This is a work of fiction
For Jim and his friends whose work is a constant struggle between what is right and what is financially viable for the company, every project comes with it’s fair share of adventure and dilemma.
It’s never an easy choice.
Still, the money is good, life is comfortable.
However, when a disaster strikes one of the safest city in the world, it brought the country to it’s knees.
And when it dawn on Jim and his friends that one of the culprit is someone they have been dealing with, the choice is clear.
We may be a small country, but if size matters, an elephant would be the king of the beast.
Note : story contains extreme graphic violent scene that might make you uncomfortable. Even if you managed to stomach all my past works of erotic nature, i have to be upfront, this is not the same.
It’s a disturbing read.
This is as real as it gets……
I hit the lowest point in my life when I turned 36.
Most of my friends and peers would be well entrenched in their career at that age but not for me. It’s as if life wants to make an example out of me.
The embodiment of everything that you should not have by this age.
I ticked all the check boxes for a typical Singaporean male in his mid thirties, at least for a while.
I’m married, I have a daughter, I have a HDB flat, I have a stable job and I have a car.
That checked the first few boxes.
Unfortunately I checked the next few as well soon after.
I got divorced. Wife became my ex wife, I got retrenched and don’t even start on the car. It was the first to go. HDB flat needs to be sold once it hits its minimum occupation period of 5 years and the proceeds split according to the agreement.
So to put it in simple English.
I’m fucked.
It was a combination of bad judgement and bad luck.
My wife left me because I cheated on her. I can blame no one except myself for this. It was a stupid mistake, one that many married men fell for once the kid comes along. There was a period of dry sex spell for me and my wife after our daughter Tricia was born.
I started to think with my dick instead of my head and I went to engage a social escort.
I got caught, and that’s the end of the story.
No Korean drama here.
My wife Anna was devastated, so was I when the gravity of what I had done to the family finally hit me. She could not bring herself to forgive me and after a torturing period of 6 months, we initiated the paperwork to leave me.
Anna wanted me to move out, she felt that perhaps it might be better that way. I could see she was stressed out with trying to care for a toddler and juggling work at the same time, I did not want to argue with her and I shifted back to my parents place.
We maintained contact, not as husband and wife, more of friends in a way. We would spend Saturday together with our child, pretending everything is fine. I get to visit Tricia anytime I want as long as Anna was informed.
By the time Tricia turned one, Anna was more or less over the fact that I cheated on her but she still could not forgive me.
Anna : Jim….I’m doing my best to forget it….. but I still can’t forgive you….
That was what she said.
Well, enough of the sad family story, I deserved it, I literally took a dildo and fuck myself in the ass to be in this state.
Just when the dust was beginning to settle in my personal life, I lost my job at a metal fabrication company. After 7 years in that place, I was convinced it was a job that would take me straight to my retirement. I was comfortable, paid decently, 2 months bonus every year, good benefits.
The boss made some bad investment decision with a partner and the company almost went bankrupt. Then the son magically appears from Australia with a fancy degree to take over the reins and we had a major restructuring.
More than half the old staff were let go.
As I packed up my desk, I was torn between laughing and crying.
Looking up into the skies, I almost wanted to ask the big man up there if he was toying with me. That he was bored and he’s trying to see how badly he can mess up someone’s life.
I spend the next month sending out resumes and calling up some old contacts to see if there were any openings in their companies but there were none.
So how ?
I did the only thing left for a Singaporean male in my situation. I drove a cab.
It was not easy making a living on the road. I thought it was a piece of cake, afterall, it’s just driving from point A to point B.
I was wrong.
The people you meet, the traffic conditions. Unreasonable riders, mad F1 drivers, you name it.
After deducting the rental, fuel and miscellaneous cost, I made 1.5k on the first month as a cab driver. This is me clocking 12 hour shifts 7 days a week.
It sucked.
I’m a total green horn to this, I made wrong turns.
Wrong turns that led to a long expressway, or worst, directly into the jaws of the ERP gate that sucked the life out of my cashcard.
GPS brought me around in circles.
Customers demanding a discount because I took the longer route.
Queuing at the airport at the wrong time and wasting more than an hour in the queue.
All the stupid newbie mistakes I made would probably be enough to fill a book.
The 2nd month I did a little better as I slowly learned from my mistakes. I brought home 2k.
The 3rd month was better at 2.2k.
I was starting to get the hang of it, and although I kept sending out resumes when I’m not driving, no one replied.
6 months into the life of a cabby, I was averaging 2.7-3k a month in profit. It’s not much but more than enough for me to get by for now.
My life became a dull routine of work, visit my daughter, back home to my retired parents and it all starts again the next morning.
A routine.
I shit you not, even the people I meet while driving a cab is more or less the same.
I categorise them into 2 groups. People who like the government and people who hate the government. Period.
It’s funny, really.
Sometimes customers would get in my cab and start cursing at the government over everything and anything.
I would just smile and nod my head.
Sometimes they would get in and once the conversation gets going, they would automatically assume that as a cab driver, I hate the government. Isn’t this the case, all cab drivers like to curse at the government?
Some would praise Singapore to the skies.
Some would drag her down to the mud and spit on her.
All manner of weird, crazy and just plain scary customers, drive around long enough, I guarantee you, you would meet them all.
I would entertain them with a smile and nods of my head. I’m not keen on striking conversation when I drive, it’s a personal thing. As long as they are happy, I’m satisfied.
If I were to put it bluntly, I don’t really care anymore.
I’m numb to the politics of the country and I’m sure many are as well.
We’re common folks, simple common folks.
Most of us are just trying to make a living.
You can say I’m jaded but put yourself in my shoes.
At my age, in my situation, would you not feel the same ?
Sometimes I would lie in my bed at night thinking if this was how I would live out the rest of my life.
A quiet, nobody in a country that is moving so fast. That I would just fade quietly into the hustle of the growing city.
24th December 2016
Saturday
Christmas eve.
My 37th birthday. No cake, no celebration, but my mum was nice enough to cook me a bowl of noodles and hard-boil egg for breakfast.
A wasapp voice message from my 2 year old daughter wishing me happy birthday was the best present I could ask for. I played it at least 30 times before starting my shift that day.
I made a silent wish that day.
That my life would get better soon.
That I would get a stable job and move on.
I was hoping to make a few extra buck that day since it’s the weekends and it’s the festive season. Had a good start initially, picked someone from my parents place at Pasir Ris to Jurong East. Immediately after that saw a family with luggage and it’s off to the airport from the west.
I was smiling during the drive. Perhaps it’s my birthday, a pleasant day was all I asked for.
From the airport, I got a couple heading home to Bukit Timah. They gave me a tip of $8 after I helped them with their bags
I could not believe my luck.
Right at the entrance of their condo, I picked up a kid who wanted to go Sengkang.
Can you fucking believe this ?
I could hardly wipe the smile off my face as I started up the meter and pulled off into the road.
Barely one junction later, the smile disappeared.
Fuck.
That kid, his eyes looked like they were about to close. He’s probably in his early twenties, and the stench of his alcohol breath filled the whole cab.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
I would see from the way he breathed heavily as he tried to suppress his guts.
Jim : Hey hey hey…. There’s plastic bag behind… don’t puke in my car ah!!
Kid : ok… ok… don’t worry brother… don’t worry…..blerghhh.. berlgeehhh
Jim : OEI !!! OEI!!!
Kid : BERGGGGHEHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!
The stench of his lunch filled the car as I pulled out of the expressway into Sengkang.
I wind down the window and shook my head.
Great.
Shaking my head with my right hand dangling out of the window, I wanted to point a middle finger to whoever is up there fucking with me.
I pulled up to the address the kid wanted to go. He apologised, paid me $10 more on top of the fare saying that was all he had and that he was sorry.
Kid : Sorry brother… sorry….Merry Christmas….
