The table for the meal had been set out in the back room of the restaurant before the bank staff had arrived. Several long tables had been joined together, each one adorned with a cheap off-white table cloth. On each of the tables were various small dishes. Their contents of pork ribs, fried vegetables, cabbage, and diced chicken with ginger were covered in cling-film to keep the flies off until the guests were ready to eat. Once seated, and whilst the formalities were being completed, rice and soup would be brought out and served to the people in the order that the waitresses perceived rank or importance.
Shortly after twelve o’clock, the two gentlemen from head office arrived in their car at the front of the restaurant. Mr Tann had been respectfully hovering in a shady area by the entrance so he would be able to step out and greet them formally. He shook the hand of the elder gentleman first, assuming him to be the superior member of the party, and then outstretched an equally awkward and limp hand for Mr Hua Lin to shake.
Mr Tann carefully ushered his honoured guests towards the back room of the Sou-Rehn restaurant and ensured they were seated in the middle of the top table. He then sat himself and his wife alongside them so everyone could see that he was not too far below on the scale of importance. Other local businessmen and honoured guests were ushered in alongside, and then the regular bank staff took up the remaining seats at the periphery. Mr Tann didn’t look like a man who was comfortable with his role of acting figurehead and socialite. In his more regular working role he mainly sat in his office overseeing the bookkeeping and ledgers. It wasn’t a very busy bank so there was not much to oversee and not too many mistakes were ever found. Both Mr Tann and the clerks that he supervised knew that it was the clerks who did the actual work. The expansion of Mr Tann’s terms of reference to flamboyant host in the absence of Old Papa Han was not the most welcome of additions. However, as the chain of command had diminished above him, Mr Tann was willing to accept that to fill the position of bank manager meant that his increasing status brought with it a little more responsibility. His wife had a similarly conflicting expression. On the one hand, her sour countenance indicated that she didn’t particularly want to be part of this level of social responsibility. There was also an air of superiority of one who had waited a long time for her status to finally be raised to the extent that she felt socially entitled. This elevated demeanour was not lost on the provincial bank’s non-managerial staff, who were mainly bunched together at the other end of the tables following a ‘safety in numbers’ approach to social survival.
Kheng wasn’t completely in the loop as to why the bank was having a lunchtime gathering. Just that one was happening, and that he was expected to go. He had assumed it must be as a mark of respect to the passing of their long-serving provincial manager, Papa Han. He mingled with the other bank staff and took his place next to the cleaner at the far end of the tables. It was a good place to observe the event without having to contribute too much. He noted with a degree of satisfaction that a senior manager from Khoyleng and his equally dapper and suited colleague had travelled to Maklai to join the auspicious event and show their support. It was only right that after all of Papa Han’s dedication to the bank and to the town in general that head office should make the effort to show their respect.
Once the soup and rice had been delivered to the table, the official in the red striped tie stood up with a purposeful air. He did up the middle of his three suit buttons to bring attention to the fact he was wearing an expensive suit, which greatly emphasised his importance, and gave the audience a chance to drink in the magnitude of his presence. He then proceeded to deliver a lengthy speech. From one perspective, the lengthy period of rambling that he managed to deliver was quite admirable considering that he had never known Papa Han or, before yesterday evening, had even been to Maklai province before. However, on the other hand it did mean that the soup went cold. On balance he didn’t particularly ingratiate himself to the Maklai bank staff who were on their first ever works outing and politely abstaining from their meal while they waited for him to finish. After his verbose deliberations the boss from Khoyleng finally introduced his suited colleague in the blue tie.
“Before we eat, I would like to acquaint you with my colleague Mr Hua Lin. He will be replacing Mr Han as your new Provincial Branch Manager.”
He turned to Hua Lin and gestured that he should also stand.
“Perhaps you would like to say some words before we start.”
Mr Tann coughed a little as if he was choking to a degree, which would be rather unlikely as they had not been able to eat anything yet. The cling-film on the side plates was still clinging, and the soup was firmly congealing in the ever-cooling bowls, waiting for the end of the formalities. His wife somehow managed to wring her facial expression into one that was ever so slightly more sour than before. Kheng observed this achievement with a sense of awe for the seemingly impossible and a feeling of deep sympathy for Mr Tann. The new appointment of a Provincial Branch Manager was breaking news to everyone from the Maklai branch. The previous lack of news was not wholly unexpected, as reports within the bank only tended to gravitate upwards towards the management in Khoyleng, and rarely downwards. Even then, most reports got stuck, or lost on the desk of an intermediate level of management during the journey. Many a managerial meeting had been opened and closed with comments about never receiving any reports. It was therefore not at all surprising that reports never worked their way back down the chain to the Maklai staff. However, this lack of communication usually meant that people made assumptions from which they extracted their own news. In this case, everyone had assumed Mr Tann was the natural successor to the manager position. They had also assumed that the lunch was orchestrated, at least in part, to enable the bosses from Khoyleng to share this predictable outcome with the staff and distinguished clients.
