My adventure as a hawker

[ilikeoldchangke]

I remembered I was but a small boy of barely 10 years old when I experienced first-hand our nation’s very own Kallang roar

It was in May 1994.



I held my father’s hand as we stood amongst the crowd in the old national stadium. It was my first time seeing the grand old dame in real life. The stadium was magnificent, that structure that rose up high into the skyline, it struck a chord in me and stirred up emotions I still remembered till this very day.



Can you imagine how huge that place was to a small little kid like me ?

I thought that structure was built by giants and titans. It was only when I was much older when I realised that stadium was not built by mythical creatures from my story books. They were built by us, man.



Concrete and steel formed the backbone of the stadium, but the soul of the old national stadium was the people that filled it’s seats. Common folks like us.


Like a quiet guardian overlooking the city, the stadium’s seats were filled to the brim with people from all walks of life that day. A sea of red surrounded the green field. I was never a fan of football, but my father insisted I join him that day.



Dad : I have this feeling…. It’s going to be a hell of a day today…. It’s just going to be…

I hardly knew the rules of the game , I could hardly hear myself speak with the crowd cheering at every move the players made. It was an amazing feeling. Something money can never buy.



I wondered how the players felt when they were on the field with a crowd of 55000 cheering them on. Countless cameras followed their every move, broadcasting them to the millions of households across the country.


Jake : Pa… the players in red … they are our team right ??


My Dad bent down, looked at me in the eyes and told me something that stayed with me till this day.


Dad : Not players Jake…. Not players……… when those men are on that field, wearing that jersey….. they ….are …our… lions ….. the pride of our nation.


He broke into a smile before returning to join the crowd in the cheering frenzy.


I watched in awe as the sheer speed and agility in which our team moved on that field. There was this gracefulness within the chaos.



Their attacks fed the fervour of the cheering crowd, it churned up the dinner I had earlier, causing me to gasp in excitement whenever they were close to their opponent’s net.

I could feel that excitement in the very air I breathe.




Then right before my very eyes it happened. There were no warning, the ball flew forward, crossed over the field right in front of our striker and he flew. He flew straight at the ball , hitting it right into the net it a beautiful header.

The entire stadium erupted.



The cries of joy and cheers shook the very foundation of the stadium that day as my dad shouted with the veins on his neck bulging so tight I was worried it would burst. He literally looked towards the skies and shouted, his fingers clenched into a claw like stance for a few seconds before he turned and started hugging strangers.


Grown men hugged and high fived each other at the crowd continued it’s unbelievable roar into the night. The sound of that roar crept right under my skin, causing every hair on my back to rise up.


I looked around me and took in the sights. All the different faces, people of different race, religion and beliefs united as one as our lions basked in the cheers of the nation. It was not a simple goal.



That very goal carried with it the dreams of a young nation.

I could hardly sleep that evening when I got back home. My dad was so happy he opened a can of beer and ate peanuts in the dining room, describing the feeling to my mum.


As I grew older, that day in the stadium was never far from my mind.


I was happy that I got to be there.

On the other hand, I was sad because I never got to experience something like that again.




How I longed and craved for that very feeling I felt that day in the stadium. That fire in my small tummy. It never came. Not once.


I went to the box by the side of the room where 8 folders sat by the side of my bed. Remember the folders of documents that I poured through at the beginning of the story ?


Yeah, those were some of the stuff that Gabriel wanted to hide from Fungye. A detailed collection of information that they don’t want him to get his hands on. Fungye probably had his own information about the elders but they doubt it was as detailed at the ones sitting in my room.


I was helping Kate pack them up one afternoon when I asked if I could have them. Kate thought about it for a minute before saying that it was probably safer at my place. She made me promise to keep them safe before turning away to pack other sensitive documents.



I opened each folder and looked at the history of each elder.


They are not saints. Each of them had their hand in some shady business at one point or another. Creative accounting, getting adventurous with taxes, blatant disregard of building safety guidelines and stuff. However if I were to hold out a balance scale and put one token on the left for every shady business they did, and one on the right for something good they had done, the right far outweigh the left.


Every single elder.


Sure, they’re still not saints but if we’re talking about having to choose the lesser of 2 evils, the elders are a much better choice than Fungye.


I took another cold shower before calling Kate.


Kate sounded tired and weary. We had spoken about the vote I held a few times the past few months but nothing came out of the discussion. To her, it was an impossible dream.

Perhaps even a distant fantasy.



I would to be mad to even think I could stand a chance against Fungye. Kate eventually dispelled the idea and even urged me to let it go. You could tell the fight was gone in her too. She’s already settling into the survivor mentality.

Being able to survive the next few years trumps anything else.



Jake : Can i… go for the banquet ?


I had to ask out of courtesy because end of the day, I am not one of them.


