Titles of a longer length release will be marked with (LL) at the back of it’s title. (LL) titles span between 2-4 releases. The longer length allows for better character development and more detailed scenes for build up.
Grassroots(LL) is a 13 part series similar to My wife’s debt repayment in Japan(LL) If you enjoyed longer works like My wife became the sheik’s mistress(LL) or My cannot make it brother in law (LL), you will definitely enjoy this title.
Retrenched and trying to survive doing gig jobs, James decides to join a grassroot organisation upon his friend’s suggestion to expand his network. He accidentally stumbles into a situation he should not have through a series of unfortunate events. Join him in this adventure as he was thrown into jail, forced to go undercover and ends up in a scam centre in Myanmar. A place where all manners of atrocities were carried out everyday. If he wants to survive, he will need to be as brutal as the supervisors running the place. From forcing girls to perform on onlyfans, to filming adult videos and scamming old people on the phone, James has to do it all. His only ticket out, was if he could rise up the ranks, link up with his handlers and missing agents before him, and secure a rescue for all the Singaporeans trapped at the scam centre.
This title contains scenes of extreme violence, non-consensual acts and forced compliance. If you are not comfortable with such genre, please give it a miss. If you’re matured enough to handle this, get ready to lose yourself and join James in this adventure of a lifetime.
Total of 10 chapters. 1st chapter will be free to read.
Chapter 1 – 10200 words
Chapter 2- 11000 words
Chapter 3 – 10000 words
Chapter 4 – 10200 words
Chapter 5 – 10600 words
A couple of decades ago, if you asked me where did I see myself when I turned 40, I would probably tell you something like this:
Married, with a beautiful wife, and settled down with two kids – one boy one girl. We would be staying in a condo, with a modest Japanese car for transport and road trips. In a few years, we would be debt free, and my wife and I would travel the world when the kids were older.
Unfortunately, dreams and reality turned out to be very different.
When the clock struck midnight on my fortieth birthday, I was driving a group of girls to a club in town. They were young, beautiful, and full of energy. From their conversation, I knew they were all professionals – lawyers and doctors. Their future could not be brighter.
After I dropped them off, I picked up another fare – an executive heading home after working overtime. He was exhausted and nodded off immediately after boarding the car. He gave me a 20-dollar tip after I woke him up upon arrival and reminded him about the laptop bag he almost left behind.
It was coming to two in the morning. There were barely any cars on the small service road at Bukit Batok. I had no more pings on my app, so my options were to either drive back to town or wait and see if lady luck smiled on me. I ended up stared at the phone for the next 15 minutes.
A few months ago, I was still employed and running a small team of five, doing construction projects and interior design work. The downsizing came out of nowhere. Entire teams were let go as the company embarked on a restructuring. I did not even dare to tell my retired parents. Thankfully, I had no wife and kids who depend on me. At 40, I was still staying with my parents in their three-room flat at Bedok.
My parents were already in their early seventies, and their greatest wish was to see me settled down. Unfortunately, I had no luck in my love life. Their consolation, however, was that I was doing rather well in my career. Of course, although they did not know it yet, that too had been taken away. And let me tell you this, even though you were frantically sending out resumes, at 40 years of age, the chances were really slim that you would even get a reply. I sent out close to 100 applications, and I received replies for only three. And all three thanked me for my application but stated that I was not the candidate they were looking for. The other 97 probably sent my resume straight to the junk folder the moment they saw my age.
After a month of waiting, I did the only thing I could think of then – gig work. I took up sending food and parcels, and I drove private hire. Every morning, I would wake up at the same time, put on my shirt and pants, grab my bag, and say goodbye to my parents – both of whom thought I was heading to Tanjong Pagar for work. When in reality, I was walking to another estate where I parked the private hire car I rented.
I would change in the carpark, stowing away my pressed shirt and pants, and putting on a T-shirt before I began my day. Sure, gig work put food on the table and it paid the bills, but it was not easy. Aside from the shitty traffic and drivers on the road, you also had to deal with passengers who should probably be locked up in a mental institution. Of course, not all passengers were bad. In fact, most of them were nice, but it would just take one crazy one to ruin your day. Just ask any private hire driver or gig worker if they have any interesting stories to share and you were bound to have an interesting conversation.