I looked at the mess behind, the floor mat was totally flooded with his vomit.
Some birthday this is turning out to be.
Who the fuck gets drunk at 3pm on Christmas eve?
I pulled into a car wash bay at the carpark and opened up all the doors.
As I waited for the water to fill from the wash bay tap, something caught my attention.
It was a convoy of cars.
No, not a wedding convoy.
2 black SUVS in front, followed by a Mercedes , sweet looking S class and another black SUV at the back.
They came into the estate and slowed down as they made a left turn into the carpark where I was at.
The cars passed me one after another inside the carpark.
Their windows are tinted, I’m pretty sure it’s more than what the authorities allow.
The first 3 vehicle went pass and up the ramp to find a parking lot.
The last one however slowed down when it passed by my cab.
It slowed to a crawl as I stared at the vehicle.
Then it stopped about 7 meters away.
I was the reverse light come on and my heart skipped a beat.
Looking around, I’m the only one in the carpark, why are they reversing?
There’s an empty washing bay beside my cab, perhaps this driver wanted to wash his car as well ?
It continued moving back more and more until it stopped directly in front of my cab.
The water stopped flowing the same time the driver door opened.
I dropped the sponge I was holding on as my eyes met those of a familiar figure standing right in front of me.
I could not believe it.
Without wasting a second, I ran forward and embraced the man in front of me.
Rizwan was my Sispec ( School of infantry specialist ) buddy back in the army.
Jim : What the fuck man Rizwan !!! haha… how are you !!
Rizwan : JIM!… !! haha…
I’ve lost touched with a lot of army mates after losing my phone, and I’m not a social media guy so I don’t have any means of getting in touch via those platform as well.
Jim ; How are you man ??
Rizwan : I’m ok… I’m ok…. Where have you been Jim…. We’ve been looking for you….
Before I could answer him, another figure got out of the car.
Eric : JIM !!! KNN !!!
Jim : what the fuck….Eric !! ?? Kan cheong spider ??
Eric : Fuck you la…. I’m not kan cheong spider anymore ok… hahah…
We hugged and shook hands.
The euphoria of running into 2 long lost friends barely settled in when Rizwan pulled out a walkie talkie from the back of his belt.
Speaking into the talkie, Rizwan was smiling and grinning.
Rizwan : Boss…. you won’t believe who is here ? We found that fucker finally… hahah…
Jim : Who is that ?? who are you talking to ??
That was a pause from the walkie talkie before I heard the familiar grunt of a warrant officer that left a particular strong impression in me.
Warrant officer Soh.
This must be a dream.
What is happening ?
Jim : What is going on ? What is happening ? How did you guys get together ???
Eric : hahaha… Jim… we have a lot to catch up and talk about….
Another 10 minutes passed within me even realising and I heard the sound of rapid footsteps approaching from a distance away.
The hair at the back of my neck stood on it’s end as I broke out into laughter.
I don’t fucking believe this.
With his large bear like body, Warrant Soh strutted towards me with his signature swagger.
Right behind him, Tommy, Mohan, Derrick, Nelson.
This is my entire Sispec section right there.
In front of my fucking eyes.
These are men that I would not think twice about going to war with.
It was a emotional moment for me as my hand went to my mouth and I choked back a tear.
Soh : JIM!!!….what the fuck …. You hiding from loan shark ah !!… hahah…
Jim : Sir… how are you….
Soh : I’m retired….. call me Soh…. Hahah…
I shook hands with the guys, hugs were embraced as memories of the times we were together when we were barely twenty years old came flooding back into my head.
Warrant Soh back then was our Platoon commander and he took a particular interest in the group of us. He loved us as if we were his kids.
Soh : We need to catch up….all of us…. What happened to you Jim ??
Everyone’s eyes darted to my cab before looking back at me.
There was a moment of silence before I broke it.
Jim : Well… a combination of bad luck and bad decision…. And… this is where I am…. How about you guys ?? … you all working together now ???
Everyone nodded and Mohan said they all work for Warrant Soh now.
Jim : Wow !….
Soh came over and took my shoulder.
Soh : Join us Jim….. join us…..
Jim : Of course !!!.. of course…. Hahaha… but… but what is it you guys do again ??
Everyone laughed.
Rizwan : We are about to open your eyes to a whole new world Jim…. A whole new world….
Everyone laughed and Soh demanded that we have a meal together followed by drinks that day.
Soh : Your birthday right JIM!!!… I remember… I gave you extra duties on your birthday.. hahaha
Jim : yes… hahah… for losing the blank attachment… haha…
Soh : Fuck man… that was so long ago….
I could see the genuine happiness in Soh’s eyes as he stepped back and look at the lot of us.
He said we were his best trainees. The best batch he ever had.
Soh : Finally…. I have all my boys back together again… hahaha….
Eric : That sounds fucking gay boss…hahah…
Soh : Fuck you la…
Everyone laughed as I took in how much Warrant Soh has aged. He has to be in his mid fifties at least.
Soh was about to get everyone to load up into the vehicles and head out for a meal when he saw the pail of water and the sponge.
His eyes drew the attention of the rest of the group and they all looked at the cab.
Rizwan was the first to see the vomit and he smiled before unbuttoning his cuffs. The others followed suit and started to roll up their sleeves.
Jim : hey hey hey… stop stop… don’t need… you all go on ahead…. I’ll meet you all at the eating place after cleaning up…. Hey stop… don’t need !….
Eric gave me a nudge on my arm with a ‘Tsk’
Eric : What are brothers for ? haha…
I sighed in resignation as Soh lit up a cigarette and barked at the group of almost middle age men crowding around the dirty cab.
Soh : KIN LA !! ( hurry up ) …. Waiting for Christmas is it !!! ….. haha…
Everyone laughed as they started to help me clean up the cab.
Looking back up into the skies once more, I shook my head and smiled.
Seems like someone heard my birthday wish after all.
…………………………………………………………..
Soh lit up a cigarette and went to his phone while the rest of my friends started to help with the clean up.
I kept telling them it’s fine but they would not have it.
They insisted on helping.
In the midst of rinsing off floor mats, wringing clothes, spraying air freshener and wiping off puke, the group of them updated me about their lives after we lost contact.
Eric brought over a pail of water and he started first.
He told me he’s divorced and his daughter is already 5 years old.
Eric : My ex wife…. Fuck la she… go back to her own country already…..
Jim : Huh ? She don’t want the child ??
Eric was not shy to admit that they married without thinking it through. They met at a KTV lounge and she was from Vietnam.
Eric : We had Claire…. Then she got her PR status then she choot pattern already….
He told me she literally walked away without even looking back before Claire turned one.
Jim : That’s fuck up bro…
Eric laughed in a bitter manner but said perhaps it was a blessing in disguise.
Eric : I’m very close with my daughter….she’s the world to me…hahah…it was tough initially juggling work and a infant….i’m barely making ends meet until I met Soh …. And the rest is history….
As I digested Eric’s summary of his post army life, Tommy passed me a mat he had already rinsed out.
Tommy : What about you Jim ?? how are you doing ??
The group waited for my reply and I basically spent 5 mins telling them a condensed version of what happened.
Soh was the first to give his take.
Soh : KNN la Jim…. Call chicken la… you see… call somemore…. Hahah…
Jim : Well… I fucked up…. There’s no other way to put it…. And…. All these…. It’s just me paying for my mistake….
I sighed and said I’m prepared to make up in whatever way I could if I had the chance.
Tommy asked me to cheer up.
Tommy : Relax la… things will be fine eventually…..
Tommy is still single, we know he was sort of a player back in the younger days. With his boyish good looks, Tommy is always popular with the girls.
His parents were separated too and now live separately in Hong kong and Malaysia. All that remains in Singapore is Tommy and his grandmother who is in a nursing home.
