I watched as Roland removed his Patek Phillipe watch and passed it to Lucy who was still sipping her tea in a classy manner. Lucy took it for safe keeping and she gave Bill a kiss.
Lucy : Keep an eye out for that idoit ok ?? haha..
I knew she was referring to me.
I got to the front of the line and stared at the columns of men in front of me.
They were barely 40m away from us.
As I stood at the front of the line, I looked down both sides.
All of the elders were right up front. Gabriel was busy giving orders. He shouted to Johari to hold Ben back but I doubt they could as Ben laughed heartily at the gathering of man. Gabriel shouted to a few of Ah KEong’s man to look out for King and Terry.
King and Terry might as well have the pioneer generation card stamped on their forehead. This is definitely not going to end well.
Gabriel was running up and down the line, shouting for the men to close up, for Kate to get out with grandma, for Lucy to join the girls in the office.
Andy on the other hand and removed his belt and coiled it around his left hand while his right held onto a wooden rod about half a metre in length.
The factory grew quiet suddenly.
I don’t know why.
It just did.
The entire factory grew quiet.
The silence was deafening.
Far louder than the shouts and cheers we did earlier.
The only noise came from the TVs that were still playing.
Live footages from our golden jubilee national day celebration continued to stream as the 2 groups of men stared at each other.
I could not see Ah Keong anywhere.
Then his voice rang out, loud and clear in the silent factory.
Ah Keong : GABRIEL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That had to be the first time he called Gabriel’s name since they fell out.
Gabriel pushed through the bodies and came out front.
Ah Keong appeared on the left and he held 2 blades in his hand.
The 2 same blades that belonged to Gabriel’s grandfather and Fungye.
He walked towards the centre of the line from the left while Gabriel did from the right . They converged towards me and 5 steps away, Ah Keong threw one parang towards Gabriel.
Gabriel caught it with the blade facing down and I caught a glimpse of the engraving on it.
He was holding onto his grandfather’s parang.
Ah Keong and Gabriel looked at each other without a word yet that moment meant more to them as brothers than anything else in the world.
Like a well-choreographed sequence, Gabriel raised his arm with the parang into the air the exact same moment our mobile column for the parade appeared on the screens beside us.
Roland : ahhhh…. What I wouldn’t do to have one of those leopards right now… ahaha..
Scattered laughs broke out among the men.
I saw a smile break out on Gabriel’s face as he turned around and looked at all the men behind him.
His smile disappeared as soon as it appeared.
With the sharp crack of his throat , Gabriel’s voice rang out and filled the entire factory .
Gabriel : MAJULAH !!!!!!!!! ( onwards )
Everyone in unison : MAJULAH !!!!!!! ( onwards )
I could feel the metal roof and the side panels of the factory shake and vibrate as if a hurricane had hit us.
Ah Keong and Gabriel charged towards Fungye and his men.
The extreme left and right tips of our line converged like the wings of a phoenix, fanning flames towards her enemies. Ah Keong’s man ran to him, Uncle Ben was eager to get to the front as well with Herman and Johari close by his side.
The entire body went forward except me.
I froze.
I panicked for a moment.
I was scared.
This was something I had never done before.
I thought Roland and Bill would have gone as well by now but they remained by my side.
They were calm and composed.
I froze for about 2 seconds before Roland took a step forward and turned round to look at me.
Roland : You want to live forever Jake ?? haha..
I laughed.
Jake : hahah..
I tightened the grip around my metal rod and took a deep breath.
Jake : Here we go…
Bill : Here we go …
………………………..
Thank you for the kind words and comments.
I’m glad you enjoyed the read despite the amount of grammar and spelling mistakes in them.
Here’s the map of Ah Keong’s factory
Cheers
ilock
I could feel all my senses come alive as I ran towards Fungye’s men.
This had to be one of the most stupid things I have ever done in my life. I thought of saying a prayer but who do I pray to ?
No decent religion would preach violence as a means to an end.
There were hardly any time for me to think before I heard the clash of bodies. There was this sickening crunch, that heavy smack of flesh against bones as both groups connected in the middle of the factory.
Shouts, grunts, screams and cries of pain filled the air.
It’s like I was suddenly thrown into a crowded dance floor in a club, the only difference is that everyone was trying to beat the shit out of one another.
Everything was happening at the same time around me. Someone fell on my left, clutching onto his head, another fell on my right with blood coming out of his nose. Men came towards me from the left but Roland got tangled with him as I waved my rod aimlessly in the air.
Bill pulled me aside, literally throwing me onto the floor as a heavy metal rod narrowly missed my head by a few inches. It was so close I could feel the whoose of air on the hair of my ears. Bill punched that man in the face, sending him down onto the ground.
I got up and bull charged a fellow that was trying to whack Bill from the side with his baton.
Jake : Oooff.. agghghgh…
I hit him several times with my rod but in that chaos, it was impossible for me to each take aim, much less land a proper hit. I ended up hitting him on the stick he was holding about 3 or 4 times before someone knocked me off my feet.
I probably got a couple of hits on his arm though.
I landed on my elbow as I fell, cursing and swearing in pain. Barely a minute into the fight I had already scraped my elbow, that stinging pain was like a slap in the face as I struggled to get up.
I got up and before I regained my balance, someone knocked onto me, sending me tumbling down onto my butt. Another guy stepped on my fingers as I struggled to get off the ground .
Jake : Ahhh…
I ducked my head just in time as a swing came out from nowhere. That rod connected with another chaps arms, causing him to reel in pain.
I was like the ball in a pinball machine. Bodies shoved about, pushing me as I struggled to stay on my feet and balance myself. It’s a fucking mass orgy.
There were more pushing and shoving that actual swinging of punches. Everyone were packed too tightly together.
Someone hit me at the back of my head with his fist.
Jake : Arhh.. fuck…
I turned around and was about to throw a punch onto the first guy I saw when he shouted at me.
Guy : Oei oei oei…. Jake…I’m Ah Keong’s man !…
Jake : Huh… ohh… ohh…
Before we could communicate further, both of us were pushed to the floor. Some fucker stepped on my calves, I tried to get up but another guy fell onto me.
This is fuck up.
Why is it that in Hollywood movies there always seemed to have a pocket of space around the lead actor, enough for him to move about ?
I grunted and gripped onto my rod, shoving my way through the chaos. Several men fell on top of one another, giving me about a metre and a half of opening in front of me. My eyes struggled to find and recognise people I knew.
Fuck !!!
This has got to be the ultimate fuck up !..
Aside from the elders and guys I’ve seen before, I don’t recognise most of the men in the chaos. I can’t tell who’s on our side and who’s not. Yah, there’re a handful of faces I know but with everyone happening at such a fast pace, I don’t even have time to process whether that guy is on our side or not before I was whacked.
