off and hide it in my handbag immediately. But then the man could pick pocket it from my handbag, I thought. If I wore it on me all the time, I would know straight away when it was gone, assuming that the robber could snatch it out of my finger. I turned around to confront him, 

“What do you want?” I was brave. 

This was a safe country, all robbers were bound to be caught, sooner or later. At the same time, I put my left hand with the ring in my pocket, not willing to expose it. 

“Wear your mask! For heaven’s sake!” I yelled at him. 

“I want to commit suicide,” the man said. 

Without another word, he flashed out a knife, pointing at his own chest. 

Suicide was decriminalised, but abetment to suicide was still punishable. 

This man wanted me to help him end his life! If he had wanted to harm himself, he need not have involved me!! 

I became disgusted, and I quickened my steps, hurrying down the road, in order to disassociate myself from the onerous man. I thought that perhaps he wanted me to stop him, otherwise why would he warn me of his intent beforehand? 

But right now, the police were too busy arresting people who flout the stay-home notice, if I were to call for help, they would probably ignore me, I thought – Huh? … a stranger on the street telling you he wants to kill himself … are you serious?

I walked as fast as I could, not willing to look back to see if the man was ok. The bus came right on time and I boarded the bus without as much as a pause. It was not crowded as most people were at home doing self-isolation. 

Why was the stranger putting on an act? I was certain that suicide wasn’t on his agenda, neither was my diamond ring. In the semidarkness I could not see his face very clearly. 

Chapter 14

All activities have slowed down, people have been advised not to conduct large scale events, I took it that this was one way in which God was telling me not to worship Him in public. I had not attended Mass for a long time and frankly was quite tired of the Rosary. My prayer on having Dennis Chan caught had not been answered. 

The most frustrating thing was that I couldn’t even go out to seek the protection of my other help the Goddess Kwan Yin. The Kwan Yin Temple was also closed so that I went ahead to the shop located just next to it to purchase a statue. I brought it home hugging it tightly in my chest carefully not to trip over the flight of steps on the way up to my unit. And then I found the most prominent spot in my house and placed it right there. Afraid that I couldn’t see it at night, I moved my lamp by the study table to the side of the statue, and then I let the statue illuminate in the night.

Chapter 15

Scientists said that the Covid-19 was a zoonotic transmission not a human virus and that it was an animal virus that got into the human population. 

Some days I was in top form but someday I really didn’t feel like going to court. I dragged myself out of the bed this morning and decided to say a short prayer before I went to work. This time I prayed in front of the statue of the Buddha at the corner of the bedroom. 

When I prayed with Mother Mary, I had one agenda for each decade of the rosary. Basically, I asked God to help me win all of my cases in court. So far, the Almighty had answered ninety percent of my prayers – the outstanding one being on Dennis Chan. Of course if Dennis was arrested and put in jail, the chances of him marrying me would be nil. 

Chapter 16

If you found something irresistible you must go ahead and buy it. I had suddenly found the desire to buy the same pair of sandals that Christine Wong was accused of stealing. And so, after presenting my case in court, I went straight to the same boutique Graceful Legs to see if I could find a similar pair. 

The salesman at the door refused to let me in, unless I was properly attended to, so I waited until he could summon an available salesperson. The girl who came with an iPad in hand was most obliging. 

“Oh yes, let me check if I got the colour you want,” the salesgirl said, and then, 

“It’s shocking pink, isn’t it? We call it the Rose or Fuchsia.” 

I took out a random pair of sandals on display and I tried it on. It was obviously too large for me. The girl quickly checked the sole of the sandals and ordered me to try on another smaller size, before checking on her iPad for availability. 

“Yes! We have size 35.5 for this colour!! Just wait here!!!” she was in ecstasy. 

When the sandals came, I felt like Cinderella when I slipped it on. 

“Indeed, it looks very nice. Do I pay here?” I immediately offered. 

“No, you go to level 1, one level down to make payment,” she said. 

And then it suddenly came so clear to me! This was the street level, the section where sandals were displayed, so naturally Christine walked out thinking that the cashier counter was just around the corner. The entry to level 1 was obscure. Christine must have been very absent minded. I thought about this and decided to use this argument as my defence, instead of advising my client to plead guilty. 

“Before I pay, do you have CCTV here?” one last thing. 

“Oh no! Purchases here are strictly confidential, clients’ records are not subject to public inspection … even the Sultana of Brunei comes in here sometimes ….” She declared proudly. 

Dutifully I followed her to the cashier and made payment for my most expensive pair of footwear. 

At night whilst writing my affidavit I pondered over the arguments. Would Justice Suzie Temple buy it? 

On the PC I typed: “… the accused Christine Wong had meant to make payment but had absent minded walked out of the boutique thinking that she was on her way to the cashier … ” 

And then I deleted my notes on the screen. DPP Lawrence said that they had the CCTV record, which meant that the authorities had intended to prosecute my client. There must be some other reason. Who was Christine related to? Was there something about Christine Wong that they knew, and I didn’t? 

Chapter 17

It was an innocent and calm afternoon, nothing contriving about the scenery or the crowd, the people on the streets were in single digits with their bags hanging loosely over their shoulders. If you detached yourself from the picture before you and looked at the scenery from the outside you would see mostly dark colours. 

I took my usual seat atBlack Brewers.

From the corner of my eye I saw the stranger again. The man who followed me that day after “Knives Out”. My immediate instinct was to look at my diamond ring – it stared back at me as though telling me it wanted to change owners. It was my own purchase not a gift, so that there was no sentimental value attached to it and I need not offer any explanation to anyone. Wait! Now I remembered, the man wanted to kill himself! It wasn’t my diamond ring that he wanted … 

Quickly I grabbed my coffee and my files, and I rushed out of the café. 

It was beginning to be clear to me that I was being followed. 

I could only tell you my story haphazardly like this, as my cases brought me from one venue to another. My schedule was not always well rehearsed, I was not always where you thought I might be. But one thing was for sure – I was being followed. Why? I was a solicitor, not a rogue. 

Chapter 18

As the Covid-19 entered into its aggressive phase, many countries were imposing a lockdown. The enemy was potent, invisible and intelligent. I braced myself for an imminent announcement from the government and wondered if I should shut my office and gave everyone a break. With a lockdown, the courts would be closed. In any case, the attention of the authorities was diverted elsewhere focusing on temperature screening for incoming arrivals on our borders and issuing stay-home notices. A courtroom was a public place so naturally it would be closed if there was a lockdown. 

Which meant that Christine Wong would be kept in limbo without knowing if she were going to be sentenced or released. My principal had always been that you should not plead guilty for an offence for which you did not commit. But I was not she I could not be absolutely sure as to her state of mind on the day of the alleged offence. I could only make out a case to convince the judge that she was not guilty, that she did not have the mens rea – the intention to commit a crime, and without the element she was not culpable. 

And now that I also knew that there was no CCTV in the boutique, there was no actus rea! 

Yes, there must be a mix up somewhere. 

Were the authorities trying to fix Christine Wong or her solicitor? Were they following me because I was acting for Christine Wong? Or was it Daphne Lim that they were trying to fix? Who was Daphne Lim’s natural mother? 

Chapter 19

When you were dealing with an influenza virus-like transmissions, it’s like trying to control the wind change. You had no idea who had influenzas unless he coughed. Crowded places seemed more dangerous and as far as I was concerned, I couldn’t avoid Court 23. 

As I went for my hearing this morning, I packed my sanitizer and masks. The consolation was that there were still people out in the streets, although the population outside were considerably less. Faces were buried in handphones and no one would smile in return even if you greeted them. I took my usual seat on the bus at the row facing the traffic. I tried to rehearse my submission in my mind, so as to make it sound more powerful and convincing to Justice Suzie Temple. 

Our Hanoi chef had come out with a coronaburger. They called it a coronaburger for hard times, in an attempt to boost morale in the city by selling coronavirus-themed burgers. They said that it was easier to make friends with the coronavirus than fight it. Once you encountered it, it followed you and looked for all of your contacts to make itself more popular. Yes, this Covid-19 was the most popular disease by now surpassing cancer. Everyone talked about Covid-19 and nothing else. 

The moment I arrived at the office I called Leena into to my room and took our respective temperatures. Temperature taking had become our habit and daily routine. If I had accidentally touched the metal railings on the bus and got it from another passenger, the virus would follow me into the office, and then travelled from my system and into Leena before infecting Judy and Bee Geok. 

Nothing can be sadder than seeing your countrymen being inflicted with illness one after another, even if you didn’t care about the rest of the world.

Chapter 20

When you were at a certain age you wanted to be someone rather than yourself. If you were Chinese speaking you wanted to be Jack Ma, and if you were pro American you might wish to be perceived as if you were Bill Gates. I wanted neither, I only wanted to be Mrs Dennis Chan. I was certain that God had nothing against adultery. In the Bible they said that God had sent His Son to pardon people like me. 

The Covid-19 is spreading exponentially. Once we had finished calculating one set of data, another news came in and we had to redo the statistics to convince ourselves that the pandemic was under control. Everyone was worried and no one was left to chance. I went to the grocers and did my last round of shopping as I had decided to go into self-isolation. But in reality, I was hiding from Dennis Chan my enemy and my associate. 

I could see crowds of people at Fresh and Frozen when I went in. Panic had set in the supermarket and I could see staff busy replenishing the shelves as shoppers were busy picking up the food. Most were wearing masks by now as people were beginning to take this virus seriously, like when you suddenly found that your opponent in court were no paralegal. 

