A Flash of Water

by Chan Ling Yap

  ***

  Aishah ran into the garden with Ah Kew giving chase with a broom. Once she was safely out of the compound, Aishah stopped. She stayed still until she was sure that Ah Kew had returned back to the house. Slowly, cat-like she crept towards the hibiscus hedge that surrounded the property. The hedge was uneven in height and she could see easily above the shorter shrubs while still staying hidden behind them. She knew the compound well. She had been hiding in this very spot day after day, watching and waiting for Shao Peng to leave for school. She knew that shortly after Shao Peng left, Master Webster would emerge. On a fine day, he would choose to walk to his office just a mile or so down the road. On rainy days, a pony cart would be sent for him. Unknown to him, Aishah would follow him to work and then back to the house. She would arrange for him to see her by chance, sometimes appearing in the footpath just as he turned a bend. She would ask after his health and he would enquire after hers. He would often slip her some money. Aishah knew that her master felt guilty about her dismissal. She played on it, telling him of her impoverished circumstances. She brought him little gifts of food: a sun ripe banana, an egg she found and boiled or a handful of peanuts she has gathered. She expressed concern that he had to return home to an empty house. He was touched. She never spoke badly of Shao Peng. She never referred to what Jack believed was her unfair dismissal. The more she spoke well of Shao Peng, the more Jack felt that his wife was wrong in suspecting such a charming and delightful young girl. He became increasingly aware of her, and of the almost sinuous way she moved her body beneath her sarong. He found himself remembering her eyes. They looked at him with such disarming frankness and ... He stopped himself. He could not ignore it. The word that came to mind was adoration. With a guilty start, he would break off their conversation and excused himself. Aishah sensed all his moods. She waited patiently.

  She crouched down behind the hedge and began to scour the ground. With bare hands, she dug deep into the earth and took out a little bag. She shook out its contents. A rag doll with black hair fell out. She had taken the hair from Shao Peng’s hairbrush. Aishah spat. A globule of spittle landed on the doll. Then she tied up the doll’s limbs into knots and wrung them tight. Closing her eyes, she began to chant under her breath, rocking on her haunch. When she was a child she had seen a bomoh doing the same. Curious, she had followed him around. When she reached womanhood, he taught her the dark arts. Her chanting grew in fervour and she went into a trance. She prayed for Shao Peng’s death. It would free her master. She did not believe that Shao Peng deserved her master. It was Aishah who looked after him. She, Aishah, deserved him.

  ***

  When morning came, Shao Peng was slumped on the bed. She had nodded off and her head had fallen over Jack’s chest. He opened his eyes slowly and with difficulty for the lids were stuck together. He brought his hand up and placed it on Shao Peng’s head. She shifted and then sat up with a jolt. “You are awake! How are you feeling?”

  “Rough.”

  She could hardly hear him. His voice was hoarse and weak. She placed a hand on his cheek, feeling the roughness of it. “Let me get you a drink of water.” She got up and poured some water into a glass. Gently she lifted his head and brought the glass to his lip. “Thank God the fever has gone. How long were you like this?”

  “I don’t know. I was in Klang. Then they brought me home. Aishah was here. She fetched the doctor.”

  “I am sorry I was not home. I was here every day except for the very day you needed me. I am so, so sorry. Will you forgive me?” Shao Peng gulped. She didn’t want to cry.

  But Jack was already exhausted. He closed his eyes and took her hand in his to give it a little squeeze. “Nothing to forgive. How were you to know?”

  “I love you,” she whispered in his ear, hovering above him, watching every movement and flicker in his face.

  “I know. I love you too.”

  She placed her lips on his forehead. They were cold and clammy. “Please, please get well.”

  He didn’t answer. He was already asleep.

  Chapter 24

  LI LING DID NOT know what spurred her to take off her clothes, except that she was desperate. Intuitively she felt it was the right thing to do for she had nothing to lose that she had not already lost. He would have taken her even if she had resisted. She had to take the chance and do whatever it took to win Da Wei back. She felt that she had succeeded. In the past weeks, he was the one waiting by the riverbank. It gave her a feeling of power when she saw his desire. She began to experience pleasure where once there was revulsion and pain. He did things to her that she could never, in her wildest dreams, thought possible. She could not extricate herself from the opposing sensations of loathing and lust that engulfed her. She began to enjoy their trysts even when he hit her. She could not wait for the evenings, for when she could meet him. Later, back in her own bed, when every one was asleep and the only sounds in the bedroom were those of Lai Ma’s gentle snoring and the occasional sighs and sobs from Jing- jing, Li Ling would go over in her mind the events of the past month. A plan began to take shape in her mind.