I caught a glimpse of Roland taking a hit on his kidney and I immediately ran towards him, before I could get to him, Bill grabbed me by my shirt, one moment he was pulling me towards him then the next he gave me a kick on my chest, sending me flying away from him the same time I saw Liuhai smash a wooden bench onto the ground when I was standing barely a second ago.
The sight of him ignited the anger within me as I quickly got onto my feet. I shouted and charge towards him with my metal rod, I aimed for his head and swung as hard as I could from the top down.
There was a loud crunch as he blocked my hit with the bench. It was a really hard swing, the resulting vibration from metal hitting timber was so strong that I dropped my make shift weapon from the reverberation.
Liuhai’s bench splinter first as he staggered backwards, trying to use the damaged bench as a support to stop his fall but he broke the bench into 2 before falling backwards onto his butt. I was ready to charge at him again but I don’t have the luxury of fighting him one on one.
I registered a punch to the side of my head and I fell onto another guy who was trying to get onto his feet. The guy beneath me I recognised at Fungye’s man , he tried to grab my by my hair but I landed a punch straight at his jaw, putting him back down.
I immediately felt the sting in my knuckles and fingers and I shook my hand several times to ease the pain. If you had seriously punched someone before, you would surely know it’s not just the other guy feeling the impact.
It’s your flesh and bones against his and I’m not exactly some pro fighter in a ring.
I turned and looked for Liuhai but one of Roland’s man had him in his grip, I can’t even see what was happening when a kick to the side of my ribcage sent me rolling onto the floor.
Jake : Fuck….arghhh…
This was definitely not turning out the way I expected.
Before I could get to nurse my bruised ribcage, another kick came out from nowhere on the side of my right thigh, sending me tumbling down onto the ground. Someone tripped over me, another landed his elbow on my calves.
I was registering so much pain all over that I did the only logical thing I could. I tried to get out of the fray. It’s too messy, I can’t see shit, and I can’t do shit.
What happened to those kungfu show where the heroes duelled one on one in the middle while the rest waved their flags and pretended to dance around at the perimeter. Someone fell onto me again, and another fucker stepped on the back of my right hand.
Jake : ARhghh!!!…
I tightened my body and shoved my way out of the chaos.
Another punch hit me, closer to my left eye this time round and I could feel myself almost blacking out. I staggered backwards only to be rescued by Uncle Ben. He sent the man who punched me into the abyss of bodies with a kick and he grabbed me by my collar.
Uncle Ben ; whahahahaha…. Ahahaha…. JAKE… ahaha.. you can do better than this !!!.. ahahaha…
He righted me up and gave me one of his dual wielding rods before charging into the fold, grabbing a guy that had Andy in a choke hold.
Bill appeared out of nowhere, his nose was bleeding and he had wiped with the back of his hand, a streak of red ran diagonally across his lips and down his chin.
Bill landed 2 continuous kicks , clearing 2 of Fungye’s men from his path as he came to me.
Bill : Get back… go to Lucy !…
I nodded my head and Bill grabbed a scrawny chap from the opposite camp and literally threw him 2 metres away onto a collapsed table.
I saw an opening at the side and decided to make my way towards it. I scrambled over with my rod and with my back against the bathroom wall, I decided that was a good spot to me. The crowd was a lot thinner.
Someone came at me but I bent low, swinging the rod at the side of this ribcage, causing him to bend over in pain before I delivered a knee to his chin. I kept to the side of the walls, making my way back down the line towards Lucy and her girls.
Barely 3 minutes into the start of the fight, you could see the crowd thinning. It’s a fast hit and run thing or so I thought.
Lucy and Jane were standing at the entrance into the office armed with a metal rod each.
I think I’m just pure bad luck because it didn’t looked like anyone paid them much attention until I started going towards them. I heard a couple of shouts behind me and saw Jane tensed up, bringing up her rod into the swing position.
I turned around and saw 2 of Fungye’s men that were frequently by Liuhai’s side.
They broke from the crowd and started towards me.
I was about 6 steps away from Lucy and Jane.
Lucy : Get back here Jake !… we’ll shut the door !!
I hesitated for a moment and decided to head for the 2 guys instead.
Wrong decision. I swung my rod from right to left, hitting one of them on his back when he tried to duck but the other tackled me like a professional rugby player, sending me flying back onto the ground.
As I landed on my back, my eyes caught another 2 chaps heading for Lucy and Jane.
I head butt the guy that tackled me but instead of using my forehead, somehow my nose hit his, sending pain shooting up both our faces as we groaned in pain.
He turned to his side and I could see he was bleeding. There was a weird wet feeling in my nose and I touched it gently just to be sure it wasn’t broken. Thankfully it’s still where it should be.
Lucy and Jane were overpowered within seconds as the 2 men forced their way into the office but not for long. Lucy and her army of girls descended like vultures on the 2 poor sod. It was like a cat fight gone wrong. Their nails tore flesh and clothing off the men as they screamed, Huimin gave one of them a bald patch as she ripped out a clump of his hair before a rain of stomping feet sent them back and away from them.
I staggered towards the girls and looked at the situation.
We managed to push most of Fungye’s man out of the factory, only a few scattered pockets of resistances remained. We were winning but we were not without casualties too.
Another 30 seconds passed and the fighting stopped gradually on it’s own.
The smell of sweat filled the air. Those that could walk pulled their friends off the ground.
Gabriel looked ok aside from a torn shirt and some deep red scratches that look ready to bleed anytime on the back of his neck.
Andy’s left eye was swollen and Ben was patting his back as he spit out a mouthful of saliva streaked with blood.
Bruises, cuts, lacerations, thankfully no one seemed to be seriously hurt.
Herman and Johari’s forearms were covered with blood and they had makeshift bandages from torn pieces of clothes around them.
Gabriel was asking if they were ok and they said they were just cuts.
King and Terry were stretched out on the stage, groaning in pain as 2 guys massaged their backs.
Roland’s shirt was ripped off totally, dark red marks of scratches and bruises were visible all over. He was perspiring, blood mixed with sweat and loads of dust and dirt splattered on his chest and chiselled abs.
He was checking on his men and they looked fine too. When the group of them gathered, they looked like they had just fought off the Persians together with Leonidas of Sparta.
Fungye’s men were regrouping as well. I could see them being helped and carried outside of the factory and onto the open air carpark.
Ah Keong was breathing heavily by a table as he poured himself some tea. As the tipped the pot, blood trickled down his fingers and into his teacup.
He drank it up anyway.
Just 5 minutes of carnage and I could not believe the damage it caused.
I entered the office, the soothing touch of the cold air was a stark difference to the exterior. Even being in the office felt like I was transported to another world.
There’s even music playing on the speakers on the ceiling. Old classic soundtracks by Alex Toh buzzed overhead as the tables and chairs were filled with groaning men.
Lucy and her girls were busy trying to attend to the wounded. I could hear Jane on the phone with Rizwan, asking where the hell was he.