Covid-19 was beginning to take its toll on the population. Looks of frustration were written on every shopper’s face, probably because many people were unable to get the food items that they wanted. All I wanted was some tom yam paste with fish balls so that I could cook it with some instant noodles. Many people frown on it when I told them that I survived on instant noodles, they said that it was bad for the health. But that was the fastest that I could prepare in a short span of time. For someone like me, where my eating hours depended largely on my timeline for the affidavits, I really could not make a regular mealtime. 

Of course, as a solicitor I had my own issues. Solicitors were not immune to problems either. 

Chapter 21

I hurried home after I got my groceries, which apart from the above, consisted of some pork, potatoes and vegetables together with strawberries my favourite. And as I was having my dinner with the radio on, I heard from the news that almost every country around the globe were talking about flattening the curve. This phrase has become a cliché by now. 

But at the same time, the coronavirus had become a convenient excuse for cancellation of meetings, contracts and all forms of social gathering. Clients have called in to enquire if their cases had been adjourned. 

When I reached home, I took out another item – a watch which I was wearing when Dennis Chan was around. Since I decided that I must break up with him, I had systematically transferred every conceivable item that reminded me of Dennis to a drawer that I marked as “Dennis and I”. Dennis had not bought me any gift for me to throw away, so that I could only use this method to disassociate myself from him. I needed to erase all thoughts of our past together. One more item and that will be all! 

Chapter 22

We finally had to lockdown. There seemed no other way to break the chain of transmission. The virus was moving from the traders’ screen to the real economy. No one went out, no one shopped, everything was done online, every dish on my table was an online order. The only people that came out from hiding were the deliverymen. Even the newspapers were slipped into the letterboxes instead. I missed the delicious white rose dumpling at the food centre on the way to the bus stop. 

As I was toiling in bed falling asleep tonight, I thought about the much hated Covid-19, and had to agree that it was a fair demon after all. The virus didn’t differentiate between persons, young or old, rich or poor. It just latched onto you and attacked! And, not even distinguishing between the good or bad. Like HIV, you could try to conclude that it belonged to persons who were “immoral”, and if you avoided certain steps or certain classes of people, you were relatively immune. 

Chapter 23

It was not easy to extricate out of a relationship, much less easy to change religion, especially if you had friends who used to share the same faith with you. No, I had not abandoned the Catholic Mother Mary. But tonight, I began to speak Mandarin to Kwan Yin when I prayed. Since it was the first time I offered my prayer, I ended it with “Amen”. I had not found out how I should practise my chant to close with Kwan Yin.

Kwan Yin was beautiful, radiant in the night, I fell in love with her smile. For the moment, I had temporarily forgotten about Dennis Chan, until someone knocked on my door this morning. It was too early for me. I went to bed past midnight writing my affidavits, and unless the alarm screamed at me, I did not get up from my bed. So that when I went to the door to open it, I spotted a man in his thirties with a package in his hands. 

“Mind if I come in?” he said. 

“Why?” I asked, I was still in my pyjamas, although a very reserved one, an old t-shirt and a pair of track pants. 

“I was told to hand deliver this to you,” the guy said. 

“Fine, just pass it to me through the railings,” I didn’t want to open the door. 

“Let me in first,” he insisted. 

“Do I need to sign for it?” I was still half asleep. 

“The parcel is too large, and the sender wants me to see that you open it in front of me,” the guy in jumpsuit said again. 

I now began to recognise him as someone from the DHL. 

So, he was a proper delivery man. I opened my front door and let him in. 

The man stepped in. He took of his mask and unveiled his true identity. 

It was Dennis! 

Chapter 24

I was finally confronted with the truth. 

As far as I was concerned, I preferred not to revisit upsetting memories. Dennis turning up at my doorstep had once again revived and unravelled the past, from the first day I met him, to the last meal we had together at the Fish Burger Restaurant … 

“Darling, I miss you,” the man in the jumpsuit said, the minute I opened the door. 

“God damn it, where have you been?” I couldn’t contain my surprise. 

Dennis Chan was still alive! 

“You know about the case, right?” he asked. 

“Where have you been?” again I asked. 

“China, of course,” Hanoi is very close to China, just below.

“You could have told me?!” I confronted him, although this was not the best thing to say at the moment. 

“I was not supposed to have any contact with you, remember??” he said. 

“Ok, now that you are back, why don’t you just wash your hands first, take a hot shower and then relax for a while, and then I want to hear your story,” I continued, I had not forgotten the standard practice for protecting ourselves against Covid-19. 

“You mean what I have been up to …” Dennis mumbled. 

“Were you able to deposit the money in my account in Hainan?” I was supposed to let him rest but couldn’t help asking the man as he was washing his hands in the toilet. 

“Oh my, I miss the familiar scent of your toilet …” Dennis gave a swoosh. 

“Don’t deviate, I want to know where the money is,” I pursued. 

“Not to worry, it is safe with me,” he tried to reassure me. 

“No, I am concerned. The account is in my name. What documents did you have to show them in order to put the money into my account?” I was very curious and was concerned about this all the while. 

“Darling, you know me, all I had to do was smile at the bank teller!” Dennis grinned and showed me his front teeth. 

I became a little annoyed but knew that the information would come out from him sooner or later, so I went to the kitchen to prepare him a hot drink. 

I must admit, Dennis’ sudden reappearance had injected a certain amount of stress and uncertainty in me. As I was boiling water in the kettle, my mind racing, I asked, 

“Where is your passport?” – this was to find out if he had actually been to Hainan, where he said he was. 

“Oh, it’s in my trouser pocket,” Dennis said, nonchalantly. 

I rushed to the washing machine, the equipment was churning, and the red button is on showing that the door is locked and could not be opened anymore. I started to get frantic. 

“Help! … “ I yelled, “Dennis, come here … help!” I shouted. 

“What’s the matter, dear?” he sounded unbelievably calm. 

“Your jeans … it’s in the washing machine … your passport … “ I cried. 

“Let it be, I am here to stay, I won’t need it for the time being.” The man said, with a faint smile over his lips. 

Dennis looked good to be here for stay, so that I ignored the matter for the time being. I told myself that I would have more time later on to cross-examine him. For now, I had my man back and I was quite happy with the status quo. 

I looked at Dennis, this was the man that I had wanted to marry and the same man that I had wanted to be put away in jail.

Chapter 25

I didn’t know what was wrong with me this morning as I had felt faint since I woke up. It could be the mint tea that I took last night, or maybe the fruit juice this morning wasn’t fresh enough. I rushed to the toilet to ease myself. 

At 9:00 am when Dennis woke up, I told him that I was ill and needed to see a doctor. He was neither here nor there. 

“Stomach ache?” “Just take some charcoal pills, Irene,” he advised. 

I couldn’t tell you that I was not disappointed. Dennis wasn’t the old usual self. He used to get very worried whenever I fell ill. 

I went into the kitchen and took out some of those small tiny little pills. They had always been able to save me from going to the doctor. Although I couldn’t quite tell you what the composition was as they were some TCM products. TCM stood for Traditional Chinese Medicine. 

After a while my symptoms subsided and I went back to my PC to work. We were all told to work remotely from home now. 

It didn’t take me more than 60 seconds to know what was happening to my body. 

Immediately I rang Dr Lu to make an appointment. Dr Lu was my regular gynaecologist. He did my peps smear and breast examination including X-rays every six months, and I remembered that I saw him just early this year. He told me that everything was alright, by that he meant that my tests showed no signs of cancer. 

Dennis came in to check on me. 

“What happened dear? Who were you talking to?” he asked. 

I knew that he was afraid that I might be talking with the authorities. I kept my mouth shut. I was not going to let him in until I found out the truth. 

Chapter 26

Dr Lu told me I was pregnant. 

One usually got elated over such an event. Rather, I was miserable. 

No, not now. Not in this social climate. I told herself. 

The first thing Dr Lu told me was that the Covid-19 was unlikely to affect an unborn child if a pregnant woman contracted the virus. Of course I had to believe him, and of course I didn’t believe him. 

“I couldn’t have been pregnant!” I was in denial. 

After I left Dr Lu’s office, I went to the pharmacy to purchase a pregnancy test kid. I wasn’t convinced by Dr Lu, although one usually got themselves checked on these things before seeing a gynaecologist. I brought the pack to the counter, dropped it in front of the salesgirl. The girl gave me a wry smile, took the item and collected the change. 

“I have no basis for believing that it is true!” Dennis said to me when I told him that I was pregnant. 

“Why?” I asked. 

“I came back on May 20, and today is only July 29 …. OMG!” my boyfriend did a quick mental calculation. 

“What shall we do now?” that was my next question. 

“ … the coronavirus, is it harmful for the baby?” he began to show some concern. 

I decided to keep mum. 

Silence in the face of so egregious a claim signalled agreement. 

By now most businesses and all schools were shuttered. And I have used close to a hundred masks over the last three months. That was an average of three a day. 

But the whole time I was worried that my baby might not turn out healthy. I pondered on how to talk Dennis out of it. Honestly, when I broke the news to Dennis, I had expected him to tell me to go for an abortion. But since he had consented to be the father of the baby, I seemed to have no choice. 

I started talking more egg coffee, and I also took to drinking alcohol together with Dennis in the evenings, at Dr Lu’s advice, something which all health professionals said would be harmful for an unborn foetus. 

I tried to give the baby a name. That called for me to determine the gender of the baby. 

“You would only know the answer at 14 weeks, by which time it would have been illegal to go for an abortion.” Dr Lu stated in no uncertain terms. 

“So that means that I have to make a choice now,” I asked, my hands fidgeting. 

Chapter 27

The minute I arrived at home I went straight to the drawer marked “Dennis and I”, and I packed all of its contents into a shopping bag, I brought the bag to the nearest dustbin in the house, which is the rubbish chute located at behind the kitchen, and I dropped the not so heavy bag into the opening. 