Mr Hua Lin dutifully stood as commanded. He also buttoned his jacket, to create a pause in which the gravitas could build, as if it were all part of the Khoyleng management training. In truth, he’d hoped to avoid a pre-lunch speech. The bank staff and honoured business guests were already looking with glum expressions at their deteriorating soup. As last speaker, he would be the one they remembered as they finally got the chance to drain some of the insipidly cold broth. He was also the one left with very little to say, as his boss had already covered most of what was possible in the event of knowing nothing about where you were or who you were talking to. Hua Lin cleared his throat and began:
“I would just like to say that I am delighted to meet all of you, and look forward to working with you all. It’s always a bit daunting when a new boss arrives but I’m sure there will be very few changes to start with. The Khoyleng Bank has always had very clear rules and regulations so we will continue to follow them and provide our excellent service to the people of Maklai.”
With that Mr Hua Lin unbuttoned his suit jacket and returned to his chair, hoping that in light of his brevity the staff would barely notice the speech’s impact on the temperature of the soup.
And thus, the staff of the Maklai provincial branch learned that the man who had been standing before them, Mr Hua Lin, was to become the new provincial branch manager. Polite smiles and nods of appreciation emanated from the gathering. Some started to peel cling-film from much needed sustenance whilst others politely ladled lukewarm soup into the small bowls of neighbouring diners. However, the renewed activity failed to cover up a number of hushed mutterings and raised eyebrows of surprise. It had always been assumed by the staff that Mr Tann, the head clerk, would automatically fill Papa Han’s slightly dusty and worn out shoes. No one had realised that a recruitment process had taken place that had failed to include Mr Tann as a candidate, or indeed made itself known to the provincial bank. There was an unspoken understanding or shared telepathy in Maklai that had long since established Mr Tann’s place in the bank’s lineage. Such long-standing devotion to the institution meant that his right to the manager’s job was an inevitability. Therefore
, no one had thought to consult Khoyleng head office about this, assuming they were in on the unspoken assumption as well.
Mr Tann was not pleased, and he eyed Mr Hua Lin suspiciously. To Mr Tann, this Hua Lin looked like the sort of ‘new ideas’ person who would turn up and start changing things, bringing in new initiatives where the old ones had served them just fine. He’d already changed Mr Tann’s expectations about a future, where he’d been anticipating the opportunity to skulk in Papa Han’s old office and generally avoid having to meet many customers until he could eventually retire.
Kheng eyed Mr Hua Lin with complete indifference. The only impact this new manager would ever have on his life was in that exact moment, on account of the soup’s deterioration from piping hot to not warm enough. However, it was still free soup – so Kheng was ahead either way.
8. Ms Win-Kham
After the meal the workforce started to filter out to the front of the restaurant and shuffled around for a while trying to be sociable but without falling into the trench for the storm-water pipes that had cut them off from the road. Overall they were hoping someone amongst the lucky few from the bank who had their own cars would organise them and take them back to work. It was during this period of non-committal milling that Ms Win-Kham took the opportunity to introduce herself to Mr Hua Lin. She began her approach with a very reverential but subtle bow, and then proceeded to give the suited gentlemen highlights of her résumé.
“It is so wonderful that someone of your skills and experience has come to help us in the province, Mr Hua Lin. I am Ms Win-Kham. I’ve been working at the bank five years now. Before that I worked in accounting at the telephone company. I was there for only three years and then I got my chance at the bank. It’s a wonderful place to work, and such friendly people. I’m sure you’re going settle in very quickly. We will benefit so much from someone like you who has been working at the head office in the capital and has such great experience and knowledge to share with us. I know we will learn a lot.”
Hua Lin smiled back politely, and with slight embarrassment. He wasn’t used to getting such a barrage of compliments, but he enjoyed the shameless ingratiation from the woman all the same. Most of the other staff seemed to be deliberately avoiding making any eye contact with him for fear they would be expected to interact with the new manager. This one seemed to be a bit more on the ball than some of the others. He estimated she was late twenties to early thirties, attractive but appropriately and conservatively dressed for an employee at a bank. Her traditional skirt was clearly an expensive one, normally the type reserved for attending a wedding or similar grand event, showing that she’d made every effort to impress. Other staff, he’d noted, had come straight from the bank, in what would be their usual working attire.
Hua Lin decided to reply with a few non-committals of his own:
“I’m sure I am going to feel very happy here. Everyone today has been extremely kind and welcoming. I really hope I can bring things forward, and more in line with the bank’s current thinking.”
Ms Win-Kham smiled coyly at him and started playing with her hair, which draped over her shoulder.
“I do so look forward to working with you. You’re just what this bank needs.”
