by Shaun Clarke
He returned to the bar every evening during the following week, but Ann Lim did not materialize. The next Friday, however, she was there with her two sisters, sitting at the same corner table, and her face lit up when she saw him.
Joining them at the table with Tone by his side, he was struck once more by the beauty of Ann Lim’s deep-golden, oval-shaped face, large chocolatecoloured eyes and waist-length, jet-black hair. She and her sisters were, as they had been three months ago, looking slim, fine-boned and curvaceous in Western clothing: Kathy and Mary in tightly belted shirts and slacks, with patterned scarves and flat shoes, Ann Lim in a simple cotton dress buttoned down the front and low at the neck, leaving her shoulders bare and clinging to the curves of her fine body. She was also wearing a pair of high-heel shoes and her long legs were crossed.
As usual, all three girls were smoking filtered cigarettes and drinking cocktails. While Tone immediately gave his attention to Kathy, Marty couldn’t take his eyes off Ann Lim, whose warm, if rather hesitant, smile he still found irresistible.
‘We just got back last week,’ he explained, ‘and I came here first thing. You told me you came here every Friday, so I was pretty disappointed not to find you here.’
‘I didn’t mean everyFriday,’ Ann Lim said, thus reminding him thatshe spoke perfect English. ‘I meant most Fridays. We don’t actually live in this bar, Marty… And you have been away an awfully long time.’
Marty nodded. ‘Three months.’
‘You look a lot thinner.’
‘We were all a lot thinner when we came out of the
jungle, believe me. But me and Tone have already put some weight back on. It’s amazing what a few beers can do.’
‘And a decent night’s sleep,’ Tone added. ‘Not to mention some decent grub. It all helps in the end.’
‘What did you do there?’ Kathy asked of Tone.
‘Can’t say, darlin’. Soldier’s business. All rubbish and bullshit.’
‘You meet any nice girls?’ the youngest sister, Mary, asked, then giggled softly at her own impertinence.
Marty caught Ann Lim’s glance, which was steady and searching. ‘No,’ he said. ‘No girls where we were. Well, there were some bare-breasted ladies in the kampongs, but we weren’t allowed near them.’
‘I didn’t know we still allowed bare-breasted women in Malaya,’ Ann Lim said.
‘Yes, you do. Certainly where we were.’
‘You have have been very far from here?’
‘Yes, we were.’
Ann Lim smiled. ‘Did the sight of the bare breasts embarrass you?’
‘Embarrass him?’ Tone laughed at that one. ‘He couldn’t keep his eyes off them!’
‘Not true,’ Marty retorted, abashed; then he grinned and shrugged. ‘Well, I have to confess, it was hard notto look, but when I did, I did it discreetly.’
‘You looked but didn’t touch,’ Ann Lim said.
‘That’s right: I looked but didn’t touch.’
‘Well, that’s nice to know.’
Trying not to stare too intently, which he felt he might be doing, Marty realized yet again that this girl was no casual pickup to him. He was attracted to her, certainly, sexually aroused by the sight of her, but her hesitant smile and thoughtful, steady gaze touched something deep inside him. Despite his occasional one-night stands with paid whores, which invariably left him feeling slightly ashamed of himself, he wasn’t a man for casual encounters, needing time to approach a woman, serious about romantic attachments. Now, for the first time since leaving England and Lesley, he felt the need for emotional involvement with a woman. He wanted to be involved with Ann Lim and had no doubts about it.
‘Was is dangerous?’ she asked him.
‘Pardon?’
‘Where you were. What you were doing.’
Marty shrugged. ‘Not really.’
‘I don’t believe that.’
‘Why?’
‘I think you’re being modest – that’s so English. I’m sure it was dangerous.’
‘We were brave,’ Tone said, grinning, clearly pleased to be facing Kathy. ‘We’re professional, so we don’t talk too much about it, but by God, we were brave. So! I’m going to get some drinks for me and Marty. You girls want a topup?’ When all three girls shook their heads from side to side, indicating ‘No,’ Tone went off to the bar, his face flushed and happy.
