Samantha in Singapore

by Alex Jamieson

  I interrupted Jake’s reading to give him the lowdown.

  “It looks like Charlotte is trying to persuade us to consider two properties as our new home. One was Tony’s before their marriage, and the other was hers. The neighborhoods appear to be quite different. Tony’s is a penthouse in a place called Robertson Quay, and it overlooks the Singapore River in an area that looks bustling with activity. Charlotte’s is in a much more tranquil neighborhood called Ardmore Park. It’s an older, more established area within the Tanglin district where many foreign embassies are located. I sense that Charlotte has a bias towards her old place, but that’s probably natural. I think we should take a look at both, don’t you?”

  “Absolutely. I’ll bet they have it on our agenda to take us to view them sometime in the next couple of days. In the meantime, they suggested that we check out Gardens by the Bay today. Are you up for it, or are you still too weary?”

  “Strangely, I’m raring to go now. We’ll probably crash by midafternoon, but I say we get ready and head over there now,”

  #####

  The concierge recommended that we take a taxi over to Gardens by the Bay. On the map, it looked like walking distance, over a sleek, modern bridge, from our hotel, but he warned us that the heat and humidity would make it a miserable walk. The taxi took us over that same bridge, and the driver explained that everything we saw had not existed ten years ago. It was all built on landfill. It was hard to imagine the phenomenal construction project that encompasses the massive structure of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, Conference Center, and Casino and leads on to this vast complex of futuristic gardens. How could it have emerged from the middle of an expansive area of water in such a relatively short space of time? The “gardens” are comprised of extensive outdoor themed gardens with man-made Supertrees towering over them. The Supertrees are effectively giant skeletal tree sculptures, some of which are connected by a walkway at treetop height.

  The centerpiece of the complex is planned around two giant greenhouses. The Flower Dome is magnificently planted with garden styles from all over the world. In contrast, The Cloud Forest contains the complete ecosystem of a tropical rain forest. The entire dome is permeated by a cool, damp mist to simulate the low cloud that sits in higher elevations in a rain forest. Each turn we made within the enormous dome brought another breathtaking view.

  The Smithson’s had been right. As an introduction to the excesses of Singaporean vision, Gardens by the Bay was awesome.

  We could have spent hours on our first sightseeing adventure but, as predicted, we were exhausted by lunchtime. The jetlag, combined with the draining nature of the heat and humidity had us longing to get back to the air-conditioned luxury of our hotel. Knowing that we had to summon the energy to be sociable with Charlotte and Tony that evening, we decided on a long recuperative nap after a quick salad in the restaurant.

  #####

  I was woken just before five by my phone pinging with a notification of an incoming text message.

  [CHARLIE] A car will pick you up at 7:00. Thought it should be an early one as you will undoubtedly still be tired. Looking forward to seeing you in a couple of hours.

  I shook Jake to wake him, and it was like trying to wake the dead.

  “Charlotte goes by the name of Charlie on her texts. Do you think that’s what we should call her?”

  “Seems a bit informal to me. Let’s stick with Charlotte unless she tells us otherwise.”

  #####

  I wore a simple black cocktail dress, and Jake put on a pair of smart, navy pants and a crisp, white Oxford shirt. We figured on a smart casual look.

  As promised, a sleek black Mercedes was waiting for us at the front of the hotel when we got down to the lobby just before seven. Being right on the equator, every day of the year has the same number of daylight hours, and by seven it was dark as we sped through the city. We had no idea where we were, although the main road was obviously a major shopping thoroughfare. It was lined with extremely high-end shops that seemed to stretch for miles. I decided to ask our driver.

  “This is only our first full day in Singapore, so could you tell us the area that we are passing through?”

  “Certainly madam, this is Orchard Road. It’s the main shopping street in Singapore. We are heading towards the Tanglin district at the end of this commercial stretch. Tanglin is more residential.”