Hua Lin made a slightly nervous cough. He straightened his blue tie a little and re-buttoned his jacket. He felt uneasy around overly confident women, particularly if they were attractive women, with reasonable jobs and a similar level of intellect. There was something disconcerting about them. You couldn’t quite talk to them like they were other men, but you couldn’t treat them like they were just beer girls either. From Hua Lin’s perspective, these types of women moved within a tricky and poorly understood stratum of the social ladder. There was a middle ground somewhere between the extremes that was difficult to deal with. Hua Lin had never quite worked out where this middle ground was, and as a result was very mistrustful of the whole thing. Ms Win-Kham took the awkward pause after his reply as an opportunity to engage him further.
“It’s so nice to hear that you will be making sure all the rules and regulations of the bank are followed. It’ll be just like they do at the head bank in the capital. I’m sure our customers will be very impressed. I look forward to your guidance and support. The Khoyleng Bank has such very good systems and dedication to the rules is so important in a bank. If there is any help you need from me as you are settling in, please, you only have to ask. I really want to learn more from you so that we can make the provincial branch more efficient.”
“Well that’s very kind, Ms Win-Kham. Please, you must excuse me now. I should talk to Mr Sabkee from head office before he starts to travel back to Khoyleng.”
Having made a plausible excuse, followed by a gesture to indicate that he needed to remove himself before an embarrassing silence injected itself to the brewing lull in conversation, Mr Hua Lin strode purposefully towards the group of men that were still lingering just outside the building and smoking cigarettes. As he approached the group his supervisor called him over and offered him a smoke. He immediately felt much more at ease. Silences were rarely embarrassing when you were in a group of men. It was well understood that if no one had anything to say then simply not saying something and then shuffling your feet a bit was an equally effective and comfortable way to communicate with each other.
Ms Win-Kham teetered across an array of wobbly planks that connected the restaurant to the road, and then wandered over to where Mr Tann had parked his aging mini-van under the shade of a large tree. Being first in the transport queue would mean that when the others were ready to leave she could grab the front seat and not have to squash into the tiny half-seats at the back of the vehicle and crease up her best skirt. As she waited, her gaze returned to the restaurant. Mr Hua Lin was politely seeing off his boss from the roadside. The man with the red tie had entered the back seat of his large black town car and was giving Hua Lin some last minute advice before ordering his driver to start the journey back to the capital. She was impressed by what she had seen of her new boss. Mr Hua Lin was clearly a man who valued how he presented himself. He also understood when brevity of speech was a priority. He was polite and well spoken. He was clearly nervous around women, at least around some women. He was nervous around her anyway, and that might be just what was needed. She decided that Hua Lin was a man who meant business and dealt with things efficiently. This was all relative of course. In a sleepy town like Maklai lethargy was a quality to be aspired to, so as not to disturb the quiet rhythm of non-confrontational monotony. He was also young and was using his over-confidence to cover his lack of experience. In the right hands he could be malleable and influenced. In this regard, he was probably not someone who was going to stay still for too long. He wouldn’t want to be treading water in the murky pond of Maklai whilst other ambitious people paddled their way up-stream to splash about in the crystal clear waterfalls of their careers in Khoyleng. Most importantly he was potentially someone that would favour marrying a woman who knew how to support his career. He would choose such a woman to further his success rather than marry for love, even if that meant spending every day living in constant fear of his wife.
Win-Kham watched as Hua Lin closed the car door of his supervisor and stood back as the car pulled away and began its journey out of town and onwards to the big city. Hua Lin continued to watch from the roadside as the car reached the end of the street and turned left on the road toward Khoyleng. There was something about him reminiscent of a small child being abandoned outside the school gates on the first day of term.
There was a certain amount of vulnerability hiding behind that blue tie. Ms Win-Kham smiled. The door clicked behind her and she realised that Mr Tann had finally made it over to open his car, ushering her away from the front passenger seat so that his fuming wife might be slightly appeased by not having to sit in the back. Ms Win-Kham didn’t mind having to climb into the seat behind and squash in with the others. After all, the opportunity she had been hoping for had fina
lly come along. Her days of having to sit in the back with the other, lower and unimportant, people were numbered.
9. Vision Interpretation
Kheng had walked home after the lunch with his colleagues from the bank. It wasn’t too far, about half an hour if he took a leisurely pace. He hadn’t wanted to ask the others for a lift as they were mostly going straight back to the bank for the afternoon’s work. On reaching his home he allowed himself to doze for an hour or so on the bamboo framed bed-like bench under the shade of his stilted house. A small siesta would allow the remaining effects of too much cold fish soup to wear off. It was during this dozing that Kheng decided he should broach the subject of the troubling dream to his wife, Nelea. He knew by doing this he was being his own worst enemy. Inevitably she would get all enthusiastic and over the top about the possible hidden messages embedded in the events. This was the last thing Kheng wanted. On the other hand, he was desperate to share his dream experience with somebody and try to figure out why he was suddenly remembering this haunting imagery with such clarity.
The Feiquon Heist Page 4