I heard the rumble of truck engines and someone mentioned that quite a few of Fungye’s men had loaded up and left .
Cheers rang out and I heaved a sigh of relief.
It’s over.
We pay no heed to Fungye’s men outside the factory, Gabriel concentrated efforts on tending to his own men. RIzwan arrived soon after and he was not alone. He got a few of his friends who were off duty paramedics, the first thing he did was to start fucking everyone verbally starting with Gabriel.
I never knew his command of Hokkien was that good as he gave everyone a piece of his mind.
RIzwan : WHAT THE FUcK MAN!!!… are you all still kids ??!!! FUCK… what were you thinking !..?
You could tell he was seriously angry and he was trying his best to keep it in.
It took about 15 minutes for Rizwan to get the situation under control, those men that needed immediate medical attention were loaded up into several cars , they will all be sent to Rizwan’s clinic. They even borrowed the caterer’s truck for transportation.
Rizwan carted close to half the men away from the factory including King and Terry .
I hydrated myself with a bottle of water and I was about to reach for the 2nd one when something happened .
Something I never expected to.
The remaining scattered men of Fungye were quickly helped out of the factory at twice the usual speed. It’s weird, you could see them suddenly speeding up their actions. Something was off.
It didn’t feel right.
I looked at the people around me, none of them noticed it. Lucy was trying to dress Bill’s wound, Roland and a couple of his men were smoking. Ben too was pouring water on a long cut that was swollen and starting to bleed.
The rumble of a truck filled the factory the same time I saw Kate running towards me
Kate : Are you ok ?? … i sent grandma off together with one of Lucy’s girls in Rizwan’s car …
I looked at Kate but before I could answer her, the rumble of the truck got louder. The bright headlights appeared at the entrance and the truck drove right into the factory. Liuhai jumped out from the passenger seat, following behind him, at least 20 men alighted, fresh and unhurt.
They must have been one of the trucks that got lost along the way.
I could tell these men were not the usual grunts. They’re beefier, and they looked more determined. I found out much later that they were the personal guards to Fungye himself back in Taiwan.
There were no warning.
Nothing.
It happened so fast.
Andy and a few of Ah Keong’s men were the closest to them and he was just sitting around on a chair.
They charged towards them before anyone could react.
Jake : ANDY !!!!!
I shouted just in time for Andy to turn and take in the situation. My warning alerted the rest of the remaining men as well. We had almost the same number as them but we were already spent and hurt in the earlier confrontation.
Andy got up, shouted for the men to follow him, they ran towards us, retreating to the safety of our pathetic numbers.
Gabriel was fast, he reacted immediately , picking up a stool and a sharpened rod stained with blood as he shouted for Lucy to bolt the door.
Gabriel : LUCY !!…. bolt and lock the doors !!!
The injured guys were pulled, dragged and thrown into the office and Lucy wasted no time in blocking the door.
Kate and I were closer to the other end of the stage, there was not enough time for us to run in, we were locked out.
I pointed to the exit at the back and was about to ask Kate to run when I saw a handful of Fungye’s men started running towards us from the back.
They fucking flanked us.
Kate and I were cut off.
Those that remained on the outside were Ben, Ah Keong, Gabriel, Andy, Bill, Roland , Kate and me together with 4 other guys.
I grabbed the closest wooden stick I could find and I held Kate’s hand, pulling her towards the corridor. We can get out from there.
The 2 groups connected and within seconds, 2 of the guys were already down on their backs, trying to fend off the attacks.
Gabriel saw Kate and me running towards the gate, he called out to Andy and the 2 of them ran towards us, cutting into the path of the 5 men approaching from the rear.
Gabriel shouted and Andy cursed as they threw everything they got at the 5 men, creating an opening for Kate and I to get out. Kate screamed as a hit narrowly missed her while I swung the baton I had in my hand at the man’s head, sending him crashing against the wall.
Gabriel : GO !!!!.. get her out of here !!!
I grab Kate’s hand and entered gate 2 but waiting for us at the other gate was 2 more of Fungye’s man. The shouted and ran towards us and I pulled Kate behind me.
Jake : FUCK !…
I met their charge head on, lowering my body as I got closer before jumping up and towards the man on the left. I felt a slight concussions as my head connected with the bottom of his chin, blood gushed out of his mouth as I deflected a few hits with my left arm and shoulder.
My opponent landed a punch on my face and I collapsed onto the floor.
Kate screamed as that man went to grab her, trying to pull her back into the office from the gate we just entered.
Kate : FUCK off!!.. aHHHH…
She kicked and tried to scratch him but he gave her a slap so hard that she fell to her knees.
The man that hit Kate had to be at least 1.8m tall, he was slightly on the plump side with a noticeable belly
I got up on my knees and my eyes widened in horror as that man tried to rip off Kate’s dress.
He pulled and yanked so hard, Kate’s grey dress went out of shape immediately near her left shouler, he yanked and pulled, tearing the straps holding up Kate’s dress, exposing her breast.
Jake : AHHHHH..!!!1
I ran forward and swung a punch at his head right when he turned to look at me. My knuckles connected with the side of his forehead with a crack.
A sharp excruciating pain shot through my body as I lost my balance and fell to the floor. I immediately tried to get up and swing another when I realised the last 2 fingers on my fight hand looked weird.
Fuck. !
They had popped out of their sockets and I could hardly move them.
The man ignored me as Kate screamed and tried to kick him.
He was pulling off Kate’s bra, exposing her breast, there was a snap and I saw Kate’s bra cups flew across the floor.
Kate : NO!!.. no.. no!!!! STOPP!!!!
He cupped both his hands on Kate’s breast and tried to spread her legs. I could see Kate’s white underwear as her dress was bunched up towards her waist.
I grabbed the heaviest photo frame from the wall with my left hand and swung it as hard as I could, smashing that guy’s face with it.
He shouted in pain and she got off Kate for a while.
He got up on his feet and came towards me. I shouted for Kate to run as I tried to land a kick in his stomach but instead he managed to grab my head, smashing me into the wall, cracking the plaster and the drywall a little.
My head was spinning as I sank to my feet.
My vision looked blur but I could still make out Kate kicking and struggling.
The door to the reception opened a little, just a crack. I could hear Lucy shouting for help to unblock that door to get Kate.
I spit out a mouthful of blood and grabbed another photo frame, and another , and another, smashing them one after the other onto that man who by then had torn off all of Kate’s dress.
Kate : FUCK YOU!!!.. FUCK!!! NO!!!…
I grabbed onto the man’s neck with my left arm, putting him in a choke hold and yank upwards but I don’t have the strength to hold on. Kate manage to squeeze herself out from below. She grabbed what was left of her clothes and ran towards the exit but fuck, another man appeared and she screamed.
I was backed up against the wall as the man slammed his body against my, driving the air out of my lungs.