Then, I took out Dennis’ jumpsuit, together with his dirty socks and the pair of jeans which I had ironed for him, lumped it inside his luggage, and I brought his luggage and threw it out of the front door, signalling it’s time for him to leave. I completed the task almost in less than ten minutes. 

No one saw me, except Dennis who was just waking with my noises. 

“You are in hiding, remember?” I said, “You should not even be here,” trying to be as calm as I could. 

“Yes, and no,” “and how did you know that I was wanted?” he started to question me. 

Only then did it struck me that Dennis Chan was not supposed to be in the know. I had reported him to the Criminal Bureau anonymously. And only God and I knew that it was I, Irene Ng, Dennis Chan’s lover and associate, who turned on him. 

“Were you the one who told the police that I took the money?” he started getting agitated, and I could see his temperature raising. 

And then POP! Suddenly the man collapsed right in front of me. 

Of course, I rang the ambulance. The matter was serious enough to call for it. I followed Dennis in the ambulance to the Greenland Hospital, and then I waited outside the operating theatre until the surgeon came out to give me a satisfactory answer – which was that Mr Dennis Chan Eng Chee, a 46-year-old Chinese national, died of unnatural death at the Greenland Hospital at 7:30pm. 

I was just needing a good class of champagne to celebrate the birth of my would-be-born baby – my usual glass in the evening. Of course, Dr Lu was the first to know since he was the father of my baby. He still insisted that I would have to wait another 4 weeks before he would tell me the gender of our child. 

And the man who told me he wanted to kill himself the night at the bus stop outside my office was none other than Mr Dennis Chan. Of course, I could recognise my ex-lover in the dark, and of course, it was I who dropped the cyanide in his drink whilst I prepared the cocktails in the evenings with my associate who took the money and banked it into his own personal account in China. The fact that he deliberately tried to mutilate his passport showed that he didn’t want me to know his whereabouts. And guess who told me? Of course, it was none other than my ex-colleague June Chia who was now working for the Criminal Bureau to whom I made the report to! 

And it was just as well that Dennis Chan died of a massive heart attack, for otherwise he would have been arrested by the authorities, and I now knew why I had been followed. The police knew that Dennis would come back to look for me in the end. But my money was now frozen in Dennis’ bank account in China. Or was it, Thailand that he went to? 

This, only Dennis Chan knew.

A time to dance!

Chapter 1

Every murderer will tell you that he had no intention of killing the victim. And nobody knows how your mind works except yourself. 

Chapter 2

I did my inventory check list for the last time and found that no items had been missing today. Then I took out the little cash box to count the monies that I had collected for the day. 

As usual, I have collected about five-hundred dollars. Not many people came in today. I spent most of my time in the day on my iPhone looking at the Facebook. 

At 8:00 p.m. sharp, I took the cash box, locked myself out of the shop, and I went to look for Winnie. 

Winnie was my supervisor in this hotel and the admin manager. I was always relieved to see her sitting at her desk waiting for me to appear. 

“Hi, you are done for today?” she asked. 

“Yup, as usual,” and then, 

“Here is the collection, five hundred and twenty-seven dollars,” 

“What did they buy?” Winnie showed some interest. 

“A soap dish and a cigar case,” I said. 

“Oh,” “We still have stock, right?” Winnie asked. 

“Yup, three of each left,” I answered.

“Ok, don’t forget to make requisition later,” Winnie reminded me. 

I let her count the cash and noted the initial next to the figure on the little notebook, then I picked up the cash box and strolled out of Winnie’s office after bidding her good day. 

It’s time to see Andrew and I was glad. 

Chapter 3

The gift shop of a hotel was not a boutique that people usually frequented. It was more like a quaint place where people just came in and browsed – to look see. 

After work I would drop by at a cafe located inside the Wilshire House on my way home. The cafe was a new joint, tucked in at one obscure corner. No one realised that it was there unless he was going to the stall around the corner to buy newspapers and magazines. 

It was there that I met Jeffrey. 

The minute this man sat down beside me I knew that he was not an ordinary customer. The waitress was unusually deferential towards him. I saw the way he dressed, a black polo shirt exposing a thick gold chain on his neck and a bold engraved gold ring on his finger. I guessed that he must be at least a millionaire, or some CEO in a large organisation. 

I was still a church mouse. If he were a celebrity I won’t have known. 

I was careful not to spill coffee onto my knitted blouse, so that I tucked the napkin on my neck under my blouse. When my tiramisu cake came, I used my fork to poke into the pastry and was just about to relished it when my neighbour said, 

“Shouldn’t you be taking off your mask?” 

“Oh, I see,” I smiled back, and then obediently I took off my mask. 

“Nice mask you have there,” he said, “the design is very special,” 

“Yes, my friend had it made for me,” I volunteered. 

“Must have been a very good friend,” he lamented. 

At this time, the waitress at the counter offered me my drink – a cold coffee with milk – they called it an iced mocha coffee, as the coffee was mixed with some powdered chocolate, to the right amount. I grabbed at it and I tried to ignore the man. But he did not give up. 

“After work?” again he ventured. 

I told myself I had nothing to do with this man, I was here only for a cup of coffee, and after coffee I would go home. So that I did not encourage him. 

He spoke again, “It must be difficult for you, not being able to travel,” 

“Yes, of course,” I said, as a matter of fact. 

“Have you been to Korea?” he asked. 

“No, I am sorry,” I said, although there was nothing that I needed to be sorry for.

“I guess you don’t have to, most people go there for plastic surgery,” the man continued. 

Seems like a compliment, so I smiled. 

And then suddenly I thought of Andrew again. So, I hurried on with my coffee, and finished it with one gulp. 

“I got to leave,” I said, although this was a public café, I was under no duty to inform him. I could just walk up and leave. 

“You haven’t given me your number,” the man said quietly. 

“Oh, we might meet here again, next time!” I was reluctant. He was still a stranger. 

And then I walked away, with a certain amount of confidence. 

Chapter 4

Tonight, after I consulted the Bible, I went to the bureau and adjusted the calendar. I turned back the pages, back to the date that Andrew was here, on the night of 25 December 2014, when we celebrated our last Christmas together. I knew that it was a futile attempt to bring back time, but looking at the date it comforted me, at least for a while. And then I called out some Christmas songs from my Google Nest.

Chapter 5

It was only in the morning when I arrived at the office that I realised that I haven’t paid the café for my iced mocha coffee yesterday. 

I tried to look for the café on the internet, hoping to call them and tell them that I would drop by later after work to make payment. I remembered that it was called the Monster Café. But that it was a small café, and I was not surprised when I couldn’t find the telephone number. 

Just as I was about to lapse into a state of bad mood, a man walked in. 

You couldn’t say that I was observant or that he was striking. But I remembered him – the man at the Monster Café yesterday. He was here at the gift shop! 

OMG! I am being stalked! 

“Hello,” the man smiled the moment he came in, I knew that he was greeting me. 

Of course, I was the only one in the shop. 

“Welcome, please feel free to browse around. Let me know if you see anything you like,” I said, I was told to say this the moment a guest turned up. 

And then I moved slightly aside, so that my customer could walk around freely and hopefully he would see something he liked. And hopefully it was something expensive. 

“Fancy this set of wine glasses?” I ventured. I was eager to make a sale. 

“They look nice,” the man didn’t object. 

“I could pack it up tightly for you, with foam and two layers of tissue paper,” I offered. 

“Yeah, not to worry. I only need to bring it into a taxi,” my customer said. 

“Huh?” I was a little surprised. 

“I am only here on a staycation,” he explained. 

“Oh, no wonder you sounded local,” I commented. 

“By the way, I do not need to have so many glasses. I do not entertain. I am not married,” he carried on, and then, 

“I am just browsing …. ” 

“We have some very nice ashtrays,” I said quickly, adding, “they’re all here,” pointing to the few porcelain ashtrays displayed next to the newspapers. I was eager to make a sale. I still couldn’t hit my daily target of one thousand dollars. 

“I don’t smoke,” my customer sounded apologetic. 

I began to study this man standing right in front of me now. I could see that his necktie was not very straight, perhaps done in a bit of a hurry. But I was wondering if he were telling me the truth, that he was a non-smoker. I went a little closer to see if I could smell nicotine from his body. But instead all I got was the Cologne he lavished on himself. 

Standing at close proximity we became acquainted immediately. 

“Fancy this pair of cuff links?” I asked. 

The man picked up the box, frowned, picked up the stuff, studied it, and he put it back again, saying, “Nice, but I have one too many.”   

Before the man got tired of browsing, I quickly brought him to the gift cards rack, in an attempt to detain him until he bought something. 

“These gift cards are nice, limited edition, printed locally, on our local scenes,” I took out a few cards. 

“No need to elaborate, I can see very well,” the man said. 

“See very well what?” I asked. 

“I can see very well that we are both having our masks on,” 

And then we both laughed. 

The atmosphere at once became cordial. 

“Listen, if I buy up all the items at this shop, would you come home with me?” he fired me point blank. 

Startled, “you must be joking,” I stammered. That must have been the most intelligent response I could give. 

And then I stormed out of the gift shop leaving all my merchandise at his disposal. 

Chapter 6

I still couldn’t help thinking of Andrew. The last time I saw him was yesterday, and I am due to see him again later, which was pretty soon. Andrew and I have not been on talking terms, simply because he was in a coma now. He couldn’t talk to me. I saw him every day after work, just before I was due to go home for dinner. Dinner I ate alone, because Andrew couldn’t eat with me. 

Yes, my husband Andrew had met with an accident since the day he was knocked down by the bus. The date I remembered very well – 20 April 2015. I rushed to the hospital from my office to see him, but I was just two minutes too late. The lapse was an eternity, without a proper goodbye and no clue as to when he may wake up to talk to me again. 