Tommy : She has dementia….. sometimes she don’t recognise me…
I nodded as Tommy handed me another wet floor mat he rinsed.
Tommy : Well… this is life man… we all grow old… haha….
Soh : Hurry up hurry up…. Don’t take your own sweet time can or not….
Rizwan : Wah lan eh Soh… you still talk the same way … machiam still in the army like that leh…. Hahah…
Everyone laughed as Soh gave Rizwan the middle finger.
We wrapped up the cleaning and the group of us went to a nearby coffeeshop to grab a drink.
Over several rounds of coffee and tea, I was quickly brought up to date about what my friends were doing for Soh.
Soh operated an events company but things were not as simple as they seem. His clientele is in a class of their own. The super rich, high nett worth individuals.
The events in which they organise, is not something you can just ring up any company and ask for a quote.
It’s exclusive, special, customised and needless to say, expensive.
Jim : can you give me an example ?? something to anchor to…. If not… you guys look like you are going around in circles….
Eric : We offer a wide range of service….from… say…. Personal protection….party planning, baby sitting…. Things like that…. it can be as simple as escorting some VIP wannabe from the airport to the hotel….. or just standing next to some businessmen that wants to inpress his clients….
Jim ; Oh… err.. ok…
Eric : Baby sitting wise… we don’t mean looking after a kid….hmmm…think something along the line of say…. Some rich guy is going overseas…. Wants us to keep an eye on his wife and shit….
Jim : Oh…. Ok….
Rizwan continued after that.
Rizwan : Then there are the parties…. Parties that…happens in a hush hush place… with activities that are not encouraged…..
Jim : Errr…. Don’t tell me it’s some fucking mass orgy ah…
Rizwan : hahah… no la… it’s not… hard to explain now… but you will see once you come onboard…
I could tell the guys are enjoying their work with Soh and they’re definitely looking forward to have me on board as well.
Jim : I would love to join you guys man… I mean… it seems you all are doing pretty well…. But I can’t just stop driving like this…. Have got to give my cab hirer some time to find a relief driver….
Soh : Don’t worry…. Come over to the office tomorrow… we’ll get you all sorted out…. I have a need for your cab anyway for a couple of events…
Jim : Really ?
Soh : Don’t worry la Jim… I’m here… hahaha…
Soh chuckled in a low bear like growl as he sipped his coffee.
I nodded my head and said I would be at his office on Christmas day.
Soh : Good…. We need all the help we can get for the next job….
Eric : That Australian rich kid ar ??
Soh : Yes.. that one… fucking crazy son of a bitch….
We parted ways about 7pm and I continued driving, picking up a endless stream of people on their way to parties and gatherings. I ended my shift at 1am that day.
25th December 2016
Christmas day
2pm
I got to the address Eric text me the day before.
It wasn’t exactly an office.
I double checked the address given along Senoko road. The gate is open and I could see the SUVs parked inside the compound. I parked beside the vehicles and walked towards the dingy looking building.
It’s a low 2 story structure that had seen better days. The paint is peeling from the outside and there were a lot of stains from the algae on the walls.
The ground is uneven, large potholes, a little bit of water ponding, muddy puddles. Entering the structure , I came to this large warehouse.
It looked like a hanger where you do maintenance for large vehicles, except there are no vehicles in there. In it’s place are several large shipping containers that has been repurposed into an office of sort.
3 containers were aligned side by side with windows and doors cut into their shell. It look pretty cozy from the outside. The working area were not restricted to just within the containers.
Right outside the office were chairs, benches, movable whiteboards, large tables, crates , boxes , even a row of lockers.
I could almost imagine this to be the scene where some Hollywood war movie is being set up.
Like after landing in some secret airbase and this is where you work your shit.
The door to the office opened and Eric waved me in.
The cool air of the office was a stark contrast from the humid exterior of the warehouse.
It’s simply furnished, cubicles for each and everyone and a private room for Soh.
Eric : come come…. Mohan is waiting for you… Soh is on his way over….
I went over to Mohan, also known as the man of few words.
Mohan isn’t someone to make small talks and when he speaks, he gets straight to the point. He’s 1.9m tall and at 80 kg, he’s muscles are ripped and well defined. He’s always the fastest runner back in our younger days.
Being the only indian in our midst, he was also the target of our many teases and jokes. He takes them in stride, calling us ‘Chinks’ the same way we call him ‘ah neh’
Mohan : Jim…. Lai lai…. Come and sign all these….
Soh put Mohan in charge of HR matters and money, Mohan asked me to look for him for matters regarding pay and stuff. He’s also the one hounding clients for payment. He’s perfect for that role really.
With his dark skin, chiselled face and fucking huge eyes, the scariest expression you could get from Mohan was when he had no expressions. You would think he’s about to fucking bite your face off.
That was the vibe he gave off.
Despite his looks, Mohan has a heart of gold. He was orphaned by the age of 3 and brought up by foster parents.
Mohan : Anything to do with money…. look for me… ok… claims… allowance… pay or whatever…. Bank account details… all me…
Jim : Ok… err… can I ask why Soh put you in charge ??
Mohan widened his eyes and gave me a look as if I had asked something stupid.
Mohan : Eh hello… I Indian la bro…. all Indians good with money you don’t know meh… look at all the big banks… !
He gave me a quick flash of his middle finger before Eric and I burst out laughing as his expressions.
I really miss these guys so much.
Mohan sorted out my employment contract, answered any questions I had and that was it.
Mohan : We’re all drawing the same pay… this is how it works here Jim… pay…. Same… open… 3.2k…. bonus is as per performance…. This will be different…. Soh will sit down with you….
Jim : Ok.. sure.. there’s good enough for me….
Mohan : Don’t worry… we’re averaging 2-3 months…. Since we started 2 years ago…. Not bad one…. This doesn’t include other perks along the way…. Haha…
Jim : Ok… sure… anything man… hahaha…. I’m just really glad to see you guys again…
2.40pm
Everyone was in the office by then and we were still in the midst of catching up with out lives when Soh came in with a folder in his hands.
Soh : You can do your catchup slowly next time ok…. you can see each other everyday…. Until you want to puke…..
Smack smack smack !
Soh tapped the 2 folder on his hands and gestured all of us out of the office.
The movable white board was wheeled and all of us took a seat on the benches. I could feel this weird excitement running through my veins.
This feels like I’m getting some Ops order before moving out for a mission.
I know this is proper work but the set up.
The environment, the people.
The things I see.
I can’t help but feel there is this element of fun in the things Soh do. I’m definitely looking forward to it.
Soh : Ok… coming up next week… we have 2 assignment…. One personal protection , (PP) in short …. And one event…
Soh asked me to tag alongside Eric, and that he will walk me through what needs to be done.
Soh : ok , this is straight forward…. Business man meeting some contacts from China… want to act act a bit… so he got us in for this…
Soh scribbled the locations for the pick up and drop off together with some key contact details for the client. He drew 3 boxes to indicate the 3 SUVs the company has and split everyone up into each vehicle.
The job is simple, we are to pick up the contact from China at the airport. Send him to the hotel in town for the meeting our client. They will have their dinner, drinks, do whatever fuck they want to do, while we run a 24 hour shift just standing around looking important.
It’s ridiculous. This is Singapore, we’re one of the safest place on earth. Still, people are out to impress.
Soh : So… just keep your mouth shut, eyes open, just act professional …. Easy job…any questions ??
Everyone shook their head.
Soh : good. Next up… the stupid event…. Eric… you do the briefing…
Eric flipped the board to the back and started on a fresh canvas.
The next event is more ridiculous than the first.
If I didn’t hear it with my own ears, I would think it’s a fucking joke.
Client is a rich kid, daddy owns mines in Australia and bought him a property in sentosa.
He’s known to throw fancy parties and shit but this time round, he wanted something different.