Kate ran back towards me when I saw 3 other men enter the corridor.
Before I had time to react, one of those man flew backwards and disappeared into the factory floor.
Gabriel appeared, he swung his rod left and right, shouting for me to get Kate out.
Gabriel : Get her out !!.. get her out !!!!
The men converged on Gabriel as Kate and I ran towards gate one.
I took a look outside and the compound was cleared.
I could hear Gabriel shout in pain as he got pummelled by the group of my in the corridor
Kate : Gabe … Gabe !!!! NO!!!… KOr… ( brother ) … KOR !!!! KOR!!!! ( Brother ) ….
I dragged her out, trying to stop her from entering the corridor again as Gabriel tried to shield his head from the relentless blows raining on him.
There was a shout, a grunt much like the hulk approaching the battle.
Ah Keong appeared, knocking down a few of them men like bowling pins. He stomped one of them on the face, elbowed the other on his mouth as he fought to get Gabriel out. Ah Keong bulldozed a path while taking in blows and hit on his head and face.
You could tell his eyes were swollen, his lips badly cut and his cheeks bruised, but he hung on. He pulled Gabriel out of the fray before taking on the men himself.
Gabriel’s fingers on his left hand looked like they were dislocated as well. I shouted for Kate to stay where she was outside the gate and I ran in to get Gabriel.
I dragged Gabriel back, cm by cm with my left hand as Ah Keong fended of 4 men on his own. He was getting hit bad. Ah Keong was barely landing any punches.
He’s literally a walking punching bag as they rained blows on him.
I could not fucking believe it when I saw 3 more man appear at the other end of the corridor.
The pushed and squeeze their way towards us.
Kate came in, dropping her dress that she was using to cover her modesty. She helped me pull Gabriel back but Ah Keong could no longer hold back the advancing men.
Ah Keong : JAKE !! FUCK!!!.. GET KATE out of here !!!!
Ah Keong collapsed backwards , pinning Gabriels’ legs down as Kate and I fell onto our backs from the sudden change in momentum.
Fungye’s man shouted to grab Kate, they tried to step over Ah Keong but he held onto their legs despite them kicking him on the head and face.
Ah Keong : GOOOO…NOW!!!!
Kate screamed and cried as I dragged her out of the corridor. I was about to rush back to help them but Gabriel had gotten to his feet. He threw 2 punch, pushing them men back a little to give Ah Keong some space to get up, then he turned around and kicked me so hard, sending me out of the corridor and landing on my back.
Gabriel : GET KATE OUT OF HERE !!!
Kate sobbed and cried, begging me to do something as I massaged my aching chest on the floor.
With a thunderous shout, Ah Keong got up and tackled the 1st 3 man head on, sending the group back a few steps. They hammered him but Gabriel charged in as well, shielding Ah Keong from the blows.
It was complete chaos.
Ah Keong landed punch so hard that it broke a teeth of the man that was trying to rape Kate.
There were some commotions at the end of the corridor. Bodies parted and I could see Liuhai.
Gabriel and Ah Keong took the opportunity in the break to make a run towards us but they were not fast enough.
Kate : Come on!!! .. come on !!!!
Ah Keong was faster, he was out the gate but Gabriel tripped and fell.
Instinctively, Ah Keong went back for Gabriel.
He knew it was too late for both of them to get out without leading them right to Kate and i.
Ah Keong grabbed Gabriel by the collar, dragging him with strength that rivalled a charging bull, he threw Gabriel out the gate and grabbed the handle to close it.
Gabriel must have taken a hit to the head or something, he just laid on his stomach face down, not moving a bit.
Ah Keong shut the gate as he looked at Kate.
Nothing could describe the look of horror on Kate’s face as she plunged her body towards the gate Ah Keong was trying to shut.
No words in my limited vocabulary could describe that moment.
Kate : NO.. NO.. NO!!!! FUCK NOOOOOOOO… NO DON’T DO IT…. DON’T DO IT….AH KEONG !!!!! NOOOOOOO
Tears streaked from Kate’s eyes, staining her cheeks as time slowed down. The creaked on the hinges, the slow swing of the gate closing, Kate’s cries, all of these.
All of these were nothing compared to what I saw on Ah Keong’s face.
That look in his eyes.
That slight uptick of his lips.
That smile that he gave Kate as the gate snapped with a clank.
Kate : NO.. no… DON’T YOU FUCKING DO IT !! I’LL HATE YOU!!! .. YOU HEAR ME !!! NOOOO.. I’LL HATE YOU …. KEONG….. KEONG AH!!! .. I’LL FUCKING HATE YOU FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE !!! …NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO…. SOBZZZ.. SOZBBZZ.. SOBZZ…
It was no use as Kate bawled like a baby, looking at Ah Keong.
My heart ached and I teared as I look at Ah Keong.
That look of affection on his face for Kate.
You could feel his emotions, his feelings , his soul in that smile.
In a moment like this, Ah Keong was still trying to tell Kate with his smile that everything is ok.
That everything would be alright.
Kate’s legs had trouble supporting her as she hammered on the gate with her palms as Ah Keong bolted it from the inside.
CLACK !!..
Kate : NOOOO… NOI… NO….. PLEASE…. FUCK… PLEASE… NOOOOOOOOOO… KEONG !!!! COME OUT… SOBZZ… KEONG !!!!! NO… I HATE.. YOU.. I HATE YOU !!!!
I struggled to get up on my feet in my state as Kate’s knees buckled.
Remember earlier when I said the office was playing old classic hits by Alex Toh ?
It seemed fate had this funny way of fucking with people when the classic track that all of us would know back in the 90s rang out. It was ‘把你藏起来’ loosely translated as ‘to hide you from others’
It’s a song all the boys would definitely know, a track many of us sang countless times at KTV back then.
It had been playing for a while it seemed but I only took notice of it then.
Kate : PLEASEEEE……..KEONG…. NO!!!..NO…
Ah Keong gave Kate a final smile that same moment the chorus repeated itself towards the end of the track.
Then he stood up, raising his body tall, defiant of the threats he faced.
A sharp stab of pain hit my heart when it dawned on me how much Ah Keong loved Kate when he let loose a loud roar and charged towards Fungye’s men in the narrow corridor as Kate screamed for him to get out.
Kate : NOOOO.. NOO.. KEONG !!! …Keong !!!! …
No matter how many hits Ah Keong took, he fought to stay on his feet, knocking, kicking , smashing bodies into the dry walls of the corridor.
He made sure no one got pass him to the gate.
His face was bloodied and I could hardly see his eyes through the blood.
Kate : JAKE !!!.. do something!!! Please !!! sobnzz.. sobzzz…
My body and muscles ached in places I never knew could ache as I looked around the empty carpark. There were no one around.
I started to run.
I ran as fast as I could around to the back where the caterer’s make shift kitchen were.