Today after work I was at the Greenland Hospital again. The room was in complete darkness when I entered, so I automatically walked up to the window to draw the thick velvety curtains. The nurse in baby blue uniform was changing the drip for Andrew. 

“Mrs Choo, do you have any children?” she asked. 

It was a little intrusive, so I replied, “No, why?” 

“I was thinking …” she continued, sort of hesitant. 

“He will wake up, won’t he?” I began to sound desperate. 

“In due course, I guess,” the nurse replied. 

I walked up to her and looked at her name tag, and I stared at it, hoping to use her reassurance as some sort of certainty. 

She backed off a little, and she quickly turned away and walked out of the room, before shutting the door behind her. 

I stood in the semi-darkness, curtains half drawn, and I made a silent prayer. Afterwards, I went to the side table to pour myself a cup of water, the water was actually meant for Andrew. 

I will drink the water of life for him. I said to myself. 

Half an hour later, Dr Jason came in. 

“Good evening! Good that you are here!” as usual he looked happy to see me. 

“Most family members would have stopped coming by now,” Dr Jason said. 

“Why?” I was surprised. 

“They see it as futile …” Dr Jason spoke softly. 

“But … the nurse said …” I tried to challenge the doctor, I knew what was coming. 

“It has been more than two months, if there was any hope, your husband would have showed some response,” Dr Jason elaborated. 

“So, you mean to say that we should just leave him in this state forever?!” I was getting hysterical. 

“As you know, the law here does allow for euthanasia,” Dr Jason continued, 

“and the cost of maintenance is high,” 

“unless you want to continue … but there are other patients who might need it …” he spoke with a kind of stammer, done deliberately to dilute the severity of his words. 

I couldn’t put an end to Andrew’s life, that would be murder. I had no right to decide if he ought to live or die, these matters are best left to God. But God wasn’t talking, He has to make a decision! If nothing else happens, Andrew would continue to live day after day by virtue of the life support machine. The machine cost three thousand dollars a day. I would never in my life spend three thousand dollars a day. 

Chapter 7

This morning I woke up after the alarm sounded for the third time, on repeat at a 5-minute interval. And then reluctantly I got out of bed. I went to the bathroom and realised that I had not prepared a clean set of clothes. 

Never mind, I will wear what I wore yesterday, no one would notice. I told myself. 

No one came into the gift shop today.

Chapter 8

On my way home, I dropped by to see Andrew again. Today I brought a recorder. I wanted to make sure that I recorded the last moments that Andrew shared with me. 

When your spouse died, a part of you died with him. But when he was alive by artificial means, and lived indefinitely, your relationship with him was a spoof, as he was only technically alive, and you didn’t know how long the status quo was going to be. You wanted him to be alive, but at the same time you wanted him to die as quickly as possible, just so that you could move on, back to the real world, the world in which you shared with other real people, no matter how unrelated they were to you. 

Yes, I have resolved not to wait for Andrew to wake up. As Dr Jason had put it, he would never wake up. What he would do was to continue lying there, in a state of consciousness connected only to himself. Everyone else couldn’t relate to him. 

For this I consulted several church leaders. I wanted to know if I should be the one to put an end to Andrew’s life – meaning to order the doctor-in-charge Dr Jason to turn off his life support machine. Decision making has never been harder. 

Over time, I found myself confronting with the prospect of life without Andrew. Already I am running the house all by myself, I made all the necessary decisions, like getting this job at the hotel, like what to eat for dinner, what to wear in the mornings. 

I knew that Dr Jason was waiting for me to pull the plug. But telling him to turn off the life support machine is murder civilised. They call it Euthanasia. But actually, it is cruelty in its most severe form. It is an affront to mankind. I don’t want to be known as “the woman who killed her husband”. No, I am not going to play God! 

Chapter 9

Doing my quiet time, I invariably came to the Book of Ecclesiastes: 

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, … a time to kill and a time to heal, ….” 

The words jumped out at me. The time for decision making has come. I felt the Almighty telling me. 

And then I thought I heard a voice – “Life is short, don’t waste your time on Andrew anymore.” Startled, I got up from my kneeling position, and then I walked up to the altar to blow off the candle as a signal of my resolution and determination. 

Tomorrow I will speak to Dr Jason. 

Chapter 10

No one knew this. Not even the counsellor with whom I was in consultation with. But I guessed I had better tell you now, before I changed my mind. 

Every relationship has its ups and downs. You must endeavour your best if you wanted it to last. Andrew and I have been married for three years for now, and we have been childless. I was told that there was nothing wrong with us, that both of us were healthy and normal. I yearned for a child, but not Andrew. 

On 20 March 2015 – exactly one month before Andrew met with the accident. I received a report which informed me that Andrew was ill. He was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer. The tumour will spread if he did not go for an operation straight away. I was shocked and devastated. But I did not tell anyone. Neither did I confront Andrew. He should tell me himself. 

Nothing came. No news. No word from Andrew. We sat at the dining table every night, and we exchanged information on what we did in the day. We talked about the latest news and sometimes we even ventured into politics. But no, nothing was said about the doctor’s report. 

Of course, I had contemplated calling it quits. But I couldn’t divorce Andrew now. It would make me look very bad. What ground could I use? I had promised to stay married to him “in sickness and in health” just three years ago at the altar. 

I still had not spoken to Dr Jason. 

Chapter 11

Ideally, I should drop Andrew and start a new life with Jeffrey. For after all Jeffrey was a very eligible man, rich and good looking, and unattached. But I found myself addicted to the notion of loyalty. I told myself that unless Andrew died, I won’t remarry. 

Andrew existed on a contingency, a contingency that he did not die. But that he also had stage 3 cancer. He would die of cancer, a cause unrelated to the coma. According to the medical science, he was brain dead, his body was winding down. Did that prevent the tumour cells in his body from spreading? No one could answer me as I did not speak to anyone about Andrew’s cancer. Andrew never told me he had cancer! 

I was not supposed to see the report from the oncologist. It was marked Private and Confidential. Although I did not have permission to read it at the time, I guess in the current context I could give myself access retrospectively. 

I didn’t think that you could point to the one moment that was the straw that broke the camel’s back. It was the increase in the stress and anxiety over time and, at some point, you said enough was enough. 

I picked up the name card that Jeffrey gave me at the gift shop. 

And then I rang the number and waited for the other end to pick up. 

I was going to tell Jeffrey about Andrew’s cancer. 

Chapter 12

Nobody has the right to forbid you from doing anything you felt like doing, if it was not illegal or immoral. 

I knew that soon I would become a widow and I have to say that I was actually looking forward to it. No one knows how your mind works except yourself. 

For reasons best known to myself, I started to log into the website. I typed on the search bar of the browser – will cancer spread in a person in a coma? – how much time does a person in a coma have with cancer? does a person in a comatose state die faster if he already had cancer? 

And the answer I got was that it was not faster than if they were awake. Andrew had been in coma for two months and ten days by now. Time was running out for him. 

So, logic told me that it would be best if I married Jeffrey. 

The call that I made that day went unanswered. 

But two days later Jeffrey walked into the gift shop. And he brought along a pendant which he opened right under my eyes. It was a butterfly engraved in diamonds! 

I knew what that meant. They said that a when a beloved departed, she came back as a butterfly. So, it wasn’t a proposal it was only an invitation to a fortuitous relationship. How long it would last depended on my performance. I saw this as a rejection for a long-term relationship which is marriage. For if he were sincere, he would have brought a ring. Jeffrey wasn’t married, according to him. Why couldn’t he have proposed? 

I was careful not to offend Jeffrey, since I already knew that he was an important man. Pretending that it was what I wanted, the pendant I meant, I picked it up from the box and I said thank you to the man. But then I quickly added, 

“You know, I am still married,” 

Jeffrey was shocked, taken aback, he said, “Oh, I don’t mean to sound rude, but why haven’t you mentioned it before?” 

“There was no reason to,” I said simply. 

“So, you have set me up for this? To buy you an expensive gift in order that you could reject me??” I could see the man’s face turning red. 

“I, err, I, …” 

And before I realised, Jeffrey walked out on me. 

I stood in the empty space, holding the box, the pendant still inside staring at me, as though making fun of me. 

I knew straight away that I was in trouble now. My prospect has walked out on me, and the current one was fading away, albeit through no fault of my own. Should I have accepted Jeffrey’s indecent proposal? After all it was just a beginning and the ring might come later. No one could tell these things. 

True enough, when I reported for work the next morning, Winnie was already in the gift shop waiting for me to turn up. 

The life support machine for Andrew cost three thousand dollars a day. My salary only paid for my food and lodging. I transited at the hospital every day, my transport cost has also increased. This morning I was just telling myself if I should avoid coffee at the Monster Café even though I needed to destress very badly. 

To cut the long story short, I was running out of cash. 

Winnie wasn’t unkind. She told me that it had nothing to do with my performance. The hotel was shutting down the gift shop due to a fall in sales. Covid-19 wasn’t good for the retail business, and new guests for our hotel were not visiting in the near future. 

But I knew that it had something to do with Jeffrey.

Chapter 13

Now I was given a good reason to discontinue Andrew’s life support. I simply could not afford to support Andrew anymore. Our common funds were being depleted. I calculated that the balance, if Andrew died now, minus the testamentary expenses, would only be enough to support me for another two years. And the fact was that Andrew was terminally ill and was going to die in any case.

As I lay in bed, having banked in the last pay cheque in the day, I took one more pill, an extra, to help me fall asleep. I have been suffering from insomnia since the news of Andrew’s cancer broke. The oncologist who gave me the news of Andrew’s diagnosis, was also allowed to prescribe sleeping pills. I fell asleep telling myself that I had better check with him on how long a cancer patient in a coma can live. 