  “Thank you. That helps us get our bearings a bit.”

  When we arrived at our destination, we were both equally amazed. We had heard that Singapore living is an almost entirely high-rise experience. But we had pulled up in front of an enormous pair of wrought iron gates through which we could see a curving driveway and a strangely English looking Tudor-style mansion. The gates swung open without any obvious action on the part of our driver, and the car came to a gentle stop in front of the house.

  We barely had time to look at each other and roll our eyes in shock at the beauty of the house, when the driver was out of the car and opening my passenger door. Simultaneously Charlotte and Tony had come outside to greet us. They seemed genuinely happy to see us, and their enthusiasm was a little overwhelming. Once we got inside the house, I admit to being even more overwhelmed. The place was the most elegantly decorated space I’d ever encountered. An eclectic mix of contemporary pieces with both Asian and European antiques looked as perfect as I’d seen in any issue of Architectural Digest. Oddly though, the entire feel was comfortable, and we found it quite easy to relax in the company of these two smart, wealthy people.

  “What a beautiful house.” It’s one of the things you say to be polite, but in this case, I genuinely meant it.

  Charlotte beamed.

  “Thank you. We really love it. The style is historically significant here in Singapore. It’s called a black and white house. The black and white houses are colonial bungalows that were built between the late 19th century and the mid-1930s. They get their name from the dark timber beams and whitewashed walls that are common to them all.

  “They were originally built by British colonial families. The design, sometimes referred to as Tudorbethan Style, is an odd combination of tropical and art deco elements with a traditional Victorian style home. Most of them were inspired by the Malay practice of building homes on stilts, so they sit on elevated platforms.” She chuckled to herself. “The British expats wanted to distance themselves from dangerous creepy-crawly tropical insects that might have been lurking in the grass, and admittedly it also alleviated concerns about flooding during the rainy season.

  “We were so lucky to have found this place although it was in a rough state when we first bought it. It took two years of renovations before we achieved this.” She waved her arms, expansively to express “this.”

  “But how dreadful am I as a hostess? Champagne?”

  Champagne was proffered by Tony, and I had to wonder if it was to become ubiquitous in our new life.

  “A toast,” he said, “to the newest members of our team and, we hope, to our newest friends… Samantha and Jake.”

  It was a little unnerving to be the center of attention, but we mumbled our thanks and, at Tony’s urging, moved to sit in a living room dominated by a massive open fireplace. It seemed inconceivable that there would ever be a need for a fire in the heat of Singapore, but I supposed that with extreme wealth came the ability to crank up the air-con to such an extent that you could have a fire just for the visual impact.

  We sunk into the deepest, most comfortable sofas I’d ever experienced, and we chatted about our families and our childhood and all the normal things that friends tend to share. There was something about the two of them that made it as comfortable as chatting with old friends we’d known for years. As a first experience of the new life we’d chosen, it was genuinely comforting. We’d come halfway around the world and found two people in a completely different culture, and we could relate to them immediately. Charlotte even asked us to call her Charlie.

  “It’s what all my close frien
ds call me.”

  Close friends. And we’d thought we were just employees.

  After a second glass of champagne, Tony turned the conversation towards our new jobs.

  Jake’s job as head of Virtual Reality Enterprises, a subsidiary of Smithson-McDougall, was extremely entrepreneurial in nature. He would be paid exorbitant amounts of money.

  But, as an EVP and Director of Risk Management of Smithson-McDougall FinTech, I would be paid even more. We were looking at earning more than we’d ever dreamed of.

  From Tony’s comments, it was obvious that Jake was being viewed as a brilliant and somewhat exotic techie while they saw me as an invaluable senior executive.

  “Samantha, I’m afraid that you may suffer a degree of boredom for your first couple of months here. As your role is with a financial organization, we need to get you approved by the Singapore Financial Services Authority. It’s only a formality, but it usually takes about eight weeks to come through. So, you’re not allowed to work in any financial capacity until we get that approval.”