Kate : Please tell me you are not planning on doing anything stupid Jake…. It’s not going to work…

Jake : I’m not…. I’m just curious how it’s like….



Kate sighed and kept quiet for a while before revealing that actually we were all invited. As in all the hawkers in the coffeeshop, but she knew none of us would want to go. My parents don’t give 2 fucks about Fungye and you would stand a far better chance of striking the lottery than to expect a stubborn old granny like Auntie Geok to show up.



Kate : Just promise me you don’t do anything stupid….

Jake : I won’t …



Kate gave me the address of the banquet and I did a google map search of the location. It was a huge factory in the west side of the island. Smack in the middle of an industrial estate, only one bus serves the area.

Google earth showed that it was a sprawling compound, it belonged to a construction company. This must be Ah Keong’s site, the one he took over after his dad’s passing.


It’s big, it’s like a huge warehouse, or factory, whatever you want to call it. The metal structure rose at lease 15m up.

[ilikeoldchangke]

It makes sense to have it there .

You can’t exactly book a restaurant for such a gathering.



I thought of hitching a ride down but in the end I decided to just grab a cab.

It wasn’t exactly a happy occasion for everyone and I doubt anyone would be in the mood to give me a ride. Even Kate did not offer to meet me prior to heading down.



I arrived at the industrial site at 5.30pm. The evening air felt cool and dry. The skies were clear and a steady breeze greeted me as I alighted from the cab.


5.30pm



As I walked into the compound, I saw that a lot of the heavy construction vehicles had been parked to the side of the site. Quite a few civilian cars had taken up the middle of the parking area and more arrived with each passing minute.


I cut across the huge parking compound and walked towards a gate. I recognised a few of Ah Keong’s men smoking by the exit.


Smoke and steam came from the back of house to the left of the gate, out of curiousity and to avoid having to meet Ah Keong’s men directly, I walked over to the back of house and saw the mobile caterers hard at work. Dishes waiting to be plated and served and the serving crew which consisted mostly of old aunties waited at the side.



I saw the company name for the caterer and it was a famous one, known for serving good Halal Tze char dishes. Well, even if the day is going to suck, at least everyone gets good food.



After Ah Keong’s men were done smoking, I entered the gate into a corridor. There was another gate at the end of the path, about 20m away. Beyond that I could see some of the banquet tables already laid out and men loitering about.


There were photos on the walls of the corridor. Photos of Matthew and his men.


Framed photos of them standing at a vast vacant piece of land before the factory was built.



There were pictures of Matthew and a young Ah Keong, laying the foundation for the factory. Matthew’s men and staff each signed their names on the pillars that supported that factory in the early stages of constructions and the photographs documented all that.


It was like travelling back in time as I look at the photos on the walls.



Aside from awards from being a outstanding company, most of the space were filled up with photos. Photos of Matthew and his men. I even saw Spencer’s photo up on the wall with Matthew , pictures of Spencer carrying his new born son beside a laughing Matthew.





There were pictures of them having dinner, beer and celebrations in the factory compound, even overseas trip as a company.


I passed by a set of timber door, they were opened and I could look into Ah Keong’s office past the reception counter. His office had a view of the banquet as well since the top half of an entire length of wall is made of glass.



I walked to the end and exited the corridor from the 2nd gate, stepping into the main banquet area.





Air coolers were blasting cold breeze towards the tables. The interior of that vast factory felt cool as well. It was not as humid as I expected it to be.


A makeshift stage had been set up in front of the tables. At the back of the stage, I could see the opening where the cooks from the caterers are at. Several TVs were set up along the side of the tables as well. Screens showing the start of the national day celebrations played as the guest loitered around in a listless manner.



The tables took up about ¾ of the floor space and the exit at the other far end of the factory was opened as well. Men I don’t recognised loitered around that entrance and I assumed they were Fungye’s men.


I walked around a little before coming up to the stage.



There were something interesting on top of the stage. There was a metal panel on top of the table, it had Chinese characters that says loyalty on it. It served as a backing for the items on display. On a table with red cloth sat 2 transparent acrylic box. Sitting in each of them was a 9 in Parang. I went closer to have a look and I could see Chinese characters carved into the blade itself.



One was Fung ( 风) ， The other was snake (蛇) . The twin blades sat beside each other on the table. The blades were old but you could tell they were maintained regularly. The handle’s wooden grip had to be new, or recently refurbished.


The cold steel gleamed brightly in the light of the factory and I could see that they were oiled and cleaned recently.



5.45pm

Almost all the elders arrived around the same time. Perhaps they had made arrangements to, I don’t know. The banquet would start at 6pm sharp and it seems none of them wanted to be seen waiting for Fungye for too long.

Everyone wants to be just on time.