I had not told Dr Jason that Andrew also suffered from cancer. Initially I was afraid that he would not supply us the use of the life support machine if he had known that Andrew was terminally ill. So, the decision has been made, backed by logic. God really has a way to plan these things! 

Chapter 14

With no work to do, this afternoon I took a bus to Wilshire House again. And I arrived at Monster Café.

I told myself to relax a little, three sleeping pills made me very sleepy the entire day. I only woke up at 12:30 p.m. 

“Good afternoon, Sir!” the waitress announced. 

I was just about to reproach her for calling me a man. What was wrong with her? I was wearing long hair, clearly, she could tell that I was a woman not a man! 

And then I heard Jeffrey’s voice! 

“May I know your name? The last time you said that we might meet here again …” 

“Huh?” 

Ok! I have never given Jeffrey my name!

I quickly groped for the butterfly pendant. It wasn’t on my neck. But it was too late to wear it now. I fumbled in my speech … 

“Err … hi … Jeffrey ……” 

“Why are you so afraid? Have you ordered your coffee?” 

“I was just about to … ” I said.  

“In that case let me order it for you,” 

“It is iced mocha coffee, right?” he asked. 

“Your … husband … why are you always alone?” the enquiry came. 

“He is dead, I mean, he is dying,” I confessed. 

“You are sure? Not joking?” the man looked surprised, and somewhat elated. 

“I mean, he was in a coma, now on a life support machine,” I looked genuinely miserable when I said this. 

“Then, how are you managing your funds?” Jeffrey became concerned. 

“I don’t know, that’s why I am here,” I said. 

“To look for me?” the man laughed. 

“Obviously not! How would I know that you are here?!” I smiled as well. 

“Ok, live with me and let me pay for all the hospital expenses. We can’t get married whilst your husband is still alive.” Jeffrey took the lead. 

And then he lamented, “it could take a long while, people on life support can last forever.” 

No! Not Andrew! 

I needed to tell Jeffrey the truth now. Andrew has cancer. An aggressive cancer can metastasize in 3 months of time. Andrew has been in coma for 72 days by now. He will soon die. That was a certainty. Andrew will die! 

“Wait!” I said. 

It was time for disclosure. I will tell Jeffrey about the oncologist’s report. 

“My husband has cancer,” I said quietly. 

“What?!” his face changed, followed by, 

“I thought you said coma.” 

“Then why did you reject my proposal the other day?” he sounded confused. 

“I wanted a long-term relationship,” I told the man the truth. 

“My wife just passed away, I wanted you to emulate her, just for a time, until we get married,” he explained. 

Then our eyes locked. 

We knew what we had to do now. 

In any case Andrew will die, to put it in chronological terms, in 18 days’ time, assuming we could actually time death. 

The life support machine cost three thousand dollars a day, plus all the hospital expenses including consultation, it will come up to no less than seventy thousand dollars. We will just wait for time to lapse. 

Chapter 15

At night after my shower, it was my quiet time. Again I found myself drawn to the verse in Ecclesiastes: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, … a time to kill and a time to heal, … a time to mourn and a time to dance, …” I told God I did not need a ring from Jeffrey. He has paid for my peace of mind and calmed my troubled soul. I need not be known as “the woman who killed her husband”. 

And then I lit the candle at the altar and let it illuminate the entire night.

Rebecca in her taffeta ….

Chapter 1

If you did not see anyone in front of you with your naked eyes, that meant that there was no one around and that you could safely undress. However, you must always lock your door, even if you were the only one in the entire house.   

The violence inside the mall last night left no dent on the majesty of the building. The altercation that happened had shattered the glass wall of the Summerset Restaurant. No replacement had been installed yet.    

I was just there last night.

Chapter 2

Whenever I was at the Landmark Mall, I never failed to drop by at the Hourglass Figure to visit her.    

She wore a black dress. The dress was an evening gown with sequins sewn all over. There could be at least a thousand, or a lot more than that. I marvelled at the workmanship. I couldn’t sew, but that even if I could, I would never have the patience to make myself do such an elaborate piece.   

Chapter 3

The first day of work was always full of apprehension and anxiety. I picked a cream-coloured blouse and a denim skirt. For telemarketing I didn’t think that I needed to be so formal. I liked denim because it was easy to match.   

Once I started work, I found that the women in my office were dressed modestly. Most of them wore plain colours. But Mrs Chew my immediate supervisor the department head stood out with her frizzy hair. She claimed that she has never permed her hair in her entire life, that the curls were completely natural.  

I shared a table with a guy called Walter Sim. Walter was young and inexperienced. Often I heard him shouting over the phone,   

“Don’t hang up yet, let me finish …” and invariably the other side had already hung up on him.   

I looked at Walter, and I began to feel sorry for the both of us.    

After work, I walked around to the nearby Landmark Mall and found myself again at the eating house called the Summerset Restaurant. I stood at the entrance but no one came to usher me in. I knew that my salary was meagre. But how would they know that I had no money? After I called out hello several times, the waitress couldn’t pretend not to notice me anymore. She knew that I would refuse to budge, and as she came by, she said,    

“Madam, we are closing very soon, the last order is at 8:30 pm,”  

“8:30 pm? You mean it is 8:30 pm already?” I too started to act up.   

“Have you decided on the diced chicken yet?” at least she had some memory. Between last night and tonight I guess there were less than fifty customers. This wasn’t a very popular restaurant.    

When the food came, I relished the diced chicken and lapped up the entire gravy.   

After the dinner, I had to walk through the part where the garbage were thrown all over the ground. I always wanted to know who was in charge of this state of affairs. And then the question would inevitably come to my mind –  what did they do with Claire’s body? Did they dump her in a rubbish bag and throw her away? Did they cremate her properly?

Chapter 4

This was an innocuous Sunday. I took just myself out without the usual umbrella. The only difference in my appearance was that I wore my sunglasses. And of course, my handphone was with me.    

Three steps and I reached the security guard post. The man was friendly, and I always greeted him by name.    

“Morning Zubin,” I would say.   

The man nodded his head to indicate that he noted my presence. He was a very enthusiastic worker, and apparently, he recognised each and every one of us in the estate. I was told that he had been working in this estate for almost thirty years since its development.    

Although a Sunday which meant that I did not have to report to the office, I found myself in front of the Hourglass Figure at Landmark Mall.   

Admiring the black taffeta I stood, with my hands behind my back, I thought I heard a voice, “Good morning, how are you today?”   

I knew at once that it was Rebecca talking to me.    

But that she was a mannequin. How could she talk? Nonetheless I answered her, “Sure. How can I help you?”   

“I feel very hot in here,” she said.   

“I can’t adjust the thermostat for you, I think this is central air-conditioning,” I said.   

“No, it is this dress, it is suffocating,” she complained.   

The dress was an off shoulder, and I could see that it was made of taffeta.   

I was curious. Under ordinary circumstances I would have gone in to speak to the salesgirl, and to make some enquires. The taffeta was very attractive, I knew that I couldn’t afford it. But of course, Rebecca didn’t know. Rebecca was the mannequin. I didn’t know why I gave her the name Rebecca, but that was the word that popped up in my mind whenever I was standing in front of her. And no, I didn’t know of any other person by that name. It was randomly assigned to my brains.   

Chapter 5

Tonight, after work, I found myself doing my expense chart my Excel spread sheet again. The figures do not balance, and I found myself in debit. My Mastercard was overdue by another two thousand and forty-six dollars and I still needed to pay for my utilities bill.    

“Ok, I mustn’t turn on the lights,” I told myself.   

And then, “I mustn’t turn on the tap so often,” I resolved.   

I lived alone and was given five key cards to my apartment. All my drawers each have a lock and every single lock in the house was securely locked whenever I left the house.    

You could say that I was paranoid. It was not that I had a lot of money, I just didn’t trust anyone I saw. Yes, you were right, the reason was that things have been stolen from me before. It was not a lot of money; they were jewellery that Mark had given me reminding me of a time when I was still young and beautiful.    

I was already thirty-nine, most people would have at least been made a manager or at least an associate by now. But I was working as a telemarketer at the Talkative Bureau. It was definitely not an ideal job, and I was waiting for a time when I could move out into a proper job. By proper job I meant some job where I could use more of my brains. This telemarketing was essentially a clerical position.    

The salary I earned from the job could barely pay for my food and utilities bill, apart from the maintenance sum for the apartment.   

Friends and family had disapproved of my divorce, saying that I was stupid, as Mark was more than eligible for any woman, and a plain woman such as myself. Even my divorce lawyer Lee Lay Eng who handled the case tried to persuade me out of it, despite the fact that she could benefit from the fees she earned. Lee Lay Eng was a reputable lawyer, and a successful lawyer at that. No, I did not cry in front of Lee Lay Eng.   

It was difficult to get a divorce, as none of us committed any wrong. But I had to do it, not after he told me to abort Claire. I had to do it for Claire.  

Chapter 6

My job was stressful. The stress came from the sheer boring nature of the work. No chance of entertaining, which meant that there wasn’t a reason to dress up, and I did not meet even my bosses. I sat at a desk with just a telephone and a notebook and several pens.  

So that after work I found myself in the Landmark Mall again. The mall was just opposite my office past the pop-up café. 

For reasons unknown I walked to Hourglass Figure to see Rebecca again. No, she has not changed. Her face was as serene as ever, without a trace of makeup. But of course, she was a mannequin. No one ever put makeup on plastic. I thought I saw her open her month, so I went closer.   

And then I heard Rebecca, “to take revenge you have to go back to look for the aggressor, there are several ways to do that, you can go back in time, like a time traveller …  ”

Automatically I continued for her, “but going back in time you would require a lot of imagination, if you can’t find the villain in your present life, and you would have to lug your entire baggage with you. So, the best way is to move forward and live your life as though you had never been bullied … ”    

I carried on, my mind thinking of Mark.  