  Lai Ma was the first to notice her change. “Something is not right,” she complained to Jing-jing. “Li Ling remains sulky as always. She says little and scowls a lot. She is totally indifferent to whatever we say to her. Yet at times, when I catch her unaware, she looks smug.”

  “It must be your imagination,” answered Jing-jing.

  “Mmmm! I don’t think so. She is hiding something. Haven’t you noticed that all of a sudden, she neither looks nor behaves like a young girl? I can’t put a finger on it. Something is not right.”

  They were in the laundry room. Jing-jing was heating up the iron pan with hot coals and ironing and Lai Ma was folding the clothes and putting them away. They continued their work in silence. Jing-jing had become more and more withdrawn and quiet. She had already approached Reverend Mother to ask if she could become a novice nun. She was not interested in Lai Ma’s frequent observations of Li Ling.

  “Look! She is coming back from the yard with another basket of laundry. Observe her will you? Tell me if you see any change.” Lai Ma stopped and pretended to fold the clothes with renewed vigour.

  Li Ling dumped the basket on the table. Her eyes swept over the other two women. Her glance was curt and insolent. She was spoiling for a fight. She swore that if Lai Ma were to say just one word, she would unleash a string of curses on her. When neither of the two women responded, she turned to walk away. Her samfoo blouse caught a snag on the table and the button on her blouse popped. For a split second when that happened, her waist was exposed. Lai Ma stifled a gasp.

  “What?” cried Li Ling rudely. “Something troubling you?”

  ‘You’ve put on weight!” Lai Ma could not contain herself.

  “Weight? Look at you! Fei chui!Fat pig!” Li Ling left without another word. Taken by surprise she forgot the string of curses she had wanted to unleash.

  Lai Ma jumped up and rushed over to where Jing-jing was. “Did you see the girl’s bosom? That was what was troubling me. She’s grown so big here,” Lai Ma indicated, pointing to her own busts. “Did you see how tight she bound her breasts when her blouse lifted? And her waist! “

  “Maybe she has just put on weight.”

  “No! No! I better tell Reverend Mother or Miss Shao Peng.”

  ***

  Li Ling, standing outside the laundry room, heard the exchange. She put her hand on her breasts, pressing them gently. They felt tender and engorged. Her new breasts had added piquancy to their mating; it had aroused Da Wei to greater fervour. She closed her eyes recalling the pain that shot thorough her when he kneaded and bit them. Warmth spread from her groin upwards to her breast. Her neck and face went a deep red. She took a deep breath. She must pull herself together. She would have to act. Perhaps this was the opportunity she had been waiting for.

  She heard Lai Ma come out of the laundry room and went up to her immediately.

  “Lai
Ma! I am sorry for my rudeness. You are right. I am in trouble.” She rolled up her sleeves and pulled down the collar of her blouse. Her chest and arms were covered with bruises and bite marks.

  Lai Ma let out a cry. She was shocked. “Who did this to you?”

  ***

  “You should have come to us straightaway. Why did you keep it to yourself? How long has this been going on?”

  “I was ashamed.” Li Ling lowered her head. She didn’t want Lai Ma to look into her eyes. “He forced me and warned me against telling anyone.”

  “Do you want to get rid of the baby? I do not know how ... I ... we have to find someone to do it. We have to keep it from Reverend Mother and the Sisters.”

  “I want to keep the baby.” Li Ling looked pleadingly at Lai Ma.

  Lai Ma thought about her own children. Would she want an abortion if she was in Li Ling’s position? Yet, how could Li Ling keep the baby?

  “I want him to marry me.”

  “Aiyah! You silly girl If he wants to marry you he would not be doing such things to you.”