Slightly embarrassed at being left alone with all three sisters, Marty was silent for a moment, contenting himself with studying Ann Lim’s face. Eventually realizing that the silence was becoming obvious, he said, ‘So what have you three been up to since we last saw you? Still taking French lessons?’
‘Yes,’ Ann Lim said.
‘When do you go to the finishing school in Paris?’
‘Next year.’
‘How often do you attend the language school here?’ He was directing his attention to each of the girls in turn, trying not to make his feelings for Ann Lim obvious. But judging by the way Mary and Kathy giggled and nudged each other each time they looked at him, he was not succeeding.
‘Five days a week,’ Ann Lim told him.
‘Almost like a full-time job.’
‘Yes. Another reason for not having proper jobs. Our father thinks education is more important. Besides, there aren’t many good jobs around here for educated women. Most of the jobs here go to women with little education, but they’re reduced to working as coolies, as labourers in the paddy-fields, as poorly paid secretaries, or as barmaids and – ’
‘I know what you mean,’ Marty interjected, thinking of the many whores plying their trade in the bars and brothels of George Town. ‘Not too many opportunities around here. It’s a tough life for some.’
‘Yes. So having an education is a blessing. It’s not much help in finding decent work here, but it helps overseas and, perhaps, in finding a good husband. Our father thinks about that a lot.’
‘Do you?’
Mary and Kathy giggled. Ann Lim just smiled. ‘You disapprove, Marty?’
‘Not necessarily.’
‘Naturally it’s what we want eventually. A good husband and children. What else is there in the end for a woman? Especially here in Malaya.’
Marty appreciated her honesty and was about to tell her so when Tone returned, grinning broadly, with a glass of whisky in each hand. After handing one to Marty, he sat down facing Kathy and Mary, then raised his glass in the air. ‘Cheers!’ He and Marty drank some of their whisky, then, after glancing at the English paintings on the walls, the soft furnishings, the well-dressed patrons at the other tables, Tone said artlessly, ‘Back in Blighty, I’d feel uncomfortable in a bar like this. But here I feel right at home.’
‘You seemright at home,’ Kathy said, smiling, stroking her short-cropped hair with delicate fingers. ‘So why wouldn’t you feel the same way in a similar place in England?’
‘Because he’s working-class riffraff,’ Marty explained, ‘and usually frequents noisy, smoky pubs. We both do, as a matter of fact. We don’t normally drink in posh hotels.’
‘We can onlydrink in hotels,’ Ann Lim told him. ‘At least when we’re alone. If we went anywhere else unescorted, we’d gain a bad reputation.’
‘Boring, boring, boring,’ Tone said. ‘No wonder you come here most Friday evenings. But coming here once a week must be pretty boring as well.’
‘Not so,’ Kathy said. ‘We’re not bored right now. And if we hadn’t come here, we wouldn’t have met you two. So we’re having a good time.’
‘Really?’
‘Yes.’
Tone was clearly pleased to hear that. ‘Well, if it’s okay to go somewhere else with company, why not take us somewhere we haven’t been before? We’re just tourists here, after all, and don’t know too much about the island. You could show us around.’
‘I think we should eat,’ Marty said. ‘Maybe in some other hotel. Somewhere out of George Town. That would be a real change for all of us. What do you girls
think?’
‘You haven’t been out of George Town before?’ Ann Lim asked him.
‘No.’
‘Then I think we should show you somewhere different.’ She glanced at her sisters. When they nodded their approval, both smiling enthusiastically, she turned back to Marty. ‘If we take a taxi, we can go out to the beaches. There’s a hotel with a good restaurant out there. How does that sound?’
‘Sounds perfect,’ Marty said. ‘Let’s drink up and go.’
‘I’m with you all the way,’ Tone added.
Outside, Marty was disconcerted to find Tone cramming into the back of the taxi with all three sisters, leaving him to sit up front beside the Malay driver. Glancing back over his shoulder and seeing Tone’s broad grin, he realized that this arrangement had been deliberate on his friend’s part, clearly designed to wind him up.
‘Okay up front, are you?’ Tone asked.
‘Fine,’ Marty replied. ‘I get to see all the sights.’