Entering from the entrance behind the stage , I shouted to Roland.
Jake : ROLAND !!!!
He dispatched off another guy with a knee to his face and looked at me.
I pointed to the corridor.
Jake : Ah Keong’s cornered and stuck inside !!…
The look on his face hardened and I could see him shouting to Ben and Bill.
Andy delivered another punch to a man that got tangled with him before running towards me.
Andy : Where’s Gabriel ??
Jake : He’s outside with Kate…
Andy ran past me to look for them, I was about to run after him when the door to the office opened. Huimin came running to me, pulling and dragging me in.
Jake : I’m ok… I’m ok….
Huimin ; NO you’re not !!..
The door was bolted again after I went in. Lucy came running to me with a pair of scissors.
Huimin held me down on the table as Lucy bent down to my pants. It was then I realised my right leg was soaked through. Lucy cut away the pants to revel a long cut of about 8cm. It didn’t look that bad.
Lucy : Ok.. doesn’t look that bad.
The fight was still going on outside.
Bill and Ben desperately trying to hold of the remaining attackers while Roland was trying to get to Ah Keong at the corridor.
Lucy took a look around the room.
Those that remained were hardly in any condition to fight. A couple had pulled their muscles, one had a bad sprain from a fall. Swollen eyes, bleeding nose, you name it.
She looked at the situation outside the office and Lucy rallied up her girls.
Huimin and Jane grabbed pair of compass each, the drawing tool with a sharp end while Lucy took a small letter opener about the size of the free pencils you get from Ikea.
Lucy addressed the whole room of injured men including me.
Lucy : None of you have go….….. but we’re the only help they have….
Like a switch being thrown, everyone clamored to their feet, grabbing whatever they could from the office.
The door to the office was pushed open and Lucy was the first one out.
I could see Andy and Kate carrying Gabriel into the factory from the entrance behind the stage.
Gabriel was conscious but he could hardly walk.
A guy charged towards Lucy but Jane and Huimin went up to meet him.
There were no slapping.
No kicking.
No pulling of hair.
The look on their faces was of sheer determination.
Adversity can only be overcome by your fighting spirit.
Jane grabbed onto the man’s shirt, plastering her body against him as she stabbed him several timed on his chest and arms. Huimin did the same too with her compass.
He shouted in pain as pin size globs of blood appeared on his shirt, causing him to scramble and fall in pain. It won’t kill him, but the pain would keep him away for a while.
Lucy and her girls advanced towards Bill and Ben.
Small pockets of resistance along the way were no match for our ragtag team of fighters.
2 guys ran towards Lucy after turning their attention away from Ben. I took one of them down , forgetting I had deformed fingers on my right hand for a moment and immediately regretted it.
The other guy managed to grab Lucy’s hair, yanking it back, exposing her neck but Lucy was calm and composed. She did not even squirm as she drove the letter opener into the man’s cheeks.
Blood spurted as he screamed, pushing Lucy back and running away from her.
As we advanced towards the men, more and more of them took their attention away from Ben and Bill, they chose to come after us instead. A mistake they shouldn’t have made.
Shouts rang out and a few of them came out from the corridor, Roland fought his way in and disappeared from sight.
We got closer and closer to the centre of the action.
Ben wielded 2 metal rods of different length, shouting and cursing at the approaching men.
Bill had a short baton he used as a sort of a shield while his knuckles were red and caked with dried blood.
A mass of bodies fell from the corridor as Roland emerged with Ah Keong slung over his shoulder.
Then everything happened faster, more intense.
It’s like everything was speed up.
My eyes struggled to capture everything that was happening in front of me.
My heart was beating so fast I thought I might have a heart attack.
It’s like a snap shot of things happening before me and yet I could hardly digest the information before it jumped to another snap shot.
2 of Ah Keong’s injured man took Ah Keong from Roland, the moment he was free from Ah Keong, Roland dove straight back into the fight.
I struggled to breathe as I look at Jane stab another man in the back of his shoulder several times, pulling him by his hair to his knees.
Huimin drove her compass onto another man’s cheeks as well, causing him to convulse in pain as he fell to the ground.
Lucy grabbed a stool, sending a guy face down onto the floor.
Roland delivered a hard blow to the huge guy that tore Kate’s dress with his knees, he doubled over and Roland gave him a hit to his cheeks, sending him down to the ground.
Lucy and her girls kept advancing, so did the rest of us.
Fungye’s men were dropping like flies.
Liuhai appeared with 2 more guys.
Roland elbowed one of them on his face, kicking him down the pile of groaning bodies beneath him.
Bill punched the other on the side of his head, sending him down as well.
Liuhai shouted as he charged towards Uncle Ben.
He had a sharpened stake in his hand the size of a short 15cm ruler.
Liuhai : AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH….
Ben turned as Liuhai raised up his hand to deliver the strike at Ben.
Ben calmly received with his opened left palm, allowing it to drive partially through his flesh before whacking the side of Liuhai’s ribs with his metal rod. Pain did not even register on Ben’s face.
More men appeared, spawning out of nowhere towards Ben, Bill and Roland.
Bill shouted and kicked a guy on the side of his ribcage, causing him to tumble, pulling down another guy at the same time.
Uncle Ben fended off a hit on his head with his rod, whacking the other into the man’s legs before kicking him away.
He turned and threw a rod towards Roland, missing him by mere inches as it hit another man who was trying to hit Roland with a chair.
Roland swung under Bill’s arms, his head butting into the belly of a guy trying to grab onto Uncle Ben.
Bill orientated his body, shielding Ben from a fatal blow to the head from a club by blocking it with his back.
Roland came back up, driving his knuckles into the soft tissues of the guy’s nose.
Uncle Ben’s rod swung, deflecting another club that flew towards Roland.
Bill’s legs buckled from a hit to his knees, Roland kick that man in his face, blocking a blow to Bill’s head with his arm. Uncle Ben grunted as he swung his remaining metal rod, striking a guy on the side of his head before he could grab hold of Roland.
The trio of them fought and grunted as their bodies backed against each other above a pile of fallen men.
Bill kicked one last time.
Roland head butted the last guy in front of him.
Uncle Ben delivered his final blow to a poor chap as the rest of us led by Lucy approached and gathered in front of the 3 standing fighters of the family.
Like a strike of lighting streaking across the cloudless skies, Ben shouted with no prior warning, sending every single hair on my body to stand upright as a wave of emotions shot through my body.
Uncle Ben : BEI ZHUAR BA ONGgggg !!! ( 白蛇霸王!! ) ( Triumph to the white snakes ! )
Everyone single man and women left in the factory shouted at the same time, causing the very glass panels on the office to shake and vibrate with their thunderous voice.
Everyone in unison: HUAT AH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Their unified voices echoed into the distance and faded away ,plunging the factory with a blanket of silence.