  “I know he does not want to marry me. That’s where you come in. You see, if I went to his father, Da Wei would just deny everything. He would say the baby is not his. I want you to testify that you saw him with me. Can you do that? Please?”

  Lai Ma hesitated. She didn’t want to be involved. Yet, how could she refuse? She couldn’t let an innocent girl suffer such injustice. Reluctantly, she nodded. She marvelled at Li Ling’s composure. She had not even shed a tear during her tale. What could have made a young girl’s heart so hard that she was not even able to cry? Lai Ma regretted taunting and teasing Li Ling in the past. She must try her best to help. Of course Li Ling had to force the scoundrel’s hand in marriage. Otherwise who would want her? She was a damaged good. “You are a brave girl,” Lai Ma said.

  “No one must know of this. Don’t tell Miss Shao Peng. I don’t want her involved.”

  “I think we should let her know. She is very fond of you and would help.” Lai Ma was troubled. Li Ling seemed so in control. Suddenly a thought struck Lai Ma. She wondered if she was being manipulated, and was immediately ashamed. She chastised herself for being paranoid. She told herself that Li Ling was just a young girl, wilful no doubt, nevertheless still a child.

  Shao Peng was the last person Li Ling wanted to involve. Her eyes flashed with anger at the thought. She hated Shao Peng. She attributed all her problems to her. If she succeeded in getting Da Wei to marry her, she would not want Shao Peng to know of the circumstances that led to it. She wanted to be able to hold her head high. People should only know that the son of a wealthy man married her, not why he did it or how he was forced into it.

  She pushed aside her thoughts and recovered her composure. “No Lai Ma,” she said, her voice soft and pleading, “Miss Shao Peng has enough worries of her own. We can do it together. Just you and me. You are an intelligent and resourceful woman. We will manage together.” Li Ling threw her arms around Lai Ma and hugged her tight.

  Taken back, Lai Ma’s arms hung by her aside. Then slowly she brought them up and returned Li Ling’s hug. “Then I shall not say a word. I still believe that we should. However if you are opposed to it, I won’t. In any case, she is at home tending to her husband who is very ill. Perhaps you are right, she won’t want to be troubled, at least not right now.”

  Chapter 25

  THE LAST FEW DAYS were sheer heaven for Shao Peng. Jack was recovering well and she was able to spend all her time with him. Ah Kew proved to be a treasure. She cooked, washed and served the meals. Shao Peng had not realised how wearing it had been when Aishah did those tasks. That sense of being watched, of being found wanting, of tension and competition, vanished with Aishah’s disappearance. Shao Peng became more relaxed and her outlook on life more cheerful.

  Holding the bunch of hibiscus she had gathered from the hedge, Shao Peng ran up the flight of steps to the house and made her way to the kitchen. Jack was having his afternoon nap in the bedroom. Ah Kew was preparing tea.

  “Look! Aren’t they beautiful? Such glorious pinks and reds! I am going to place them on the bedroom windowsill. Master will see them when he wakes up for tea.” Shao Peng grabbed a glass vase. She filled it with water and began arranging the flowers. The air was infused with the scent of the blooms but was soon overpowered by something even stronger, something distinctively rich and delicious. “What do you have in the oven? It smells wonderful.”

  “Biscuits,” said Ah Kew. Her face lit up with pride. “English ones made with that chow gow yow smelly cow oil. It is for Master.”

  “You mean butter? It is not smelly! We are very honoured to be given it. It is difficult to come by and even more difficult to keep in this heat.” Shao Peng had been delighted when the butter was delivered to the house. Months had gone by since they got married and they had not had a single invitation from Sir Frank Swettenham. It worried her that the British Resident might have had to succumb to social pressures and was excluding them from what was considered select society. She knew that their marriage had been much discussed and frowned upon. She worried that Jack’s career in the civil service would be compromised by their marriage. The arrival of the small pat of butter from Carcosa, the Resident’s house, gave her some comfort. Her worries were perhaps unnecessary.

  “The boy that brought it showed me how to make them. He is from Hainan and is the new boy at the Resident’s house. I don’t know if they will be nice.”