Leaning forward and brushing the back of Marty’s neck with her fingers, which secretly thrilled him, Ann Lim told the driver to take them to the Golden Sands beach. Pulling away from the palm-fringed hotel, in the evening’s starlit darkness, the taxi headed out of town and was soon going along the winding coast road.
Looking out, Marty saw the darkly glittering surface of the Malacca Straits, the sails of the sampans silhouetted against the moonlit, star-drenched sky. The taxi took them through shanty towns, past widely scattered kampongs, while Tone chattered excitedly to Kathy and Mary, laughing frequently and making the two sisters giggle. Ann Lim, on the other hand, remained silent throughout the journey, only occasionally leaning forward, practically breathing into the back of Marty’s neck, to check the road ahead. That warm breath on Marty’s neck was like a benediction to him. When Ann Lim leaned forward again, her fingers brushing his right shoulder, a tremor of sensual pleasure rippled through him and made his cheeks burn.
I don’t believe this, he thought.
Ann Lim had seen the hotel and was telling the driver to pull in, which he did. As Marty was stepping out of the taxi, onto the driveway, he saw the large Colonial-styled hotel standing in its own grounds and surrounded by exotic gardens. Made from bamboo and thatch, with broad balconies and balustrades, the hotel overlooked an impressive beach of white sand, fringed with palms and papaya trees. The stars were remarkably large; moonlight stippled the rippling sea.
‘It’s beautiful,’ Marty said without thinking.
‘I’m pleased you like it,’ Ann Lim said.
Tone and Kathy had slipped out of the taxi behind Ann Lim, but when Marty turned around to pay the driver, Mary, now alone in the back seat, slammed the door shut, spoke to the driver, then waved at them and flashed a big smile as the vehicle moved off.
‘What…?’ Marty began.
‘She’s going home,’ Ann Lim explained, smiling, ‘Five is an awkward number and she obviously felt superfluous. She doesn’t mind. She understands. Kathy and I would do the same in her place. So come on, let’s go in.’
Tone grinned self-consciously at Kathy as they entered the hotel.
The restaurant inside was surprisingly elegant, with glass-topped bamboo tables, dimly lit wicker lamps in shades of many colours, a profusion of exotic plants, and pretty Malay waitresses wearing sarongs and flat slippers. The food, chosen jointly by Ann Lim and Kathy, was a delicious combination of Chinese and Malay. With the wine flowing freely, Tone was engrossed in winning Kathy’s affections and seemed to be succeeding, leaving Marty free to concentrate on Ann Lim.
The conversation rambled, moving back and forth, first among the four of them, then between each couple. Gradually, however, as Tone became more engrossed in Kathy, Marty found himself leaning ever closer to Ann Lim, across the circular table, entranced by the delicacy of her features, her brown eyes and quietly radiant smile. Though hesitant, the smile was seductive, at once sensual and mysterious, drawing him towards her inner light, making him want to possess her and be possessed by her.
Eventually leaving the restaurant, the went into the bar, ostensibly for more drinks, but really just to let the evening continue. Midnight came and went. Tone and Kathy were drunk, constantly laughing together, embracing each other, gradually becoming less inhibited and more intimate. Marty was feeling drunk as well, though in a milder way, lit up with an inner luminescence that had heightened his senses. He wanted to be as free with Ann Lim as Tone was being with Kathy, but though Ann Lim was warm and goodhumoured with him, she was also still subdued, a little distant, held in check by her natural reticence.
‘Let’s go outside and get some fresh air,’ she said eventually. ‘I think these two could do with it.’ She nodded at Tone and Kathy, now smiling beatifically at one another, touching their foreheads together. ‘Let’s walk on the beach.’
‘Yes, let’s do that,’ Marty said. He turned to Tone and Kathy. ‘Hey, you two! We’re going for a walk on the beach and think you should come, too. It might sober you up.’
‘Not too sure that I want that,’ Tone responded, slurring slightly, his arm around the softly giggling Kathy’s shoulders, his grin decidedly wicked. ‘Might do me some damage.’
‘It’ll do you some good,’ Marty told him, though in truth he just wanted to be alone with Ann Lim. ‘So come on, let’s go. You can bring your drinks with you.’
‘Wouldn’t dream of going without ’em,’ Tone said, slipping his arm around Kathy’s slim waist. ‘Come on, love, let’s go. We’ll play follow the leader.’