Like a petrifying spell, that last shout cast it’s effects on Fungye’s men, sending them scurrying out of the factory.
Ben, Bill and Roland stood, breathing heavily as blood and sweat rolled down their bodies.
I slowly sank to my feet against the wall as I groaned painfully.
I looked at the men and women who were left standing.
I finally heard the name of their organisation. I wanted to laugh at how silly I was a few months ago when I was still eagerly asking for their gang cheer and shit.
It was unlike any of those techno infused gang cheer I heard before. Not those concocted by kids with a few tattoos, eager to chant their composed cheers to the whole world.
That was not some gang cheer.
It was a rallying cry for the family.
A family that fights together despite their differences.
Kate ran to Ah Keong, sobbing as she tried to wake him up.
Lucy was trying to hold back her tears as she scolded Bill before hugging onto him.
It took close to an hour before Rizwan came back to attend to the rest of us with his friends.
I don’t remember what happened after that.
I remembered Jane giving me another bottle of water.
My eyes felt tired and weary.
Then I closed my eyes for a while and i blacked out.
…………………………………
I drifted in and out of sleep after everything ended that day.
I’m ok, I knew I was ok. I’m just tired.
Really tired.
Coupled with aches all over my body and the fingers I fucked up, I was literally stoned as I stared at everything happening around me.
I saw Huimin running towards Kate with a long cardigan, she probably took it from Lucy’s car or something.
Andy was helping Gabriel onto a chair. Gabriel looked ok, just a little disorientated.
Andy was limping on his left foot, his shirt was ripped and I saw him checking out a cut under his left armpit.
Ah Keong was the first one Rizwan attended to the moment he could get a grasp of the situation. It was pretty chaotic, there was a crowd surrounding Ah Keong as they tried to wake him.
I could hear someone shouting to make some space while Kate desperately pleaded for Rizwan to save Ah Keong.
Roland and Ben were the closest to me, they sat on the floor barely 3 metres away. Both of them looked on in horror as they pulled out stick after stick of crushed cigarettes. Some of them looked wet, damp in fact. Their perspiration had soaked through the packs and most of the sticks were ruined.
They had multiple bruises, cuts but other than that, they looked ok.
Ben heaved a sigh of relief as Roland managed to salvage 2 decent ones out. A smile lit up their faces as they quickly searched for a light. A small flame danced on Roland’s lighter for a few seconds and soon they were both inhaling a deep puff of smoke.
A cloud of smoke formed above their heads as they exhaled and turned towards me.
Jake : Those will kill you…
Roland : Yeah…. I know…
Jake : You know every cigarette takes away 5 minutes of your life ??
Roland raised an eyebrow, gave me a questioning look and smirked at me.
Roland : Yeah…. That’s because I spent 5 minute smoking them…. Haha…
Ben laughed too and gave me a middle finger while expertly holding onto the cigarette at the same time.
There were a couple of shouts and cheers and I could hear Rizwan giving instructions to load Ah Keong up into the car. They will be sending him straight to a private hospital. Rizwan looked damm pissed as he made phone calls after phone calls.
He was literally begging on the phone, only after a few phone calls did I hear him heave a sigh of relief, muttering thank you non stop.
It was a public holiday, it’s not easy to get help that day. Not to mention help that would keep their mouth shut after everything is over.
I must have closed my eyes for a while again after that because I don’t remember Rizwan approaching me.
I only remembered opening my eyes and hearing him say I needed an x-ray on my fingers.
Jake : Can you just pop it back ??
Rizwan : You think I superman ah…. Got xray eyes ??
He gave me the once over, asked a few questions and said that I’m fine, just needed to fix the fingers and I needed a few stiches on my arm.
A friend of his dressed my wound and I drifted off again.
The next thing I knew, Huimin was nudging me with her foot, asking me to load up into her car.
I had to drag myself to the carpark and I must have passed out again once I got in.
I could only remember stopping at a traffic junction and Huimin asked if I was ok.
The adrenaline was gone and I would feel myself sinking into this dull state of mind.
Huimin : Oei…. You ok or not…
Jake : Yah… I think so.. how about you ??
She shook her head in a gave manner before showing me she broke one of her manicured nails.
I rolled my eyes and she laughed.
I don’t even remember how long the ride was but I remember Huimin parking in basement carpark of Gleneagles hospital. She made a phone call and we went up to one of the private clinics.
I attracted a couple of stares in the state I was in but other than that, no one asked any questions. Huimin double checked a message on her phone and knocked on a glass door before pressing the door bell.
The lights were off in the clinic, it didn’t look like there was anyone in. In fact, the entire floor looked deserted.
A shadow of a man appeared and he released the magnetic catch of the door, gesturing us to enter.
He looked like a caretaker of the clinic. Dressed in a crumple t-shirt and berms, he looked as if he had just woken up from a nap. His black hair were streaked with grey as he shuffled deeper into the clinic as he munched on his curry puff snack.
He opened another door and revealed another world altogether.
Spread out on the floor and corridor were familiar faces I saw back at the warehouse. Most of them were playing with their phones, watching a movie, surfing facebook. Bandages here, a couple of small cast there, thankfully no one looked seriously injured.
Huimin saw one of her girlfriend and she went over to her as I followed the man into another room.
Man : You’re Jake right…
Jake : Yah…
The man spent some time checking out my fingers and asked me some questions. He tried to move them around a little and I squirmed in pain.
He grabbed a heavy lead apron and put it on for me.
Jake : Are you a doctor ?
Man : No… I work the pantry…..
Jake : Huh ?
Man : as far as anyone is concerned, I’m back at home, enjoying the holiday with my family the entire day…. Do we understand each other ?
I nodded.
Man : put your hand here… yah… like that…
He left the room, the xray light came on and it was done.
I went into his office and realised that that man was not just any doctor, he was a specialist.
Man : Ok… doesn’t look too bad… we can just massage it a little and push it back…
Jake : Ok…
Without wasting anytime, he took my hand, felt around the fingers a little and he fucking popped the 1st one back in. My shout was so loud, that the door to his office opened and I could see people peeping in as tears rolled down my eyes.
Jake : AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH….A !!!!!
I have never felt pain like that in my life.
That level of intensity.
That searing hot pain was the worst I ever experienced.
Tears rolled down my cheeks freely as I gritted my teeth, all my toes were curled up and my muscles tensed up tightly as if I had an electric current pass through my body.
Man : Not that bad la…. One more to go…
Jake : WAIT… WAIT !!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
I sobbed like a baby as I trashed my body backwards into the chair as I felt my finger pop back into the socket as another round of searing pain surged through my body. It was so painful that mucus came out of my nose and I fucking washed my entire face with tears.
My teeth were chattering by the time I managed to compose myself.
A bandaged was applied and he gave me a brace for the fingers before removing the dressing on my arm that needed stitches.
He cleaned my wound, prod a little before saying that he can close it with 3 stitches.