Something so exotic you would think he’s mad.
This event, or party as he calls it, is to scare his friends.
It’s not some Halloween costume party mind you, the client wanted a Taoist rites you perform at funeral.
What the fuck you say.
Yeah.
That was what he wanted.
That kid saw the rites once and he thought it was creepy. He had approached proper funeral companies for it but they all rejected him according to Eric.
Now, this is something that Soh can do, or rather, we can do.
Eric : It’s simple… we will setup the altar with all the shebang. Candles, fruits… offerings…fuck… it’s basically everything…
Eric said that all this will be done in a large room inside the sentosa property itself.
Eric ; Now… this is not all…. The client wanted a corpse or something close… haha
The group of us burst out laughing and started pointing to ourselves.
Rizwan : Easy job man… haha… lie down don’t move only right… hahah…
Nelson : Me.. me.. me… I lie down I can sleep already.. hahaha
Derrick ; Me la.. me la…. I don’t mind taking this difficult job… hahaha…
Eric cut off our conversation saying that the spot is already taken.
Soh : I’ll lie down la… KNN… you all still young… don’t do this kind of stuff… I pantang(superstitious) …I old man… I do it…
Eric : Ok… we need to ring some bells… light some joss sticks…. Ok… walk around in circles….
Joss paper will be thrown and a speaker will play some chants and recitals downloaded off the net.
I was chuckling where I sat as I took it all in.
This is just ridiculous.
Eric continued, adding that while this is going on, the client and his friends, a small group of about 10 will be gathered around .
Eric : The client wanted to build up the atmosphere… something eerie… creepy and scary…. Fucking sicko…. But important thing is the end game…
Jim : What is the end game ??
Eric told me that as the atmosphere builds us, we were to focus our attention on a particular girl he likes.
Eric : Childish games la… he wants to scare her, I will ring the bell and Soh will sit up from the corpse table and run towards the girl.
Jim : Hahhahaha…
I laughed so hard I was clutching the sides of my stomach.
Derrick laughed the hardest for this, sinking down to his knees, his head facing down with his palms supporting himself.
Derrick ; whahahahahahahahahah….wheezz.. wheezz.. wheezz..hahahahaha…
Hearing Derrick laugh made it all the more funnier.
He makes this weird wheezing sound when he gets into a uncontrollable laugh. You would think he’s getting some asthma attack but he’s not. He’s just laughing.
Eric hit the board a few times to get our attention.
Eric : Listen up guys… this is important…. Don’t fucking screw it up ok…..
Eric stressed home an important point.
Eric : Guys… this is serious…. Client says he would not pay us…. If it fucks up halfway…. Or we end up laughing…..
Soh : Yes… all our bonuses depends on this ok….
Eric : I know it’s hard…. I burst out laughing a couple of times when Soh and I met the client at his place…. But…. We just have to hold it in… do your best….
Eric told us that for doing something ridiculous like this, the client was willing to pay a cool 5 figure sum for a few hours work, that doesn’t include all the items that we will be buying for the ritual.
There will be a markup of course for each and this contract will easily be worth about 30k all in.
Eric : It’s good money for a day’s work…. Please don’t fuck it up….
Eric went on to ask if we had any questions and there were none.
Eric : good…. The event will happen on new year’s eve…. Less than a week from now….. I say we start getting ready for it….
Eric assigned the roles.
Soh will be the corpse.
Mohan and Rizwan will sit this one out, they will look out of place in the Taoist costumes pretending to be chanting anyway.
Mohan will be in charge of the speakers while Rizwan will work the smoke machine.
Eric will be the lead priest, Tommy, me, Derrick and Nelson will be the so call disciples kneeling behind Eric while he does his shit.
I could not help thinking about it even after I left the office.
Well, all I had to do was not to laugh.
I think that should be pretty straightforward.
26th December 2016
9am
A thing about this job though, the hours are flexible. This could be a double edge word. Public holiday or not, sometimes we still have to work.
In this instance, we’re all needed to be back to discuss and rehearse the dumb party plan for the Taoist rites.
We set up a mock up with tables with Soh lying down.
We laughed of course but after going through a few times, it was no longer as funny. We sort of got used to it.
By 6pm that day, we were done. Everyone knew what to do.
27th December 2016
Tuesday
9am
I came to office at 9am only to find myself alone in the empty office.
Soh came at 10am.
Soh : Jim…. If there’s no ongoing project or events….there’s no need to be in at 9 sharp… we’re flexible… they guys usually come in by lunch…. Spend more time with your kid…
Jim : Oh… ok…
11.30am
We had lunch and Eric sat down with me to go through some specifics about a new job that needed my taxi as a cover.
By 5pm, there was nothing much left for us to do after making sure the things we needed for the sentosa party was loaded up into the vehicles.
31st December 2016
Saturday
9am
The big day arrived and we were all needed in early. We had to grab all the fruits and vegetables from the market.
Roast chicken, duck even a suckling pig was loaded up into the vehicle.
Jim : Where got ppl use suckling pig at funeral one ??
Soh : Aiyah…. Bill client one what…. We just get… after that we can eat…. Hahah…
We got everything we needed by 12 noon and soon then 3 car convoy made it’s way towards the island. I was riding with Eric in the 2nd vehicle and he told me the client just turned 21 a few months ago.
Eric : We kind of hosted a party for him, things got rowdy…. We got to break up a fight….. he’s a bit of an asshole actually but he pays…..
Jim : well… if Mohan is the one asking…. I’m sure everybody will pay….
Eric laughed as we turned into the private estate.
My first impression of the client was not good at all. A young stuck up chap walking out half naked to greet us.
Tony : Good day Mate… !…. yall ready ?
Eric : Yeap… we’ll get the things set up….
Tony : good.. good…. Haha…. Don’t fuck it up…. I wanna show my friends how sick this thing is…. Man…I fucking saw it once and it gave me the creeps….. haha…
Eric : Sure… don’t worry… we’ll nail it….
The client gave us the thumbs up before walking into his private pool for a swim.
The moment felt strangely familiar when we started to unload the stores from the vehicles. It reminded me of the times back in the army when we had to bring everything off the tonners for our training.
Everyone worked with a smile as we set up the room.
It’s not a big space, about the size of 2 HDB living room. I could tell it was some sort of a entertainment room, a giant screen took up one end of the wall and there’s a expensive looking projector hanging from the ceiling.
Anyway, we just went about our work.
_________
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The setup is something like the diagram
Just look at the rectangles for now.
The single one is the table where Soh will be lying on, pretending to be a corpse.
The other 5 arranged side by side will be used for the offerings and stuff.
Eric would take the main role of the Taoist priest while the rest of us would be following his lead. Simple as that.
The client and his guest will be standing behind us.
Here’s the story that he would be telling his friends.
Since it’s unthinkable for anyone to be carting a corpse around sentosa, Tony will be informing his friends that he has invited us to do a Taoist exorcism.
Even though know what the fuck that meant, Tony just want us to set it up to look like the typical ritual at a funeral.
Make it creepy, scare the girl, don’t laugh, take the money.
We spent some time arranging the fruits and offerings. The sliding doors on the left of the room was opened up fully. This is because we will be lighting candles, joss sticks , maybe burning some incense paper.
You know those yellow pieces of talisman you stick on a vampire so he doesn’t move. Yeah, Eric printed a few hundreds of those and we started decorating the table Soh will be lying on.
Eric : Boss… here… I got a fucking big A3 size one… cover your face… you laugh also he don’t know….
Soh : Fuck you la…. Knn….
Eric : hahaha….
We laughed and tested out the system and smoke machine.
By 4pm, all is set and Soh called for a short meeting.
Soh : Alright… this is stupid but fuck…. Client is paying… who are we to question how people spend their money right….
We nodded as Soh went on.