Rebecca was looking at me. Her eyes big and wide.  

“Have you ever been bullied before?” I became curious and asked.   

“I was abandoned by my mother,” Rebecca said quietly.   

This was a very bizarre statement, coming from a mannequin. Of course, she was abandoned by her maker the craftsman. As far as I was concerned, a mannequin has no life and was not enabled to think. She was not even a robot! Robots were programmed and has artificial intelligence.    

Chapter 7

Over time, I had become engrossed with the daily interaction. I needed to see Rebecca every day to find out if she were still wearing the black taffeta. For if they changed her out of it, I would purchase it at all costs. I didn’t want to remove it from her whilst she was still wearing it.   

Most people would see nothing wrong with taking clothes off a mannequin. As a matter of fact most boutiques change the clothes on their mannequins in their display regularly.    

It has been a week, no, two weeks, and Hourglass Figure still hasn’t changed her.    

I wanted to go in to ask the salesgirl why they were so lazy but I knew that I had to give a reason for my enquiry perhaps suggesting that I wanted to buy the taffeta. I was poor, I still couldn’t make a balance on my Excel spread sheet. If nothing else, I was severely distressed.    

So again I found myself confronting Rebecca.   

“When are they changing you?” I asked.    

“Your guess are as good as mine,” she answered.   

“Do you want me to ask them for you?” I was beginning to feel sorry for her. As she said, it was very hot in that taffeta.    

“No, I am not at liberty to protest,” the poor woman replied.   

“Rebecca, if you want me to talk to them I would, just say yes,” I told her the truth. As I said, I wanted an excuse to change her out of that huge dress. It was not a wedding dress, a wedding dress was usually white. Once they take it off her, I would step in and bargain for it.    

But that I have another reservation. I didn’t wear black. I was a superstitious person. Black is a universal mourning colour. If you looked at the newspapers often enough, you would find that eighty percent of the people who found themselves in trouble with the law appeared in black. But of course some people looked good in black, especially if they were overweight. Lawyers were allowed only to wear black and white to court.   

I was not a lawyer, just a staff of Talkative Bureau doing cold calls. By cold calls I meant that I was given daily a sheet of a hundred to two hundred names for me to call making invitations for bookings on a booth at an exhibition hall belonging to this company that I am working at. Talkative Bureau was a company that sells space.    

My work was often exasperating. I worked long hours from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., with only an hour in between to grab a quick lunch at Starbucks. Then I would rush back to the office to continue with the list. My performance was based on the number of calls I made. The more successful calls I made, the more points I scored. I was paid by the hour and the points I earned would determine my salary. If I resigned before the contract ended I would have to pay back the company twice the amount of my weekly salary.    

As I said, I couldn’t afford the black taffeta.    

Rebecca looked regal in it. She deserved it. She could stand and not move on hours at a stretch. And every time I went to see her she was holding the same posture. Oh yeah, I forgot that she was a mannequin.   

Mannequins didn’t move.   

Chapter 8

I noticed that Walter came in everyday with a new shirt every morning, and that they were obviously branded, the logo of the Ralph Lauren boldly sewn onto the expensive fabric. The only thing he didn’t change was his belt, which was a Gucci with the two Gs buckle. His pants were tailor made and fitted him exactly, not an inch too long or too short. I marvelled at his impeccable dress sense.  

But there was something odd about him. He never looked me in the eye whenever he spoke to me. Believe me I tried to engage him. However, all in all it was fruitless. And after a while I gave up trying. I knew that I hadn’t offended him in any way, for if I did, he wouldn’t even speak to me in the first place.  

We exchanged a pleasant “wish you luck,” every now and then in the course of our phone calls which often went unanswered. I began to take more coffee and I even brought my own condense milk to sweeten the coffee as the item was not provided for in the office supply.   

“Hi Carmen, could I borrow some of your condense milk?” today out of the blue Walter asked.   

It would be rude to say no, so of course I said yes, but I couldn’t help teasing the man by quipping,  

“Borrow? How are you going to return me the exact amount?”  

“I will buy you a new can,” and then, “by the way, must it be Dutch Lady?” he asked.  

Surprised by the fact that he knew the brand, as men didn’t usually notice these things, I quickly replied,   

“So long as it is condensed, not evaporated,”   

And before he ventured into the topic of evaporated milk, I quickly picked up the phone and started,  

“Hello, may I have two minutes of your time, Sir?”  

…. 

Chapter 9

Life went on. It had been a month since I joined, and already it felt like half a year had gone by. And I still had not seen Walter’s entire wardrobe. So that today I plucked up the courage to ask him,  

“How many shirts of these do you have?”  

“Hey! You noticed! Was afraid that you didn’t!”  

I was sure that these shirts were not meant to impress me.  

We were holding the same position, so naturally I knew how much he earned. With his kind of salary, it was impossible to afford this type of expenditure. I decided that Walter must have been doing some other jobs elsewhere. If he could hold another position that paid a huge sum, I wanted that too!  

Walter seemed to have read my mind, “I could talk to you about it during dinner. Are you free tonight?” he offered.  

Of course, I am free.  

“Yes, we go straight from here after work. Where would you like to go?” I asked, trying very hard to sound casual.  

“The Summerset Restaurant. It is just around the corner, next to the  Hourglass Figure.”   

Bingo!  

“Ok then, let me try and finish off these calls as soon as I can,” I quickly accepted the offer.  

“Hello, may I have two minutes of your time, Sir?” I began once more.  

Chapter 10

The road to the Landmark Mall was straight forward. No turning of side lanes, all you needed to do was to make a zebra crossing. The traffic was not too heavy as this was not strictly a business district. I managed to see Walter’s footwear this time, and it was definitely another designer. It had tussles on it and frankly speaking this wasn’t the type of shoes that befitted telemarketing, not that I wanted to demean myself.  

Walter was business like, although this was after office hours and that we were supposed to be casual now. I wanted to ask him why he walked so fast. Wearing my four-inch heals I found it hard to catch up with him.  

But nonetheless we arrived at the Summerset Restaurant.   

“Sit down,” the moment we arrived Walter ordered me.  

I had no reason to defy him, so I took the seat facing the window. I was wondering how he had become so bossy. We were supposed to be colleagues.  

And then we ordered some beef ginger and two bowls of hot and sour soup, no vegetables.  

“You must help me,” Walter went straight to the point.  

This seemed like a deviation. My purpose of dinner was to ask him if he was making money elsewhere. If it were stocks and shares, then I would want to know which counters to buy from. But nonetheless I was patient enough to entertain him, maybe after helping him, he would give me some tips.  

“Of course, I would try my best to help you, but how?” I spoke.  

“My father is very old, to be precise he is ninety-four this year,” Walter began.  

“And then?” I followed suit.  

“He wants to see me get married before he conks off,” the man continued. 

Not so sure I could help him there.  

“You have a girl friend?” I asked, still very indifferent. I was a divorced woman the man couldn’t have been interested in me.  

“Precisely,” he was clearer now.  

“So, you want me to help you find a girl friend?” I wasn’t offering myself. I was never interested in Walter. He was too young for me.  

“If you don’t mind my saying so, you would make an ideal candidate,” the man was unequivocal.  

I quickly tugged at my skirt, pulling it lower. Luckily, we were not sitting on the same side of the table.  

“Walter, I think you are drunk,” I quickly replied, although we both knew that we hadn’t consumed any alcohol. It was too early in the night. The sun was just setting.  

“Carmen, not to worry, I won’t touch you. I am gay,” the man came clean, but I was not so sure if he were telling the truth. For someone cisgender it was difficult to comprehend.

So that I replied, “Listen, you shouldn’t be telling me this, Walter. I would pretend that I didn’t hear,” but I couldn’t help by asking,  

“Does your dad know about this?”   

“No, of course not. That was why he wants me to produce an heir for him,” the man sounded dejected.  

“Do you have any brothers and sisters?” I asked.  

“No, that’s the problem,” he lamented.  

“Ok, so I see no way out of this,” I wasn’t encouraging.  

At this point in time, I could only offer solutions, so I tried my best, “Marry someone with a child, and to pretend that her son belongs to you,” I said.

“Bingo!” he yelled,  

“That was why I am asking you Carmen, you have a son.”   

How did he know?

I was getting quite perturbed by now, so that I decided to take a sip of the orange juice that I ordered just now on an impulse. I looked at Walter, and this time he stared right back at me, unlike the previous occasions. Flabbergasted at the sudden proposition, my voice came across as soft and hesitant.  

“How much are you going to pay me for this?” I said, I had realised by now that I need not trade on the stock market to gain extra income. This was a perfect way to earn money! And I need not even put in any capital!  

“How much do you want?” Walter fired the question back at me.  

I had not asked for this in the first place, so that I did not know the market price for this type of transaction.  

Finally, Walter opened his mouth, “How about three thousand a month?  

This was double the pay at Talkative Bureau!

Without thinking I said yes.  

Once the deal was concluded, there didn’t seemed any purpose in the dinner. We did not exchange further conversations except to comment on the taste of the food, and then we parted ways at the entrance of the Summerset Restaurant.  

There was no purpose in exchanging a goodnight kiss, since there was no guest to witness this. Not to mention that Walter wasn’t inclined.   

I left the man and was happy to be able to take a Grab home this time.  

Although spending on projected income was not a good habit.  

Chapter 11

I have missed Rebecca since I started having dinner with Walter. But hey, today she was not in the same position. Rebecca was sitting down. They gave her a chair! 

I saw that the chair was a nice looking antique chair, and expensive too.   