Marty and Ann Lim walked out first, with the other two following. It was dark outside, though moonlight fell through the palm trees. When Marty reached out for Ann Lim’s hand, he met no resistance. Taking the steps that led down through the trees, they soon emerged to the beach; in the moonlight, under a vast umbrella of stars, it was white and magnificent.
Ann Lim kicked off her high-heeled shoes and held them in her free hand, smiling shyly at Marty, then looking more thoughtful. A light breeze slapped at them as they started along the beach, still hand-inhand, with Tone and Kathy trailing a good way behind, the former chuckling a lot, the latter giggling. Ann Lim, on the other hand, remained quiet and thoughtful, her gaze fixed on the sand that she was kicking up distractedly with her bare feet.
‘Are you married?’ she asked eventually. ‘I was,’ Marty replied.
She glanced at him, then looked away again. ‘You’re divorced?’
‘Not quite,’ he confessed. ‘But I’m separated from my wife and the divorce proceedings are underway. I won’t be married much longer.’ They strolled on in silence for some time, still holding hands but otherwise not touching, until Marty said, ‘Why do you ask? Does it bother you to be with a married man?’
‘Yes,’ Ann Lim said emphatically.
‘You’ve never been involved with one before?’
‘Not intentionally – no. And always, when I’ve learnt that they were married, I’ve immediately stopped seeing them.’
‘You’ve never been in love with a married man?’
‘I’ve never been in love. Adolescent crushes, of course, but never really in love.’
They kept walking. They kept holding hands. ‘Tell me about your parents,’ Marty said, wanting to change the subject. ‘You’ve only mentioned your father. What about your mother?’
‘I didn’t think to mention her,’ Ann Lim said in a low, even tone. ‘My mother is dead.’
Embarrassed to learn this, Marty glanced sideways at her. She was still distractedly kicking up the sand, looking down at her bare feet. Her long black hair was blowing across her face where it lay like a dark veil.
‘When the Japanese invaded Malaya in December 1941,’ she said softly, almost whispering, ‘after bombing Penang and capturing Butterworth Airport, then the whole of Penang Island, they took many of the local women, particularly Chinese women, rarely the Indians or Malays, away to be used as slave labour or, even worse, as unpaid whores in their army brothels. My
father then, as now, worked as an exporter for the rubber plantationers, but he’d heard that the Japanese were searching out his kind, the ethnic Chinese, for execution, so at my mother’s insistence, he went into hiding in a friend’s plantation, located just outside Ipoh, Perak state, about a hundred and twenty kilometres south of Penang. So he wasn’t at home when the Japanese soldiers finally came to our home, looking for him. We lived on the mainland then, not too far from Butterworth. The Japanese soldiers came at night. About half a dozen soldiers, one officer. They swarmed all through the house, smashing up the furniture, bawling non-stop, looking for my father. When they couldn’t find him, they became angry and started to make threats against us all
– my mother and we three sisters. We were all so young at the time – I was only ten; Kathy and Mary were nine and eight – so we didn’t really know what was going on. Now I know that they probably wanted to take us all away. But in the end, they took only my mother.’
Marty glanced down at the sand beneath his feet, then looked out across the light-stippled water of the moonlit Malacca Straits. It seemed a long way from the ulu. He heard the suppressed grief in Ann Lim’s voice and was deeply moved by it.
‘I still clearly recall my mother pleading with the Japanese officer – she had learnt a little Japanese to ingratiate herself with the so-called conquerors – begging him to leave her daughters alone and take her instead. Even as we three girls huddled together on the sofa in the living room, all frightened and crying, the officer in charge was feeling my mother up and down, probing her with his fingers as if inspecting a farm animal. Then, perhaps still having enough decency left in him to decide that we were too young to be sent to the brothels, perhaps just defeated by my mother’s tearful pleading– the Japanese revere their mothers – he nodded and barked his agreement and dragged her out of the house. I heard the soldiers outside laughing, making loud, probably crude, remarks. I heard my mother sobbing as they heaved her up into the truck. Then they drove her away. She offered herself in exchange for our freedom and in so doing saved us.’