Soh : We’re bound to laugh at some point but remember what I told you back in the old days…. Eh….hahah…
Eric laughed and added.
Eric : Do anything you want…. Just don’t get caught…
The lot of us burst out laughing and Soh wanted us to go grab a early dinner.
Before we got into the vehicle, I watch Soh light up some incense, praying to all 4 directions before putting it in the bronze bowl filled with rice.
Soh : Sorry ah brother sorry….. trying to make a living…..please don’t take this seriously…
I chuckled as Soh came over shortly as the lot of us went to grab our dinner in vivo city.
Tony expected his guest to arrive at 8pm and the rites to begin at 8.30pm.
Which meant we need to get ready before that.
Dinner was a simple meal of burgers before we went back to Tony’s place.
7.45pm
We were all ready by then, Soh was about to get onto the table and pretend to be a corpse.
Then tragedy struck.
Eric suddenly said his stomach don’t feel that good and he scurried off to the bathroom.
8.00pm
Eric came out of the bathroom looking a little pale, saying that he just had a massive diarrhoea.
Eric : I think it’s the oyster omelette from dinner… ahhhh… shit I got to go again….
We group of us looked on in horror as Eric enter and leave the bathroom another 3 times.
8.20pm
By then it was clear that there is no way Eric could take up the role of the lead Taoist priest.
This is where the headache begins.
Tommy doesn’t speak any of the dialects.
Nelson understands conversational Teochew and hokkien but he’s not fluent enough to pull it off either.
Derrick is good with his dialects but he laughed too easily. He fucking started to laugh when we all looked at him.
Derrick : heee.. hee… I can… heee hahaha.. hee… wheez… wheez…hee.. I can….haha…
All eyes turned towards me and I felt Soh’s hand land on my shoulder.
Soh : Jim… you have to do it man….
Jim : Fuck you’re kidding me…. I don’t know any of these scripture chanting and stuff….
Soh : Eric didn’t know too… he spent some time rehearsing a few lines and just planned on repeating them over and over….
The clock in the room moved closer to 8.30pm.
Tony came in and said his friends were ready for the scare.
Tony : Get ready guys…. Don’t fuck it up… remember… Amber is wearing red…. Standing next to me… she’s the target….
With that he closed the door and left.
Soh : Jim! You have to do it… we have no time….
Eric came out of the bathroom looking as if he just ran a marathon before widening his eyes and scurrying back again.
Fuck.
This is not happening.
Tony rapped on the door a few times and I could hear him asking us to get ready.
Soh went over the his table and laid down, closing his eyes.
Derrick was trying to control his laughter as he threw the yellow Taoist robe over my shoulder and passed me the wooden sword.
I turned around and I saw Nelson and Tommy already kneeling down with their head down low trying to stifle their laughter.
Fuck.
Fuck.
This is going to be so fuck up.
I cannot imagine me being the cause of Soh losing this project. It’s almost 30k base on what he said.
I took a deep breath and calm myself down.
Relax Jim…. Relax…
They’re all Caucasians, they don’t speak dialects. As long as I speak something and make it come out in a monotone, there’s no way they know the difference.
I can do this.
The door opened and the room grew silent.
I could hear the hush whispers from behind me.
‘what the fuck is this Tony ? ‘
‘Tony are you out of your mind ? ‘
‘fuck Tony… what is this’
Harsh whispers of Tony’s friends questioning him drifted into my ears.
Tony broke the silence, speaking directly to me since I was the only one standing.
Tony : you may begin.
I was shaking.
I lit up some joss sticks for show. My mind was desperately trying to think of what to say for the chanting.
I rang the bell 3 times. A girl whimpered from a few metres away.
I took a stack of yellow talisman and threw them up into the air like what I saw in Hong kong movies and loud gasp sounded out.
This is it.
I need to start off the chanting. It needs to last at least 1 minute.
I can do this.
I looked at the table with it’s array of fruits and a brilliant idea struck me.
A smile broke out on my face as I confidently rang the bell loudly for 1 last time.
In the most monotonous and high pitch sound, I started to chant.
Jim : Ang mo liu lian geng jio xi kuay bib kuay pu tor xio ark xio quay xio tee peng kuay ong lai sio bak …….
Ang mo liu lian (soursop) geng jio ( banana ) xi kuay ( watermelon ) bib kuay ( honeydew ) pu tor ( grapes ) xio ark ( roasted duck ) xio quay ( roasted chicken ) xio tee ( suckling pig ) peng kuay ( apple ) ong lai ( pineapple ) sio bak ( roasted meat )
Basically you get the idea, it’s just fucking naming the row of offerings in front of me in dialect, and it came out pretty smooth. I just repeated it the moment I was done with the 1st set and went on.
It’s not funny at that moment, at least not to me but I did not expect my friends to take it so badly. Not to mention Soh.
I admit it’s pretty abrupt but their reaction was a little unexpected.
2 seconds after the chant started and my team mates began to register what I just said, I saw Soh’s body convulse and he let loose a burst of high pressured saliva into the air, misting the immediate area above his face.
“AHHHHH!!!GASP!!!”
Gasp of horror sounded from behind me from Soh’s sudden reaction but that was not all.
I could tell Soh was about to burst out laughing but he held it in. He really tried. I could see his clenched fist and tightly held lips but it was too much for him to bear. Instead he started to shake and convulse on the table, knocking and smacking onto the hard surface as if he was being possessed.
Thud tud thud thud…. Thud…. Thud….
I was really worried he might start laughing to I chanted louder in a higher pitch, hopeing that I could drown out any accidently snigger.
Jim : ANG MO LIU LIAN GENG JIO XI KUAY BIB KUAY PU TOR XIO ARK XIO QUAY XIO TEE PENG KUAY ONG LAI SIO BAK ……. !!!!!!!
I heard 2 loud thuds from behind me.
The screams from Tony’s guest got louder especially from the girls. I wanted to see what was happening so I kept up my chanting, grabbed a fistful of talisman and threw it behind me in a smooth continuous action.
To my surprise, Nelson and Tommy were in the kowtow position, their bodies too convulsing and shaking as they tried to hold back their laughter.
Derrick still had his body upright but he was on the verge of exploding. He could not hold it any longer.
I looked at Tony, his eyes were wide open as he looked at the men convulsing on the table and the floor. I took the bell and rang loudly, knowing for sure someone is going to break at any moment now.
Derrick lost it but his laughing came out as that weird asthma like wheezing and that sent Tony and his guest screaming in the room.
Amber : Fuckk.. TONY!!! Stop it.. make them stop !!!…. stop this… !!! aRHHH
The girl in red was literally hugging onto Tony about to burst into tears as I kept up with my loud chanting and ringing of the bell, praying that no one laughed so we can get paid.
Then without warning, there was a loud thud.
I turned and realised Soh had fallen onto the floor, now he was facing down but he continued shaking.
Amber : TONY!!! Stop this .!!! IT”S NOT FUNNY !!!! arghh!!!
Guest pushed past Tony and retreated into other sections of the house as Tony gave us the ‘cut signal’, slicing through his neck with his fingers.
I wrapped up my chanting with a final verse as Amber dragged Tony out of the room.
Jim : Ang mo liu lian geng jio xi kuay bib kuay pu tor xio ark xio quay xio tee peng kuay ong lai sio bak ……. HUAT AH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The moment Tony was gone, I shut the door behind him and turned back to look at my friends.
Soh flipped onto his back, his face flushed red as tears streak down his cheeks.
Derrick continued wheezing.
Tommy and Nelson laughed so hard that hardly any sound came out of their mouth.
5 minutes later when everyone calmed down, Soh came over to me and gave me the thumbs up.
Soh : KNN Jim….. you si bei good…. Hahah….
I wiped away the perspirations on my forehead as I removed the Taoist robe.