  Charlie let out a hearty laugh.

  “You get to be a lady of leisure for a couple of months. Surely that can’t be all bad, especially as your salary will start immediately. I think shopping has got to be on the agenda. You’ll need a whole new wardrobe for the climate here… linens, light silks, and that kind of thing. I’ve already got a shopping trip on my schedule for tomorrow. Will you join me, Samantha?”

  “I’d love to, and please call me Sam. We will make quite the pair when we are out shopping… Sam and Charlie.”

  Everyone had a chuckle about two young women sporting such masculine contractions.

  Always focusing on the practical Tony told us that once we had settled on somewhere to live, we would be provided with our own car and driver. We talked about the list of neighborhoods that Charlotte had sent us, and it became clear that they were both trying to influence us towards one of the two penthouse apartments that had been theirs before they were married. Tony was definitely attempting to sell us on the idea of the Robertson Quay property; his old home.

  “It’s really popular with young couples because it’s close to the CBD and is full of great nightlife, restaurants, and bars along the river. It has great views and the whole scene there is really vibrant. You’d love it.”

  Jake and I snuck a surreptitious look at each other. “Vibrant scenes” aren’t really our thing, but we couldn’t say that to Tony who was being so gracious as to offer us his old home. I think Charlotte picked up on our reticence because she immediately chimed in.

  “We’ll take you to see both properties over the next few days and then leave you to decide which would suit you best. My old apartment at Ardmore Park is in a much quieter area, only a short distance from here. It’s much more traditionally residential. The views from there are out over the expansive green of the famous Singapore Botanic Gardens. It’s got easy access to Orchard, and it’s central, but it’s much calmer and greener than most neighborhoods. Both penthouses are wonderful in their own way, but the neighborhoods are quite different. So, you can decide which works for you.

  “Oh yes, I nearly forgot, you will also be assigned a housekeeper and chef to take care of you. Neither will live in, but they will be available five days a week.”

  I was coming to the realization that our life in Singapore was going to be so dramatically different as to be almost unrecognizable. When we were still at home in Austin, I’d told Jake that I was feeling like I was reinventing myself and everything that Charlotte was telling me simply confirmed how life-changing this adventure was going to be. Not only had we been offered our dream jobs, but we were friends with A-list Singaporeans.

  I had no idea, though, quite how our life would be turned upside down. Reinvention would turn out to be an understatement.

  #####

  The following day, just as she had promised, Charlotte picked me up at ten o’clock, and we left Jake to his own devices while we went shopping.

  “You can leave everything at our place until you relocate permanently. No point in carting it all the way back to America just to turn around and bring it all back.”

  She took me to stores where, in the past, I would have been intimidated to just walk in the door. In every case, the salespeople were fawning all over us. We were given glasses of wine while individual items were taken from racks and displayed for us. In some stores, they even had models who would put on an item of clothing we admired, to show it off before we even needed to go to the extremely tiring effort of trying it on ourselves. Only if it seemed ideal did we head back into the luxurious changing rooms that more closely resembled a courtesan’s boudoir.

  In one designer store, we both found dresses that we liked, although Charlotte had needed to convince me that I was now earning enough to afford mine. We went together back to the changing area and into cubicles that were almost the size of our Austin bedroom. Charlotte didn’t bother with pulling the curtain for privacy. She just undid the zipper on the simple silk shift she was wearing and let it slide down to the floor. I couldn’t help but stare as she stood there in a pair of coral blue heels and the most exquisite matching set of lingerie I’d ever seen. It was sheer black with cream lace trim and looked ultra-expensive and ultra-sexy. I’m not into women, but I stood transfixed. She was tiny in an almost birdlike way, and she oozed sex appeal. I feared that I’d made it obvious I was staring so I turned and wriggled out of the plain summer dress I was wearing.