Time was up! Instinctively I sensed that something was going to change and if I didn’t act fast enough, Rebecca would be changed out of the black taffeta.

Immediately I walked in to the Hourglass Figure.

“Hello there! Is there anyone in?” I sounded a little desperate.

A girl with long hair in a black skirt came out from behind a counter. OMG! She in black too!

“Excuse me,” I said, “Could you let me know how much this piece costs? The one that the mannequin is wearing,” pointing to Rebecca.

The girl went up to Rebecca, all ready to take off the black taffeta to show me. I think she knew that I liked it very much. As she was taking off her arm, she elaborated,

“Oh, it is a pre-loved item. We are selling it cheap. We would release it for less than a thousand, to be exact, for eight-hundred.”

“Sing dollars?” I asked, I couldn’t believe the price.

“Yes, in SGD. And you could pay by instalment,” the girl added.

Without a second thought, I took out my credit card and offered it to the girl, “let me pay for the first instalment, don’t undress her yet!”

“Ma’am, she is a mannequin, you don’t need to close the door,” the girl looked at me with a queer expression.

Apart from the fact that I didn’t want to undress her, if I paid for the dress now I would have to bring it home. I won’t have a chance to come in here to talk to Rebecca anymore.

Chapter 12

Mark came to see me today. He brought some strawberries which I liked so much, with whipped cream and all that.    

“The Covid has affected me as well, my salary was halved, and I am living on very little savings …. ” he began. But I wasn’t listening.   

“Tell me, what if Claire was a boy … did you know that she was a girl?’ I asked, not following his trend of thoughts.  

“Huh?” Mark wasn’t on the same trend of thoughts …   

“What did you say?” he asked.   

“I said, did you know that Claire was a girl?” I asked again.   

“Of course not!” Mark took stock of what I said now.    

“Why would I want to abort if I knew that she was a boy?” he added.  

“That means that you knew that she was a girl?!” I became enraged.  

“No, no one knows the sex of the child beforehand, not when you were only 6 weeks pregnant … and in any case …. ” Mark’s voice was getting louder.

“I thought we agreed that we didn’t want her because she was conceived during Covid times … and it would be difficult to carry it through … you had to take the vaccination … and it won’t be safe for the child …” Mark muttered, it came out so smoothly because he has said it a thousand times.    

“I was just wondering … ” I said, I knew that it was futile to argue with him. Claire was already gone, and I was still full of regrets.   

“Did you hear what I said about salary?” Mark went back to the original topic.  

“Oh? You mean money?”    

What is money compared to life?   

And then my mind drifted away, I started to chew on the strawberries and lapped up the whipped cream.   

Mark sat there looking at me, and after a while when he knew that I wasn’t actually there, he picked up his handphone and walked to the door,  

“I will drop by to see you again,” he threw the sentence at me and then he left.  

I sat on the sofa, only then I remembered that I always turned on the television whenever I was home.

Chapter 13

Finally the time came for me to make the final payment for Rebecca’s dress. I could not delay it any longer. I had to allow the salesgirl to take the black taffeta off Rebecca.

As the salesgirl was trying to undress Rebecca, I saw her take her left arm off. This time without hesitation I yelled,

“Wait! Don’t take her arm away!” startled, the salesgirl turned and looked at me,

“Is anything the matter ma’am?” she said.

“How could you dismantle her arm?” I used the word ‘dismantle’ so that meant that I was still sane.

And then I heard a voice, “It’s ok, I am just a mannequin, I have no life.” 

“Wait! Rebecca, you are telling me that you have no life???” I talked to Rebecca right in front of the salesgirl.

“Ma’am, she is plastic and essentially a doll,” the salesgirl said.

I stood in front of the both of them, my pulse quickening, and as I put my hand onto my chest to feel the regular rhythm of my own heartbeat, then it occurred to me that Rebecca was imaginary. The real Rebecca Claire died a long time ago in a remote place in the St. Peter’s Hospital. And the make believe Claire by the given name of Rebecca never existed. How many more ‘Claire’s can I create? How many more ‘Claire’s must be born before I would forgive myself? 

Chapter 14

To commit an act of abortion you must be brutal and wicked.  

At night I found myself alone again, surrounded by darkness but not overwhelmed by it. I liked darkness I like the calmness it brought. In the dark, there was nothing much you could do except to pray. But since Claire died I had stopped praying.   

In retrospect, I think it was fair to say that I was naïve. It was mea culpa. I had not given it a second thought I had wanted to take the stress off because Mark didn’t want to admit paternity. I didn’t understand the full implication of my decision, but then no one advised me against it either.   

I had thought that when I walked out of the hospital that was the end of the matter. But human beings simply didn’t die. They exist in the nascent state. Their souls hovered over the atmosphere and it decided on where to land. If the person was good, it would simply enter a good man and amalgamate with his present form. The soul and body at once became the same person, with a little change in mood and temperament. 

Chapter 15

Mark came to see me again today.

“I heard that you have been going out with a guy called Walter lately,” he began, almost like a cross-examination.

What has this got to do with him? We were divorced!

Instead of which I said, “Yes, he is a colleague of mine, we work in the same company,” followed by,

“Do you mind?” as though seeking for permission.

“Of course not, just that it may affect your reputation. Even if you don’t care, George might not like it,”

It was always George. Mark had been using George to blackmail me since day one.

I still needed to receive the maintenance. I didn’t want him to stop sending me the one thousand and eight hundred dollars. So I quickly added, 

“Can I see George this weekend?” 

“Of course, he has been asking about you,” it sounded like a threat from Mark. I was not ready to see George yet. Not when I haven’t bought him a present. 

George knew that I won’t be seeing him until Christmas. I told him that specifically. Surely he knew when Christmas was, it was when there were Christmas trees and carols were sung everywhere.

“No, actually Mark, I am not so sure it would be a good idea, I still need time to adjust,” I said. 

“You still haven’t gotten over the operation?” Mark asked.

“Abortion” is taboo in our vocabulary. 

“I dream of her every day you know, Mark,” I said, almost begging for sympathy. 

“I told you to forget about it,” Mark was firm.

“But I can’t! I still think that I should have carried it through,” I was pathetic.

“Look! We’ve been through this a million times, if it weren’t dangerous I won’t ask you to do it.” Mark started to get angry.

“All my life I had wanted a girl … ” I began to sob.

“Ok, let me put in another thousand dollars for you … you are not short of money yet, are you?”

“Oh, one thousand dollars would be fine, I need it soon,” immediately I confirmed the provision.

“So do you want to see George?” before he left Mark asked.

“Err, if you bank in the cheque later, I can see it the day after, I will have time to prepare something for George, maybe a toy car or something … yes … will Sunday be fine?”

Mark saw that his purpose was being achieved, so he concluded by saying, 

“I will bring him around to your apartment on Sunday at around 2:00 p.m. and pick him up at 9:00 p.m., so you could bring him out for dinner as well,” sounded like an order. For one thousand dollars, why not?

Chapter 16

The dinner at Summerset Restaurant was now a habit rather than by invitation. I was nearing forty, and under normal circumstances, one would have been too old to secure even a side glance. But Walter was interested in me, for reasons mentioned as aforesaid, best known to the both of us. But he still hasn’t seen George, and now it had become imperative for me to produce George to show his father a stranger. 

I worked at a way to secure the meeting, and a logical reason to explain why Walter had hidden George from his own father for so long. George was three and a half now, and when did Walter and I got married?

At this point in time, I realised that I must produce a marriage certificate or at least a birth certificate to prove that George was indeed the biological child of Walter. Ok! Now I know! George and Walter must meet in person.

Without due delay, I took out my handphone and rang Mark.

“Is that Mark?” I began even before he had spoken.

“What is it Carmen? You are not going to cancel the appointment on Sunday are you?” Mark’s voice.

“No, of course not, could I bring another person along?” I asked softly.

“Not Walter I hope,” Mark was most unfriendly.

“Yes, it is Walter,” I confessed.

“Why. Don’t tell me he is going to be George’s step-father.” Mark made it sound as though I was doing something wrong. 

“No, it’s a lot more complicated than this,” I said.

“It is complicated enough as it is now already, George needs a mother and I am not sure if I can wait for you indefinitely,” Mark said.

Wait for me indefinitely! I thought we were divorced!

“Just hear me out, Mark, maybe we could meet tonight … ”

“I am busy tonight until Sunday,” Mark gave me no alternative.

“Ok,” I tried to sound cheerful, and then I hung up the phone.

Chapter 17

I was in trouble now, and I think that you knew that I was in trouble now. I have made a deal with one man by the name of Walter Sim, and I was still accepting money from my ex-husband so that I was accountable to him for my actions. 

How did I solve the puzzle?

How many lies would I have to make in order to put every piece of puzzle in place?

To have Walter’s name as the father on George’s birth certificate Mark would have to give up paternity and let Walter adopt him. This was almost impossible as there was no reason for Mark to disown his son, unless there were sufficient reason and consideration. Walter was rich not on his own accord, but by virtue of his father the old man Sim. 

So that now I would have to come clean. Come clean meaning to say that I have to declare that George was Walter’s biological child conceived out of wedlock, and that after giving birth to George I had married Mark. And for that I must seek Mark’s collaboration. 

All along my relationship with Mark was cordial but not excellent. Occasionally we brought out the past and we squabbled over the accuracy of the facts. Of course Claire was always the trigger. I always secured a reaction from Mark whenever I used Claire’s name, in order to make him feel guilty.

So now, all I needed was to get George to come out alone with me, and then bring him to see Walter to meet his father Mr Sim. But how do I get George to address Walter as “daddy” and not “uncle”? This was a challenge. Children didn’t know how to play act.

For this, I consulted Rebecca.