Jim : Is it that funny ? …. I was so stressed…. I’m worried we won’t get paid…
The guys burst into giggles as we helped ourselves with the fruits on the table.
Soh sighed and took a large gulp of water.
Soh : I really thought we would fuck this up when Eric got the runs on his stomach man…. Hahah… but thankfully…. We had you Jim…. Hahah….
Jim : I hope not all our events and projects are like this… it’s too stressful man..
The guys laughed.
Soh tapped my shoulder and told me not to worry.
Soh : These are rare and few….. the fun ones….. are the hens night…
Jim : Hen’s night ? as in those bachelorette party ?? ….
Derrick : hahah… not just any Hen’s night Jim….. it’s one for the super rich and you have no idea how these people play…. Hahah…
……………………………………………………………..
Derrick was about to go in depth with his explanation of the hen’s night party but Soh’s phone rang and he put a finger to his lips, signalling for us to lower our volume.
It was the client on the line. Tony.
Soh : So… what do you want us to do now ?? hmmm….. ok….
There was a short pause before Soh added that we would pack up and deliver his stuff to the yacht.
Well, it’s an early night for us, all the better.
Soh hung up and asked us to pack up the room.
Soh : Food, bring all back to the office, we have our own party later ah…. Mohan…Tony is in his study…. Go collect payment…. Give him the invoice….
Mohan : Ok…
As I helped to pack up the food, I can’t help but be amazed at how easy this is.
I mean like what the fuck man ?
Just like this and it’s a wrap ? Soh made like what, 30k from this .
Seems like this is a good business to be in.
Soh : Jim….Rizwan… follow me…
We went to the SUV and I watch Soh opened the boot of the vehicle.
Inside the boot was a large cardboard box about the length of a guitar case.
Soh signalled for me to carry it while Rizwan picked up a similar one from the other vehicle.
We followed Soh down the private jetty to Tony’s yacht.
Seeing the boat bobbed up and down on the tranquil sea that night, I can’t help but marvel at how rich these people are. The captain of the ferry waved to Soh and they exchanged greetings, a sign that they are acquainted.
We loaded the cases onto the yacht and the captain came over.
He opened up one of the cases that was when I felt my balls shrink a little.
Jim : What the fuck…
Rizwan : Relax bro… not our business…. We just middleman…
It’s not drugs or a case loaded with money mind you.
It’s fireworks.
I’ve played with some of those before when I was in Malaysia.
Rizwan dragged me off the boat while Soh had a word with the captain.
Jim : What the fuck bro ? …. Those ?….
Rizwan : Jim…. These people… they drive their boats out into the open water…. They do whatever shit they want…. We don’t care…. Soh is just the middleman supplying them the fireworks….
Jim : but… these are illegal… at least in Singapore… how did you get your hands on them ??
Rizwan ; Soh has a friend… Ah Peng… he owns a Kelong just off the coast …. It’s a transit hub of sort for all stuff….. erm…. That are hard to find in the country….
Jim : You’re shitting me man…. We … we could go to jail for this….
Rizwan : Aiyah… relax la Jim…. We only do the delivery…. The rest we don’t care…. Besides… it’s only once or twice a year…. And so far it’s been good….. most of the time we don’t other with stuff like this…. It’s because Tony is a good client…. He pays… he keeps his mouth shut…
Rizwan nudged me along as we went back to the house to help with the packing.
I don’t feel comfortable with this but after Rizwan reassured me that they are not dealing with drugs and shit, I decided to let it pass.
It’s the new year after all.
Everyone just wants to have a bit of fun.
We left Tony’s place just before 12 midnight.
While the rest of the country is celebrating the arrival of the new year, the group of us gathered in the office. The tables were packed full of food and Soh brought out a case of beer from the fridge.
Like good old times in the mess hall, we ate, laughed and chatted over a cold beer.
Everyone parted ways at 3am in the morning with Soh reminding us to be back Tueday for work.
Soh : We need to kick off other projects…. I’ll see everyone here on Tuesday….
3rd Jan 2017.
Tuesday.
9.15am
Everyone was already present and Soh got right into the briefing.
Soh : Ok… we’re splitting into 2 teams for this… we got a baby sitting job today….
Soh put up the picture of a pretty lady and told everyone the situation.
Soh : ok…. Our client…Denise …. She’s the sugarbabe of prominent local businessman, Herman…… She’s been getting harassed by Herman’s wife Mecole…
Jim : Woah….
I could not help but sit up when I saw Mecole’s picture.
Eric : Oei… be professional ok… hahah…
Mohan threw a piece of paper at me as I looked hard at the picture son the board.
The ladies in question are hot.
Denise looked like the hot fresh grad that just stepped out into the workforce. Her figure is tight and you could see a pronounced hourglass shape, accentuated by the bandage dress she was wearing in the picture.
She had on a pair of killer heels, bringing out the curves of the lean calves and the fair thighs.
In that particular picture, she was striking a typical Instagram post of a girl looking into the distance with her lips slightly parted, almost to the point of forming a pout.
Jim : Wow…. How much you got to earn man…. To have a sugarbabe like that… hahaha…
Eric : More than what we earn obviously…
Soh : Diam la…. Your pay… sugar 1kg at NTUC can buy la… sugarbabe… slowly wait….
Everyone laughed except me.
My attention was drawn to the other picture on the board.
Mecole.
The contrast between the 2 could not have been greater.
While Denise is in her early 20s, Mecole looked like she is in her mid 30s.
There’s that look of confidence etched in her face. The picture was of her in a corporate pant suit complete with a chic looking blazer. Mecole looked really attractive to me, sure, she’s not some sweet young thing fresh out of school, but she had this womanly charm.
This aura that you get only when you age.
And by age, I meant it in a graceful way.
Mecole’s body is totally covered up in the picture but I’m sure if she’s showing a bit of flesh, heads would turn as well.
Soh : Ok ok… pay attention… Jim… we need your taxi for this…..Denise is pretty sure Mecole has her followed…. Probably a private investigator or something… but that’s not our problem….
Soh said that our job was to ferry Denise from point A to point B, and if anyone, anyone at all harassed her, it was our job to get her out of the situation.
Soh ; Simple ?? I repeat ah…. We have 2 things to do…. Get her from point A to point B….. there’s a chance that Mecole, or Herman’s mother..….might engage Denise…… you know… the typical…. Family drama thing….
Soh gave us specific instructions to avoid situation like this.
Soh : This is why I’m giving you pictures…. Memorise their faces… keep your eyes open…. Avoid at all cost…. Can ??
Eric, Mohan and I will be assigned to this project of taking care of Denise.
The project is a short one, only for a period of 2 days.
Soh : Herman himself is coming back from overseas to sort out his mess…. We just need to maintain the peace for a couple of days… can ??
Soh gave his signature thumbsup and we nodded out head.
Soh : Jim’s taxi will be the primary mode of transport….Jim will drive…. Eric and Mohan will follow from behind…….. our contract starts today at 12pm…. Simple right ?
Soh went on to the other project which is also a straightforward job. Just pretend you are a bodyguard for some businessmen in town for a deal.
10.30am
I took a picture of Denise and Mecole from the board in my phone. There was another shot which is a family photo, I took that as well just in case the in laws turn up or Herman’s parents.
11.00am
Mohan passed me a walkie talkie and said they will be following from a couple of cars away.
Mohan : First project Jim… relax ok…. This is not Hollywood…. Don’t expect any James bond situation to happen… haha…
Jim : okok… don’t worry la… I was driving a cab before this ok…. It’s my job to ferry people around….
We left the office at 11.20am and made our way to the love nest of Herman and Denise.
It’s a condo located in Sengkang.
I dialled the number that was given to me and Denise answered after the 2nd ring.
Jim : hi Denise…we’re..
Before I could finish my sentence, she snapped at me.
Denise : Why so late ! ??