  I was painfully aware that not only my dress was plain, but so was my underwear. Simple and just a little utilitarian.

  “We need to do a complete makeover of your wardrobe, Sam. The climate here is just so different that we’ll need to start from scratch.”

  She was being diplomatic. By using the climate as the excuse, she was able to avoid being critical of my fashion choices. It was clear that she intended to be a big influence on my reinvention.

  “You have a gorgeous body, Sam. We need to find you a whole new look that emphasizes how sexy you are.”

  “ME! Sexy. Oh, Charlie, you’re just being kind. I’ve never considered myself as sexy. Jake says I am, but he’s naturally biased.”

  “Ridiculous. If you can’t see it, Sam, then I’m afraid you need your eyes testing. You may not think of yourself as sexy but, believe me, you have every single ingredient that you need. You are genuinely beautiful to look at; you have a spectacular body that most men, and probably quite a few women, would like to ravage; your gorgeous blond hair moves in that natural way that entices the coldest of hearts. You have it all. The only thing missing is confidence. I promise you that Singapore will bring out that confidence. Guaranteed.”

  My mind was racing. Men would want to ravage me… women would too! What was that about?

  #####

  The rest of the day was spent with Charlotte encouraging me to buy things that would show off my body to its ultimate advantage. I was pushed so far out of my comfort zone that I couldn’t even imagine trying on some of these outfits in front of Jake, let alone going out in public.

  Each thing I tried on would have to pass Charlie’s sexiness test. Hell no, she’d say, if she thought something was too frumpy. I never thought I could match her inherent sexiness, but she was certainly pushing me to try.

  By six, I was exhausted.

  “I can’t shop any more Charlie. I’m worn out.”

  “You’ve done brilliantly well, Sam. We’ve made a great start on the new you. Now text Jake and tell him to get a cab to our house. My driver will take us straight there. We’ll get the chef to rustle up something easy for a light supper, and you can model your new purchases for the guys. See what Tony and Jake think to our efforts.”

  “Tony and Jake? I can’t try those things on in front of Tony and Jake.”

  “So, what had you thought about doing with them? Stuffing them in the back of your closet and forgetting about them? At those prices. Come on, the new you starts today. I’ll put your hai
r up, you can slip on those high, high black patent heels you got this morning and then model the new look for us all. I promise you the guys will be impressed.

  #####

  When we got back to the house, Tony was working in his study.

  “I’m researching a concept for the new VR game, and it’s coming together really well. An adult VR game that’s based on a little-known historical ritual in ancient Babylon.”

  When Charlotte told him, that Jake was on his way, Tony was delighted.

  “That’s great. We can go over this concept idea. Just at a high level. But I’d like to see what he thinks about it.”

  “We can do that after supper, but first, while the food is being prepared, we are going to get a fashion show of Sam’s new purchases. We’ve had a big day, and we need to hear a male perspective on our decisions.

  Tony laughed.

  “I hope you’ve not been a bad influence on Sam, Charlie.”

  “I’ve been exactly the influence she needed,” she boasted, just as we heard the doorbell indicating that Jake’s taxi had arrived.

  #####

  As soon as Jake got in the door and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, Charlotte swung into action.

  “If you’ll excuse us for a few minutes guys I just need to take Sam upstairs.”

  Jake looked a bit bewildered, but what was he going to say? He smiled at me and nodded as I looked back over my shoulder while Charlie led me by the hand.

  All the shopping bags had miraculously been whisked away to the master bedroom and were waiting for us as we entered.

  “Right, you. Into the bathroom.”

  Charlie had suddenly become a drill sergeant. She sat me down on a stool in front of the large vanity and started to go to work on me. I will never know how she pulled off what she achieved within the space of no more than ten minutes. She had my blond hair swept up into a chignon like hers on the night we first met. My face was made up to make me look elegant, and my eyes had a sultry look that even I could see was sexy. I looked nothing like the girl who boarded the plane in Houston.