Jake : Ok… just get it over and done with.
I watch him prepare the tools, cleaned my wound again and brought up the needle with the needle driver.
Jake : Wait wait wait !!! … don’t you need to give me anesthesia or something ??!!!
Man : Ohh…. Finish already … not enough… your friends all used a lot …
Jake : WHAT !!…
Man : 3 stitches only… come on la… it’s like ant bite…
Jake : Wait.. wait… AAAAAAH!HHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
I literally choked on my saliva as I felt the needle punch through my raw and swollen skin. I could fucking feel the thread as I dragged itself through my skin. Tears flowed down my eyes as if a tap had been turned on, my knees connected squeezing my balls together while my teeth clenched down so hard I through I would crush them.
It was the longest few minutes of my life and by the time he was done, I was drenched in sweat. I might have peed my pants too as I rest my forehead flat down on the table.
Man : Ok.. ok.. done already…. Not that bad la…
I had no more strength to reply him.
I heard uncle Ben’s voice behind me suddenly and I turned around.
Ben : Why ? so painful meh…… you shout until like that…. People think you giving birth ah… !
I was made to give way to Ben as he too needed stiches.
Fuck. You want to talk like a hero right.
I’ll see how you scream when the pain hits you.
Ben needed multiple stitches on a few spots. He offered his left arm to the man and helped himself to the mints on his deck.
My jaws dropped as I saw the man filled a needle with some liquid and started jabbing them into the wound where the stitches needed to be done.
Ben hardly flinched except a couple of spots where the sting made him frown and breathe deeply.
Jake : Why didn’t I get this !!!
The man waited for the anesthetic to take effect before removing his gloves and asking me to wait a minute.
He took out his phone from the drawer and scrolled to his messages.
Man : Ok.. I read word for word ah…. From Rizwan…. Errrr….. Tell Jake….if want to be a hero…. Don’t be afraid of pain….. let him feel the full impact…no anaesthetic for him..
Jake : You got to be shitting me…
Uncle Ben was just laughing as he shook his leg.
Ben : Rizwan was asking around who instigated the fight….hahaha… everyone said it was you… hhaahha…
My jaws dropped as I turned and let myself out of the office and settled onto a couch.
I waited about close to an hour before another lady came. She called out our names and when it came to me, I got some antibiotics and painkillers.
I washed up as much as I could in the bathroom before grabbing a cab back home.
By the time I was showered and ready for bed, it was already midnight.
As I laid in bed, I could not believe what happened that day.
It took a while for reality to sink in .
What the fuck have I done.
I drifted off to sleep only to be woken up by my parents in the wee hours of the morning.
They were horrified to see the state I was in with the bruises. They asked me what happened and I told them a condensed version. My mum was on the verge of tears as she scolded me for doing something so stupid.
My dad just shook his head at me.
I could see the disappointment in their eyes that morning.
How did their son go from having an iron rice bowl, a cushy job in the civil service to that state in a matter of less than a year ?
They had to be asking themselves that question at least a hundred times a day.
10th August 2015
Monday
1.30pm
I had slept through breakfast and was only woken up by my parents when they bought lunch back for me.
As I sipped the soup , both of them sat down opposite me. I could tell what was about to happen. They hadn’t done this to me in years, the last time was when i’m still in secondary school and got into a scuffle with a classmate.
Mum : Jake… you’re old enough to know what’s right or wrong…. We can’t tell you how t0 lead your life…. But spare a thought for us…. We’re getting old… all we want is to see you grow up… get married… have kids…. That’s all we ever wanted….
Dad : Please don’t do something stupid like this again…. You could have died…
I could tell how heartbroken they were and as much as I would like to say something to defend myself, I couldn’t.
There really was nothing for me to say.
We left it at that and I spent the next few days really thinking things through.
It’s pretty fucked up once you frame it up and put things in perspective. If I were a parent and seeing my child go from having a nice decent job to being a hawker, only to get caught up in such a situation, my heart would be broken too.
Seriously, what the fuck man ?
Parents worry about their kids mixing with the wrong company in their teens while I made my parents go through this shit when I’m 30.
I probably would get a stroke if my kid comes to me when he’s 30 and says he wants to join a gang.
I dropped messages and some calls to Kate and the elders. I wanted to know if everyone was ok, and what was the current situation.
Gabriel told me that he had informed all parties and organisations that they were in contact with about the challenge to Fungye’s right to lead. Since we had the entire group in agreement , it was passed through.
There’s a vacuum for the spot at the head of the family.
Kate told me technically, I was supposed to take the reins but I wasn’t a member of their organisation to begin with. This was something they needed to clarify with uncle Po. This has never happened before.
Lucy and her girls are fine except for some broken nails and scratches.
Roland and his boys were up and about after a couple of days of rest
.
King and Terry needed several visits to a traditional Chinese sinseh, but other than that, they’re alive and kicking.
Andy was already back at work after the long weekend, while Ah Keong remained hospitalised.
Ah Keong’s injury was considered to be the worst among us. He had a couple of toes that were crushed, his shoe came off during the fight in the corridor. Ah Keong needed close to 30 stiches, and his left forearm was in a cast.
He lost 2 teeth, dislocated his left thumb, and his entire face were covered in bruises.
Kate told me that Ah Keong was recovering in a private suite in the hospital, He should be up and about in a week or so. Kate was at his side almost every day.
I asked if she was ok, she said she just felt guilty that Ah Keong got into that state because he was trying to protect her. I offered to drop by and keep her company but she declined.
The only word I got about Fungye and his men was from Roland.
He told me that his sources told him they got treated in 3 different clinics, those clinics were known to be friendly to a rival gang in Singapore. It seemed he had prior dealings with them before. If not , they would not readily offered his help.
No one knew what his deal was with them. I tried asking Gabriel about the rival gangs but he was pretty tight lipped about the matter.
Gabriel : We have moved on …. From inter gang rivalry…. Those were in the past….. in this current climate…. It’s all about doing business… to progress…
14th August 2015
Friday
I was at home the entire week. I wasn’t in any condition to cook any noodles or wrap any wantons.
I browsed a few job ads and considered sending my resume out. Perhaps it really is time to wake up from this fantasy and get a proper job. There is no light at the end of the tunnel down this path.
I can’t exactly print Director of White snake gang Pte Ltd on my name card.
Perhaps CEO had a better ring to it.
Chief entertainment officer.
Where my sole role is to entertain.
That Friday was an important day.
A meeting was scheduled together with Uncle Po that evening.
It was an important meeting for all the elders. I was asked to turn up too since they needed to decide what’s going to happen next for the organisation.
The meeting was scheduled for 5pm at the same house where we first had the vote.
This time round, it was a more hush hush affair.
Only the elders were present, and even Ah Keong came in a wheel chair ferried by a private ambulance.