I looked at the clock on the dashboard , it was only 11.55am
Jim : err…
Denise : just wait at the drop off point… I’m coming down….
Then she hung up on me.
I rolled my eyes and brushed it aside.
That was nothing, I’ve met worst passengers when I was driving a cab.
A couple of minutes later, I saw Denise emerge from the lift lobby dressed in a figure hugging dress and sneakers.
She’s hot, that I have to give it to her.
Denise had a pair of shades on, and she walked over to my cab and stopped.
She just waited outside the door.
I turned and looked at her as she folded her arms and tilt her head a little as she cast a glance my way.
My walkie talkie crackled and it was Mohan .
Mohan : Jim.. haha.. I think that bitch wants you to open the door for her… haha…
Jim : what the fuck man….
I got out of the vehicle and went over to Denise.
What the fuck is this girl’s problem? You can’t open the door to a fucking cab ?
I tried to remain professional and opened the door for Denise as she gave me a irritated ‘Tsk’ .
Denise : ‘Tsk’…. Can you be more professional ? …. Open the door for your clients !!… how hard is that ?!!
Denise turned towards me, lowered her bottom in a trying to act classy manner, keeping her thighs shut, she lifted both her feet and angled them into the cad like the mechanical arm of a excavator turning.
The manner in which she does it is as if she was afraid I would peek at her upskirt or some shit.
I shut the door and looked towards the SUV where Mohan and Eric were in.
I could almost see them sniggering in the vehicle.
Fuck this. It’s just a job.
I’ll just have to remain professional.
I got into the cab and Denise told me to take her to a spa in sentosa.
Nothing happened during the journey. We got there, Denise got off, point A to point B.
She took out a $10 bill and gave it to me.
Denise : go eat your lunch…come back in 2 hours….
Without turning to look at me, Denise disappeared into the spa , leaving me with the $10 bill in hand.
I turned and saw Mohan and Eric sniggering away.
Mohan : Relax bro… free lunch leh… $10… we go the seam im food centre eat… enough… enough…
Jim : I think I’ve been in a shell for too long… people actually behave like this nowadays ??
Eric : Aiyah… ignore her la… haha…
2.45pm
Denise came out of the spa and I was waiting for her by the door.
I opened the door for her and she got in in the same haughty manner.
Denise : Orchard… Ion….
I told Mohan where we were going and pulled out into the road.
It was another boring trip towards Ion. I made the mistake of pulling into the taxi stand and Denise snapped at me.
Denise : What the fuck man….are you mad ? …. Go to the carpark la…!!… how you expect me to go alone like that !!! TSK!….
Jim : Oh… sorry….
I heard Denise sigh loudly and from the rear mirror, I watch her cross her legs and fold her arms, shaking her head as if she was dealing with a idoit.
I parked the vehicle and followed her to a restaurant where she dined alone.
Mohan, Eric and I hung around the entrance as Denise ate.
Looking around the mall on a weekday afternoon, it’s pretty quiet.
Perhaps it was my first assignment so to speak, I felt as if there was someone looking at me at every turn.
I brushed it off as my own imagination.
3.45pm
Denise wanted to shop a little and she did not want us following her like dogs.
Denise : Please don’t follow me like dogs ok… try to keep yourself out of sight….
Whichever floor Denise went to, Mohan would be stationed near the escalator. Eric would take the spot near the lift while I would be the one following a little closer.
5.45pm
The lot of us helped Denise with her shopping bags back to the car and that was it.
Denise : Take me home.
We went back to Sengkang and I parked the vehicle.
Denise : Help me carry the stuff up then you can go…
I balanced 3 bags on each hand as I followed Denise into the lift.
Nothing was exchanged as I checked out her body up close.
She really has a stuck up bitch attitude I must say.
The lift opened and I followed Denise to her unit.
She unlocked the door and pointed to the dining table.
Denise : Just leave it there….
Just when I was about to leave the house, my walkie talkie beeped and Eric’s voice immediately came on.
Eric : Jim !… Mecole is here…
My eyes widened as I set the bags down. Denise, obviously having heard what Eric said came over to me as I asked for more information.
Denise : WHAT !!! WHAT is happening !!
Jim : Eric… what do you mean ?? Mecole is here ??
There was a 2 second delay before I heard Eric’s voice again.
Eric : JIM!!..MECOLE is on her way up to the unit right now !!….
Denise : WHAT !!.. that crazy bitch !!
Jim : shit…. Shut the door behind me…
I was about to head out when Denise grabbed onto my hand and yanked me back in.
Denise : NO… you stay here.. !!… stay here….
Denise shut the door and backed away from it immediately as if half expecting a monster to jump out at her.
I could see her chest rise and fall as she looked at the door before looking at me.
Denise : Do something !!…
Before I could ask Denise what she wanted me to do, the doorbell rang.
The high-tech viewer at the peephole displayed an image at the control panel just a few feet away from me.
That face.
Mecole.
Denise : THAT STUPID BITCH!!…
Denise got onto her phone and started to dial for Herman.
Mecole hit the doorbell again, pressing the intercom button.
Mecole : Open up Denise…. I just want to talk…
I turned and looked at Denise who was tapping away at her phone.
Denise : NO… don’t you dare open the door…
Mecole tried the intercom again.
Mecole : Denise… open up … now…
I grabbed the walkie talkie and hailed for Mohan and Eric .
Jim : Guys…. You need to…
Before I could finish transmitting my message, I saw from the camera that was pointing at the doorway that more men had appeared behind Mecole.
Fuck.
Jim : Guys… Mecole did not come alone !!… where are you !!…
There was no reply.
I tried again and the next thing that happened sent a chill into my bones as Mecole turned and grabbed something from one of her men as he whispered something to her.
I watched her depressed the talk button the same time my walkie talkie crackled.
Mecole : Jim… .. I’ll keep this short…. Soh… is a businessman….and he just accepted my business….. you know what that means ??
I turned to look at Denise who by now has a look of horror on her face.
She came over and grabbed my arm.
Denise : No.. no. no… please… please… no… don’t do this….
Mecole : Jim… open up…. Now…
My phone rang. It was Soh.
Soh : Jim…. Wrap the project up early… open the door for Mecole…
Jim : What !!.. but…
Soh : Just do it…
Soh hung up as I turned and looked at Denise who is on the verge of tears.
Denise : No no.. please… don’t … don’t do this…
I turned away from Denise and she started shouting at me.
Denise : WHAT are you doing !!! FUCK!!… you FUCK!!! WHAT are you doing !!!!
I placed my hand on the door handle and turned towards Denise.
Jim : I’m being professional….. just opening the door for my client.
With the swing of my arm, I pulled open the door and came face to face with Mecole.
………………………………………………………………
I swore there was a jolt of electricity when my eyes met Mecole’s.
That look in her eyes felt like the scythe a reaper carried. It hooked onto my soul, yanking it slowly out of my body. Have you ever met someone for the first time and you felt this connection of sort with her ?
It’s nothing lustful although I won’t deny my instant attraction to Mecole.
The couple of seconds when our eyes met felt longer, I could smell Mecole.
She gave out a different scent.
A body lotion or perfume perhaps. More matured, definitely more alluring.
Compared to the pure sweet scent of fragrance coming from Denise, you can tell there is a obvious depth to Mecole’s.
Mecole gave me a nod before her eyes looked away in the same manner when some big boss of a company appraised you in that couple of seconds, deciding on the spot whether they liked you or not.
It was a nod of acknowledgement, nothing special, it’s the same nod you would give to a dog a guess for performing a trick.
I could see Mohan and Eric waving to me at the far end of the corridor, gesturing for me to go over to their side.
I nodded, eager to get out of the way of whatever is going to happen.
Mecole brought with her 4 men.
If the wife of a businessman can have 4 guys at her beck and call, I wonder how many does Herman have.