  “They smell good.” Shao Peng popped one into her mouth. It melted on her tongue, rich sweet crumbs that made her sigh with pleasure. Ah Kew beamed. She was delighted. In the Ong’s main house she was only the second maid, for Ah Tai presided as the cook and first maid. Ah Kew relished her new role in Shao Peng’s household.

  Balancing the vase carefully in one hand, Shao Peng was about to leave the kitchen when she stopped. “When I was gathering these flowers, I saw a patch of ground by the hibiscus hedge that looked as though some wild animals had been burrowing into it. When you see the gardener, tell him to check it out. He could grass it over because it looked quite unsightly.”

  “I’ll tell him later this afternoon. He will be here in about an hour or so.”

  ***

  It was late in the afternoon. Shao Peng tucked the blanket round Jack’s knee and set about pouring tea into the pretty porcelain teacups that had been Siew Loong’s gift. Setting the cup and saucer down she handed a plate of biscuits to Jack. “Ah Kew bought the milk from an Indian cowherd living near the brick kilns. Until the arrival of Indians, no one reared cows for milk. Milk doesn’t keep. We kept this in a pail of ice cold water from our well. So this is pure luxury.”

  While she chatted gaily, Jack’s eyes started to droop. He tired easily. Shao Peng saw his pallor and was immediately concerned.

  “Are you all right?” she asked, placing her palm on his forehead. It felt slightly clammy.

  Jack nodded to indicate that he was fine.

  “Should I shut this window? The breeze is quite strong. I don’t want you to catch a chill.” She got up and drew the window, wedging it with a piece of wood so that it stood slightly ajar for fresh air to come in.

  “Don’t fuss. I am fine. Sit down!”

  Hurt by his tone and the irritation on his face, she was unable to move, her legs wooden, unyielding to the task demanded of her.

  “About Aishah,” began Jack, “can’t you give her back her job? The poor girl is finding it hard to make ends meet. You know she has no one except for an uncle. She lost her parents when she was very young. Life cannot be easy for her now.”

  Her heart went cold. “We have Ah Kew. I don’t need her and even if I needed someone, I wouldn’t take her.”

  Jack opened his mouth to protest.

  “I don’t want to discuss this.” Her voice went up a notch louder than normal. It sounded heartless to Jack.

  “What have you against that poor child?”

  “Poor child! She tried to ta
ke you away from me. She is rude. She spa...”

  “Stop! Stop! I don’t want to hear you bad mouthing someone. It only makes you sound vile.”

  “So you are taking her side against me.”

  Jack gave her a look of utter disgust. “I am tired. I am going back to bed.”

  He got up, wobbling with the effort. She went to him immediately. He brushed her hand away and refused her help. She looked helplessly at his retreating back. “What have I done?” she asked herself. “Just when everything seemed to be going so fine!” A pain shot through her, a gripping sharp pain that seemed to explode from within. She doubled up, clutching tight her middle. Her arms were numb and her legs felt like jelly.

  In the garden, Ah Kew was showing the gardener the patch of ground that needed work. He swung his hoe up and brought it down with force. The blade broke through the earth. It came into contact with a soft object. Loose soil flew up. He dropped down to a squat and reached into the soil. He fished out a doll; it’s limbs bound and ungainly. It stared at him with sightless eyes. The doll was smashed into two. He dropped it. “Black magic!” he whispered, fear in his eyes.

  Ah Kew stared at the doll. She was speechless with shock. From within the house, she could hear her master shouting. She rushed inside.

  ***

  “Over there,” pointed Li Ling, “the store third from the left belongs to Da Wei’s father. We will wait here to see if he is in.”

  “What about Da Wei?” asked Lai Ma. “What if he is there?”

  “He won’t be.”

  “How do you know?

  “He told me.”

  “What? Are you still seeing him?” Lai Ma shouted. “What’s wrong with you?” Before she could say any more, Li Ling hugged her, pressing her face close. Lai Ma’s anger melted away. In some ways, Li Ling reminded Lai Ma of her children. They needed her just as Li Ling needed her now. She liked being needed. It had been such a long time since she saw her children and it would be many years before any of them could come to Malaya. For now Li Ling was her surrogate daughter. Yet, fond as she had become of Li Ling, she could not dispel the niggling unease she had about the girl. She struggled with her conscience each time she went along with Li Ling’s suggestions.