But I digress. Back to the wee hours of the morning on my fortieth birthday, I waited in the car till 3:00 a.m. before I decide to call it a day. Yes, driving home to Bedok from Bukit Batok with an empty car was dumb, but it was my birthday, and my fortieth birthday no less. It was a simple treat I thought I deserved.
I collapsed on my bed the moment I got home. After barely catching six hours of sleep, I woke up to start another day of gig work. Before I left the house again, my parents were commenting about why I still needed to go back to the office on a Saturday.
James: Rushing some work, no choice.
Well, the truth was, despite it being a weekend, the rental for the car was still running, and bills still needed to be paid. And weekends were the best for hitting incentives and whatnots.
I started driving, ferrying passengers across the island and delivering the occasional parcel when the opportunity arose. My body was aching all over when I stopped at 10:00 p.m. I checked my phone and saw a message from Quan, my classmate when we were in polytechnic. We were in the same industry, but working for different companies. We got along rather well, and we caught up regularly. When I got retrenched, I asked him to help me keep a lookout for opportunities, but the market wasn’t exactly kind to mid-career folks who lost their jobs. Tonight, Quan was asking me out for supper – he knew it was my birthday. We met up at a prata shop in Jalan Kayu, since he stayed around the corner.
Quan: Yo, James, need birthday cake or not? Haha…
James: We make one with prata can already la. How old already, still birthday cake.
We chatted over prata and teh tarik. Quan had tried asking his boss if they had plans to expand, but with the difficult economy, they too were considering downsizing. Not in the form of retrenchment though. They just froze hiring and pay increments – those that left were not replaced.
Quan: Construction industry is fucked up one la. If we go and sell property or go into banking… we won’t be here now. Maybe our supper is at MBS rooftop, not at prata shop. If I know… I would…
James: Sigh… if I know, if I know… if I know I buy the winning lottery ticket number already.
We laughed and continued bantering casually like a couple of middle-aged men with nothing better to do. That was until we were politely interrupted by a group of RC volunteers giving out leaflets for a mid-autumn festival event. After they gave us one, Quan suddenly had this bright idea.
Quan: James, why don’t you go and join some grassroot group.
James: Huh? For fuck?
Quan: Please la, join for the networking…
James: Can they get me a job?
Quan: I tell you ah, I got friend… struggling printing business, then he go and join grassroot. Suddenly big huat! He go from one-room flat to landed in three years.
James: Sure or not?
Quan: He network network. Those grassroot always print a lot of things one. Banner la, leaflets la, everything also need to print. Election also need to print posters. How not to huat?
James: Really?
Quan: I got another friend, marry foreign wife. Apply PR for so long, die die cannot get one. See MP, see minister, go temple, go church, everywhere also go, plus whatever can think of also tried, just haven’t potong only…
James: Go temple and go church, your friend what religion?
Quan: Haiyah, you got study probability or not! Ask one god cannot, ask two la… Anyway, you just listen…
James: But…
Quan: He and the wife go and join grassroot volunteer. Do a bit of sai kang (shit job), you know, carry a bit of balls here and there, then…!
James: Then what?
Quan: Suddenly the wife get PR.
James: Sure or not?
Quan: I sumpah! (swear)
James: Where got such things one…? If so easy everybody will go and join already. You sure is not hearsay one?
Quan: Really. Join the grassroots, they got a lot of lobang one. And they got so much money to throw. I got another friend…
James: Wah lan eh… you si bei zuea friend (you a lot of friends) … haha…
Quan: He last time run pasar malam one… You know those popcorn cart, do candy floss one?
James: Yah?
Quan: He lost a lot of money… Sell three dollar here, five dollar there, how to make? Cannot even cover rental.
James: Then?
Quan: He join grassroot as volunteer la!
James: Chee bye la you, sell popcorn also can join… Don’t talk cock with me can or not!
Quan: Look, James, he join as a volunteer, then he network. Wah lan eh, I tell you…!