I could hear Denise screaming into her phone even from the corridor.
Denise : SOH !!!! SOH !!! we had an agreement !!! HOW COULD YOU !!! YOU fucking piece of shit !!!! SOH !!!
Mecole was more measured in her response, telling Denise pretty loudly that the money she is using to pay Soh came from her.
Denise : That’s Herman’s money !!.. not yours you bitch !!!.. not your money !!
SMACK !!
Someone was slapped.
There was a brief moment of silence before I heard Denise starting to sob.
Eric just gestured me into the waiting lift and we shut the door.
Jim : Just like that ? ?
Mohan : Soh’s the boss…. just do as he says… the rest don’t care la…
Eric : Wrap up early today… we can go back relax a bit…. Watch some youtube video….
Now, technically there is nothing wrong with our decision to just walk off. We are after all employees of Soh and like any employees in a company, we follow instructions.
We merely did what our paymaster told us to do, but this is a little different.
Soh did take money from Denise and promised to keep her safe for a couple of days, so this sudden U-turn in decision did not really sit well with me.
Jim : This doesn’t feel right man… I mean…. Soh accepted the job…..
I brought up the point of who is going to trust us if everytime someone offers a higher price and we jump ship.
Jim : buay swee leh like that…. it’s like…. Integrity issue….
Mohan : Brother…. Simi integrity….. we’re just for show only…. That Denise… wah piang eh…. Look at her…. Got hand got leg…. Don’t want to work… choose to spread her legs to a married man…. Now the wife is here to reason with her…. That’s their problem what….
Eric : Jim… don’t think too much… our job is simple…. We just do the minimum…. Not because we are lazy or anything….. in this line… we just want to avoid trouble… and unnecessary baggage….
The lift opened and we stepped out together, still engaged in the discussion.
Jim : I know… I also don’t want to get involved in those messy stuff, but just not very nice la the way Soh handled this…. What if now Herman turn around and offer more money to Soh… then our phone ring… then how… we go back up and what ?? change again ah…
Mohan : Change then change lor… we just follow instructions what …
Jim : You think what.. indian roti prata ah… flip here and there….
Before Mohan could show me his middle finger, Eric’s phone rang.
It was Soh .
Eric : Wah piang eh… your mouth is very unlucky man….this time really need to roti prate liao…..
Eric picked up the phone while looking at Mohan and me.
Eric : Soh… yes… hmmmmmmmmm…. Hmmmmmm….err…… ok…. Ok…. Ya…. We’ll wait for you….
Mohan immediately asked what Soh wanted the moment Eric hung up.
Eric : Soh is on his way…. 15 minutes…. We’ll go back up there together….
Mohan : See la Jim… your mouth ah….. this time really all got to roti prata together….
Jim : Don’t jump to conclusion… perhaps Soh is here to ermmm… return Denise her money la… do swee swee what…. Reject her job… then case close….or something….
We waited at the carpark and 15 minutes later saw Soh arrive with Rizwan.
Rizwan did not get off, he just gave us a wave after dropping Soh off.
Soh : come… let’s go up…
Jim : Soh… what’s happening….
Soh : A bit of complication….i need to talk to Mecole….
There, I knew it.
Soh must have realised that he is jeopardising his relationship with Herman if he left things as it is.
We arrived at the unit and Soh rang the bell.
One of Mecole’s man opened the door and Soh stepped in.
The hair on the back of my neck stood on it’s end when I saw the state things were in the living room.
Denise was on the floor, sobbing while Mecole sat on the sofa with her legs crossed.
A typical scene in some sobbing Taiwan drama where the mistress gets confronted.
No, my goosebumps did not come from seeing Denise crying on the floor, but of what Mecole was about to do to her.
A office chair complete with arm rest was brought into the living room from the study. There was a large pail on the floor.
I saw 2 bottles of milk on the table. A camera with tripod had been set up in front of the chair. A suspicious looking black bag the size of your typical in flight carry on sits beside Mecole on the sofa.
Mecole spoke without turning to face Soh.
Mecole : Yes Mr Soh…. What can I do for you…??
Soh : Mecole… i hope you won’t put me in a difficult position…. I mean afterall….
Mecole dismissed Soh with a wave of her hand. My god, even the way her delicate fingers moved in the air gave me a sort of reaction in my pants.
Not exactly an erection, but it was something.
A slight tingle.
Mecole : I know what you are going to say Soh… bla bla bla…. Herman is also your client… blab la bla…. But let’s not forget…. I’m the one that first connected you to the clients you have today…..
Soh : Mecole… I understand…. I just don’t want things to go overboard….
Mecole : This woman came between me and my husband….
Denise snapped back at Mecole
Denise : I did not !!!… your husband came to me because you cannot satisfy him !!!
Mecole leaned forward without warning and grabbed a tuff of Denise’s hair.
Denise : arghh !!! let go you bitch !!!arHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
Mecole : I………….. am not as dirty as you are…. you whore. !!!
With a forceful jerk , Mecole pushed Denise onto the ground and gestured for her men to grab Denise up.
Denise : Let me go !!! let me go !!!! SOH !!! SOH!!! Do something !!!… we had an agreement !!! SOH!!!! Please … sob..zzz sobzz… sobzz…. Please !!!!
Mecole’s man looked younger than we are. Probably in their mid twenties. 2 of them looked a little green and apprehensive and they remained by Mecole’s side while the other 2 worked.
Mecole : Get the camera rolling…. I’ll show Heman his favourite toy…
Denise : NO!! NO!!! STOP!!! PLEASE !!!! STOP!!!
Soh : Mecole…. Don’t go overboard please… there could be repercussions ….
Denise : my phone !!! my phone !!! it’s ringing !!.. Herman !! he’s calling !!!.. SOH!!! Answer the phone !! SOH !!!
Mecole got up and answered the phone instead and from the look on her face, whatever Herman was saying on the other line was not what she wanted to hear.
Mecole threw the phone across the hallway as 2 of her man held onto a struggling Denise on the chair.
Mecole : Do it.. tie her up….
Denise screamed and cursed at Mecole and Soh decided to step in.
Soh : Mecole… enough…. She might get hurt !…. don’t complicate things …
Mecole : get them out of here…
The other 2 younger chaps turned towards Soh but before they could do anything, Eric and Mohan were already there.
Mohan : Stay where you are brother… people will get hurt…
Mohan’s warning worked and the 2 chaps looked unsure, turning back towards Mecole.
Mecole : What are you going to do Soh ? huh ?
Soh : Mecole…. Calm down… I just don’t want anyone to get hurt…
Mecole : No one will get hurt…. I’m only doing what my husband usually does with Denise anyway…
Denise : NO… stop !!! STOP!!!….
Denise’s figure hugging dress was pulled up high, giving her legs more flexibility by one of the man. She was still wearing her sneakers as bother her legs were forcibly lifted and pulled back to expose her privates.
Denise’s privates was visible, she was wearing a seamless pair of white thong which by then was out of place amidst all the struggling. All of us stared, unable to take our eyes off her smooth and hairless vagina.
Denise : NO!!! NO!!! stop please !!! ARHHHH Sobzz.. sobz… stop please….
Just picture your typical office chair, Denise was position close to the edge of the seat, her knees drawn back and her thighs forced to rest on the arm rest, essentially spreading her privates towards the camera.
As one of the men held onto her leg, the other started taping Denise’s leg to the arm rest.
The tear of the tape sounded loud and vulgar, like the forceful drag of sticky tape when you have a angry house mover doing the packing. He went over and over, spreading the black tape from Denise’s knees to her middle of her thighs to her shin.
It was an ugly mess but it got the job done.
All he wanted was to restrain Denise onto the chair with her legs spread.
Denise sobbed and pleaded with them to stop while the rest of us looked on dumbfounded.