While waiting for Uncle Po, Gabriel pulled me aside into the yard.
Gabriel : I need to talk to you for a minute Jake….
Jake ; Sure…
Gabriel lit up a cigarette and offered me one but I declined.
He looked at me and said that he’ll go straight to the point.
Gabriel : Jake… I’m not going to beat around the bush…. So this is as straightforward as I can get….
He took a puff, exhaled and told me to join them.
As in join the gang.
Gabriel : join us… I meant it…. Really…. Join us…. Be part of the family…or perhaps it might sound better if you see this as a employment opportunity….. join the company…
It was something I found very hard to give a direct reply to. You can phrase it differently but the fact is I’m entering what amounts to a triad. A shadow organisation.
Sensing my hesitation, Gabriel tried to put things in perspective for me.
Gabriel : We…. Are not exactly some…. Hobby club…. Or….. or… what’s that word…. I don’t know…. Gentlemen’s club or…. Grassroots or whatever…. I understand your apprehension….. I really do…. But…
He took a deep breath and went on.
Gabriel : We are trying …. To change…. Slowly… but surely…. We are changing…. And eventually that day will come…. That day will definitely come…. When we put this family on firm footing….and we will all never go back to the old ways…
Jake : I don’t know Gabriel… this is all…. It’s overwhelming…. i… I don’t know…
Gabriel : look at how far we have come….. we’re done with illegal gambling….we don’t do drugs….. we don’t even touch duty unpaid stuff…..we’re practically a normal company….
Jake : I…erm….
Gabriel : This is not like what you see in the movies…. We won’t slash our fingers, drip our blood into a bowl and make you drink it….. we take personal hygiene pretty seriously… haha
Jake : hahaha..
Gabriel : You see… it’s actually very simple…. Just compare us… to…. Any organisation…. Companies…. Countries… anyone…
Jake : har ?
Gabriel : Anyone…. Anyone can say how good or how bad we are….. anyone…. But…..but…..Talk is cheap…. Now… the question is …. How can you change it for the better.. ?
Jake : i….
Gabriel : You see something, that you feel is not right….. you can spend your time talking shit about it… how bad it is…….. how shitty things are being done….you can take photos, videos… post it online…. Add some shitty captions….. gangs are bad…. Gabriel is a pai kia ( gangster ) ….. then what ? What changed ? what has changed ?
He waved his hands in the air and added.
Gabriel : Nothing… why ?? …. Because talk is cheap….. … end of the day… nothing changes…
Jake : What are you trying to say ?
Gabriel pointed to me.
Gabriel : You are now in a position to affect the future of this organisation…. I want change… Andy wants change… we all need to move forward….
Gabriel took a deep breath and said something that I could not help but agree with.
Gabriel : We cannot remove the stain of who we once were…….but we can write a new history with who we will become….
Gabriel snubbed out his cigarette and blew the last of his smoke away from me.
Gabriel : join us…. We can do this together… maybe in 5 years….10 years… we can move beyond all these….. I believe we can change for the better….
Gabriel spread his arms and gestured around the estate.
Gabriel : Look around… look at how fast this country is moving…. You think we can keep up if we don’t change who we are ??
Uncle Ben walked out from the back of house with a cigarette in his mouth as well.
Ben : How… you brainwash him already ??? hahaha…
Gabriel : I’m not brainwashing anyone…. Jake is free to make his own choice…
Ben : Jake…..do you know why we’re still here…. When many of our rival gangs are in shambles??
I shrugged my shoulders.
Jake : I don’t know ….. you stop doing illegal stuff ?
Ben : we didn’t….not 100%…. but we’re moving towards that goal…. Breaking the law…. For a quick buck…. Is getting harder…. It’s not worth it… there’s money to be made everywhere…. People sell popiah skin can also become billionaire…
Jake : hahaha…
Ben : Don’t laugh…. I’m serious…
Jake : Sorry ..
Ben : If I know sell popiah skin can become billionaire… I won’t join gang liao… I’ll sell popiah skins…
Roland popped out from nowhere and cut into Ben’s statement.
Roland : Popish skin ? …. Sell your foreskin la… fuck..
Ben : KNN….diam la ( shut up ) hahah…
Roland : Jake…. Don’t listen to them…. Go lead your own life….
Gabriel : I thought you were in with us on this Roland ??
Roland : hahah.. I am… but I know Jake has already made up his mind…
Jake : I have ?
Roland lit up a cigarette too giving me a smug and confident look.
Roland : If he wanted to walk away…. He wouldn’t have turned up….. he can’t walk away… it’s just who he is… hahaha…
I wanted to rebuke that but I can’t.
Roland hit the nail on the head.
Andy came out too and he looked at me.
Andy : Jake….we’re not asking you to sell illegal DVDS on a makeshift table in a bus interchange…… we’re also not people who get into fights ….
He paused a little and everyone turned to him.
Andy : not….all the time…. Yah… not all the time…. Hahaha
Everyone laughed as he continued.
Andy : we’re hoping you would join us and help to transform this organisation…
Terry and King came out together and joined the group of elders surrounding me.
Terry : If he got no balls forget it la… KNN…. Nowadays…. Their generation all cannot make it one….
King : You diam la…. You yourself also half past 6 , half a bucket of shit…. Haha..
Everyone laughed and Lucy appeared.
She looked lovely that evening as she walked up and put her arms around my shoulder. I really wonder how can Lucy smell so good and alluring all the time.
Lucy : Jake….. You have something very unique…. A gift…. A gift none of the elders had…. You’re like a glue… you bond everyone together despite their difference…. There is no corporate ladder for you to climb here… and there is no need to…..
Lucy walked away from me, turn around to join the rest of the elders looking at me that Friday evening at the yard.
Lucy : Why climb……. When you start at the top ??
I looked at each of their faces as they waited for me to give them a reply.
Before I could digest what they had said to me, I heard Uncle Po call out from the house. All the elders were to gather for a meeting while I remain outside for a while longer.
I could see Kate behind the wheelchair Ah Keong was sitting on a distance away. They too were looking in my direction. There isn’t a proper path for the wheelchair and it’s near impossible for it to go on the grass patch.
Gabriel : The choice is still yours….. don’t be afraid to make it…
He gave me 2 taps on my back before he entered the house.
Kate pushed Ah Keong in before joining me at the yard.
Kate : So…. You in ?
Jake : I don’t know…
Kate : Roland’s confident you will be… he’s usually right about things like this ….
Kate and I sat down on the grass patch and we looked up into the skies, staring at the stars.
Jake : Are you staying so close to Ah Keong lately because of guilt ?
Kate : I don’t know… it might be…
Jake : But…
Kate : Jake stop…. I don’t want to talk about it right now…
I nodded and kept quiet. For a good 45 minutes, we sat outside without a word, looking up into the clear skies.
When Uncle Po came out to call us in, it was close to 9.30pm