So that I arrived at the Hourglass Figure at 7:30 p.m. again after work. No, I did not eat at Summerset Restaurant with Walter tonight. I needed to get a second opinion before I was due to see George and Mark on Sunday. 

“Hey, woman, they increased the temperature of the air-conditioning to follow the Green Plan,” Rebecca said the moment she saw me.

I stood outside the display, the temperature outside was lukewarm as usual, “Hi Rebecca, I have a problem now,” I began.

“Speak, woman,” I heard Rebecca.

“I need my son George to change father,” I came to the crux of the matter.

“Change father! Fatherhood cannot be altered!” Rebecca was shocked. 

“No, I mean, err, I mean that my son George was actually the son of Walter, but that he has been living with another man by the name of Mark,” I quickly made out a case, a plausible story.

“So now you want to change the fatherhood from Mark to Walter or Walter to Mark?” 

“From Mark to Walter, is it possible?”

“I don’t know about you human beings, so far for me you could change my father’s name or even my mother’s name, all you need do is buy over the copyright,”

“And by the way, I don’t have a set of parents, I only have a mother, the person who crafted me was a woman,” Rebecca continued, she looked remarkably relaxed.

Maybe she knew that I had almost finished paying for the black taffeta and that she would be off it soon.

Chapter 18

When I was sure that Walter wasn’t going to have dinner with me tonight I decided that I would go and see Rebecca, perhaps make payment for the final instalment. As I was walking towards the entrance I encountered a thin man in a grey tie and dark blue suit. His moustache made him noticeable. He saw me, but instead of walking ahead he paused just before we reached the entrance, and opened the door for me. 

Grateful that I was given some accordance, since I was just a small fry in the company, I quickly pressed for the first floor and then the surprise came, 

“I know that you are in trouble,” he said, at that time there were only the two of us. 

“Sir,” I addressed him, he was in a suit which meant that he must be higher in hierarchy in Talkative Bureau than myself. 

“I am not so sure what you mean?” I had to pretend.

“You must always tell the truth and if you want to lie you must stick to one version,” he said.

Immediately I linked it to the conversations I had with Rebecca. This man must have heard me. And if this were the case, there was no need to hide it anymore. So I said,

“Maybe you could recommend me a lawyer who could do adoption. And then, is it possible to register a marriage in retrospective effect?” I said it all in one go, releasing all of my anxiety.

“But how did you know of my predicament?” I had to ask, in case it wasn’t because of Rebecca.

“Your husband Walter told me,” the man said as he dished out his name card, “this is me, my name is David,”  

The card had his name embossed in gold, very impressive.

And he called Walter my husband. It would seem that there was no way out now. 

“Thank you, Mr CEO,” I said, in a bid to curry favour. I was poor, and I was still thinking of my credit card bill.

“Look for me anytime you need help,” with that final word, Mr David Lim the CEO walked out of the lift.

I went home straight from the office and I had a microsleep.

The phone rang. But I didn’t bother to pick it up. Only Mark knew my number, and I was on the way to cheating on him.    

Chapter 19

“Mummy,” George said the moment he saw me. “Want some ice cream?” I asked. That was one of the ways I used to check if he still remembered our last excursion. 

“Listen George, mummy will bring you to see a man, an old man.” I emphasised the word old because I wanted him to pay more attention to Mr Sim when he met him.

“Don’t say too many things in front of him, just be sure to say the word ‘daddy’ a few times in front of him.

“Ok! Mummy!” George was so compliant.

When I reached home after the excursion that night, I found the microwave and reheated the curry puff which I bought from the pop-up café. I could not remember if I had given the toy car to George or was it lost in the tour.    

And then without changing out of my clothes I fell asleep on the bed, the comfort of the soft pillows and sheets waiting for me.    

Chapter 20

There seemed no other place to meet except at the Summerset Restaurant. Walter and I have been so regular that the restaurant had decided to give us a discount for our meals. They also knew what dishes we planned to order even before we sat down so that we need not take the trouble to plough through the menu. 

“So you are Carmen,” the first thing the old man Sim said when he saw me.

“Yes, Mr Sim,” I answered differentially.

“No need to be so formal, just call me dad,” the old man said, he looked a bit intimidating. 

I saw him take his scarf off his collar, then he adjusted his lapel. And after a long silence, he spoke,

“Why haven’t you come to see me earlier before,”

“Err, oh, err, …. ” I looked at Walter for help.

“Dad, we didn’t think that you would be too happy about the fact that George was born before we were registered,” Walter chipped in.

“Well, it’s not too late now,” Mr Sim, no, dad said.

“I would think that George sounds a little too plain, why not call him Charles, since the name is associated to the first in line to the British throne,” dad said.

“Oh yes of course, anything you say, dad,” Walter was all out to please his father.

“And why not hold a wedding celebration to let all our friends and relatives know that you are part of our family?” dad suggested, looking in my direction.

“It would be superfluous,” Walter came in my defence.

And then thank God the waitress didn’t forget to serve us, so that we could pause conversations.

As fate would have it, Mark walked in at this point in time.

OMG! The minute I saw Mark. 

Please, please don’t come here, go have dinner elsewhere!

But Mark didn’t hear my wish, he saw us, and he walked towards our table.

“Nice company you have there, Carmen,” he greeted the rest without looking at me.

“Err, this is Mark,” I said, turning to Mr Sim. And then I looked at Mark pleadingly, 

“Mark, this is Walter’s father Mr Sim,” I quickly rearranged the expression on my face before turning to Mr Sim again.

“To be precise, Sim Leng How,” the old man added.

“Oh ok, sorry I didn’t know your full name, dad,” I still had to call him dad. My money depends on my giving the appropriate form of address.

“How did you know that I am here?” I quickly asked, in order to stop Mark from saying anything that would jeopardise the stage show.

“A little bird told me,” Mark was sarcastic.

And then without another word, he grabbed Walter, who was sitting by the side of the two seater, and he punched him with his fist.

Walter fell backwards, his head hit the backrest of the sofa, and then he sprung back. Recovering, he stood up to confront Mark. Now I could see clearly that Mark was taller than Walter. Mark gave Walter another punch using the same fist, but this time Walter was more prepared. He grabbed Mark by his hand, and then he threw him like you would throw a basketball, right towards the other table. The two guests who were seated there earlier on had left by now.

By this time the manager of the restaurant had been summoned. He came and stood in between Mark and Walter, and he shouted,

“Stop, or I will call the police!”

The reluctant waitress also came by. She quickly attended to the rest of us at the table, and with swiftness of actions, she proceeded to pack up all the plates and sauces on the table.

George cried, and then Mr Sim was saying, “What is happening? Who is this?” before collapsing onto the chair and passed out.

Mr Sim died of heart attack on 15 January 2021. 

Chapter 21

I saw David Lim at the office on 5 February 2021 when I returned to work. As usual we met at the entrance. 

“Hello Mr Lim, my problem has been solved,” I was more than cheerful.

“So soon?” he seemed to look too excited for my liking.

“I am going to resign soon,” I said.

“You’ve been given the sack?” the man asked.

“No, I don’t have to work now, and I plan to do freelancing,” I replied.

“Freelancing what?” he was curious.

“I will be selling houses, since now I have collected the skill of selling spaces,” as usual I was making projections, based on the lump sum inheritance that Walter would share with me. 

“Great! And I will be your first customer,” the man couldn’t have been serious.

“By the way, I am free tonight, would you like to go somewhere near and eat? I know of a restaurant called Summerset,just inside the Landmark Mall,” an instant invitation.

Fine. Since this was going to be my first customer. As they said, ‘Customer is King’.

We need not walk too far to reach the Summerset Restaurant.

The road to the Landmark Mall was straight forward. No turning of side lanes, all you needed to do was to make a zebra crossing. The traffic was not too heavy as this was not strictly a business district.

The same reluctant waitress.

This time she attended to the two of us immediately without due delay.

“A new male company?” she remarked, I could detect a note of sarcasm.

The minute we sat down, she offered me the menu.

“Thank you, Stacy!” David Lim said.

How did he know the name of the waitress?

“Sorry Mr Lim, we haven’t repaired the damage,” Stacy said.

“No problem, we came here only for the food,” David Lim sounded like the boss.

“Mark has been admitted to the hospital, do you want me to give you his room number?”

Mark!!! He knew Mark!!!

That meant … 

…. David Lim the CEO of Talkative Bureau was the informant!!!

No wonder Mark was at the restaurant on the night of 15 January 2021.

Now that David Lim knew Mark, was he also the one who told Walter that I have a son?

I started to get angry, but I told myself I had to stay, since I needed a contact for my new job as an estate agent. Any lead was useful.

“Have some wine, Carmen, don’t be too stressed about your new job,” David Lim said.

“You have set me up, haven’t you, Mr CEO?!” I became inflamed.

“Why. No. Everything that has happened was just part of my duty, I had to let the respective parties know about your situation, I was merely doing HR,” 

“You could withdraw your letter of resignation and work for me as my PA … ” David Lim offered,

“ … instead of selling houses, these are Covid times, selling houses are not so lucrative.”

“PA!” I was so elated I shouted, if you still remembered that I said I wanted to move up the corporate ladder.

“Mr David Lim, no, Mr CEO, I will report to your office tomorrow morning at 8:30 a.m. sharp,”

“Be sure to wear the black taffeta,” he gave me his punch line.

This man was insane!!!

I picked up my bag, took the fastest route out of Summerset Restaurant, and then just as I passed by Hourglass Figure, I saw that the mannequin had put on another dress. This time it was a red dress with sequins sewn all over, I guess the colour was to coincide with the Chinese New Year festive season. I was a superstitious person. Red was my favourite colour, it symbolised good fortune. But this time I did not talk to her, for she was no longer Claire.

Who is the next Claire?