Quan paused to drain the remainder of his teh tarik before gesturing for another one. I waited for him to continue, wondering what other nonsense he would come up with.
Quan: Then now, all the RC events right – popcorn cart, candy floss cart, even kacang puteh… he bao kao liao (he got it all)!
James: Really?
Quan: Do one event better than he do one week at pasar malam. Now he earn until from four-room HDB upgrade to condo already.
James: Sure or not?
Quan: His condo is not your outskirts OCR kind okay! Tanjong Pagar one!
James: Damn…
Quan: His warehouse last time he renting from JTC, now…
James: Now what?
Quan: He bought his own industrial unit already – sixty-year lease kind. He woon woon jiak bee hoon already (set for life). He not only doing popcorn; now he can even do those tikum tikum stall (games stall).
James: Wow…
Quan: Oh, now that I talk about this… this reminds me… my neighbour… stay a few floor below me…
James: He sell what? Kueh tutu ah?
Quan: No la, you cheebye! Listen! He also retrenched… then he go and join the grassroot… then hor…
James: Mmmh?
Quan: He now… working in government agency… I think the MP saw how responsible he was, how good he was at organising stuff, then he ask him to apply for some position in some ministry.
James: Zhun bo (sure or not)?
Quan: Confirm… Now he super happy. Nine-to-five, work stable, bonus stable, and he still continue to volunteer. I think I saw him wear white colour walk around already at market.
James: He’s going to run for election?
Quan: No la. He help out a bit, boost numbers. But he sees it like a CCA of sorts – good for his career advancement.
As I sipped my drink, I thought about what Quan just said. I knew there was a certain element of bragging and shit-talk in there, but I couldn’t help but consider what he just said. I really did need to expand my network.
Quan: James, sorry for saying this, but you’re already out of options anyway. You’ve been driving for what? Five months? And you’re going nowhere. Resume you send out how many already?
James: Maybe 300?
Quan: Wah lan eh, forget it la. You need to network. And who knows what will happen? Try la, if you don’t try, you won’t know.
James: But… it’s not like me to go and do such things… I know some people have the heart to volunteer and make a difference, but, it’s just not me… I worry if I go there, will I appear to be very fake? Like I go there with some ulterior motive.
Quan: Hello, brother, please la… You too nice already…
James: No, I’m not…
Quan: Who eat full too free go do such thing without some ulterior motive? Everyone got their own motivations and agenda. Old people, they want the company, they want people to talk to. Young people, they want to boost their resume. Middle-aged people like us, they want career, they want network, they want their spouse to stay in Singapore. Please la, you think the grassroots don’t know. They all also know, just diam diam teh siao (keep quiet and act blur). Got people volunteer, of course they will accept one.
James: I don’t know… it’s just… very weird if I go there hoping to get something when I’m not there willingly… It just doesn’t feel right.
Quan: Then you want to continue what you are doing? Morning wakeup, lie to your parents you going office? Can you lie forever? How long you think this is going to last? Why not just try?
James: I… sigh…
Quan: What?
James: You know la… my background… I got a bit of history…
Quan: What, shoplifting when you in secondary school? Please la, we all make mistakes when we’re young. And you stole what? A bottle of soft drink?
James: There’s also the fight…
Quan: Scuffle at McDonalds when you were 16…? Hello, James, please la, those were like what, more than 20 years ago? Even if got record, also all mouldy already. Ask you go and be volunteer, not ask you go and be a saint or politician. You don’t think so much la. Besides, after those incidents, nothing already, right? You served the army, you got silver bayonet, don’t think so much la. I know you. You are zai one (steady). If anyone can do it, it’s you.
James: You really see me super up man. Haha…
What Quan said did make sense in a way. I was running out of options, so what was wrong with just trying? After we finished our drinks and parted ways, Quan’s words kept swimming around in my head. That night, when I laid down in bed, I kept thinking about it. I mean, it was just volunteering and doing some stuff. I would get to network and meet new people at the same time. What could possibly go wrong?
Well, unfortunately for me, it was every damned thing.
Series has started.
Will drop 1 – 2 episodes per month.
Episode 1 is free to read
can publish this soon ? thanks !