Lucy and her girls got settled down first. Huimin and Jane were there too together with a few others I saw at Kate’s grandmother’s birthday. They were all wearing jeans and casual tops. Nothing grand but they all had heels on at least. The only odd one out on Lucy’s table was none other than Bill.


I could see the girls teasing Bill as he helped Lucy wipe the side of her lips much to her annoyance.


King and Terry arrived together and they shared a table together with King’s staff.


Gabriel, Andy and Kate arrived next with their grandmother in tow on a wheel chair. Kate gestured me towards their table and I said hi to her grandmother. She just smile warmly at me and nodded.



Ben and his men, including Johari and company arrived next and they too took their seats. They just spoke softly within themselves.


Roland came in next.

He had more men than the day at the birthday. I counted 7 of them. All 8 of them looked like they could throw a 25kg barbell weight as a Frisbee. All of them wore black, as if they were attending a funeral, an obvious jibe at Fungye’s ceremony.



Another group of men arrived, about 9 of them. I saw Andy gesturing to them to take their seats at the assigned table, Gabriel went over to talk to a couple of them too. They must be Gabriel and Andy’s staff.


Ah Keong was the last to be seated. He looked like he was running the show since the banquet was held on his site.
His men took up the most tables and they too looked tired and disgruntled as they sat around, talking softly to each other.



6pm

Fungye arrived with 9 of his men, walking right up to the front of the stage and took the seat. The rest of his men slowly filled the back seats. Not all of them were present, I overheard some of them talking that it’s so out of the way, some of them got lost. A driver went missing with almost 15 men and they were trying to guide them to the factory.

6.15pm

About half of Fungye’s men were present, scattered throughout the few tables and Fungye decided that it was good enough to begin.



My heart was thumping as I sat on my seat.


It was beating so fast I was sure everyone around the table could hear it.


I was nervous. Fucking nervous.

I never felt butterflies like these in my stomach before.



There was a lump in my throat and it felt as if it was choking the air out of my lungs.



Fungye got up and slowly made his way to the stage to give his speech.

I was shaking where I sat and I closed my eyes, taking in a deep breath of air and slowly exhaled. Kate tapped me on my arm, asking if I was ok.

Kate : Oei… you ok or not ?



I nodded my head.

Fungye started on his speech to a listless crowd.


Hardly anyone was paying attention.


Lucy was looking at her nails, Uncle Ben was digging his nose while Ah Keong lit up a cigarette as Spencer spoke by his ears.



Fungye continued to speak, bringing up the history of the organisation back when it consisted of only him and his brother, Kate and Gabriel’s grandfather. I took out my phone and looked at the 8 messages I had prepared before hand.

8 messages, addressed to each of the 8 elders.



I even double checked their numbers against the ones in the folders before leaving home.

I had to be sure.


I pushed my chair back slowly and got up.


No one paid me any attention. I would have looked like I was going to the bathroom or something but I was not.


I was not.


With my phone in my hands, I walked slowly towards the stage.


No one gave a fuck until I was right by the steps leading up to it.


Fungye’s men stood up, shouting at me. Liuhai was one of the first to point his finger at me, asking me what was I trying to do.

I ignored their shouts and walked up to the stage calmly standing a few steps away from Fungye.


Fungye stopped talking and turned towards me in a cocky and arrogant manner.

Fungye : What the fuck !!... do you want ??


I could see Roland and Lucy looking on with amusement while Terry’s voice rang out as she commented I forgot my medicine that day.


Terry :Jia lat la…. Jake buay kee jia yok… ( Damm.. Jake forgot his medication that day )… haha…


Kate’s mouth dropped an inch and I could see her mouthing the words ; ‘holy fuck’ as she stared at me in disbelief.

Fungye looked at me with his chin up pointing at me, as if daring me to even say a word.



Fungye : You want to speak ??? is that it ?? har ?? you want to talk ??? is it ??

He sneered at me before throwing the microphone onto the floor at me, in the same manner he would give a bone to a dog.


Fungye : Take it then… take it…

[ilikeoldchangke]

Jake : Why are you speaking….. when no one is even listening … ??

Fungye laughed.


Fungye : Fuck you… you think anyone would listen to you then ?? hahaha.. go…. Go ahead….




I took out my phone and went to the 8 messages I prepared.

I clicked the sent button 8 times, addressing the message to each of the elders.


I sent each of them a name.



The name that no should other than them should know.



I sent them the very name of the elder whose dirt they were holding onto.


Lucy has Matthew .


Terry has Lucy


Gabriel has Roland


King has Terry


Matthew has Ben.




All these information fell onto my lap one way or the other over the course of the past few months.


This leaves me with 3 other elders which I don’t know.


I made an educate guess with the other 3.



Roland would be holding either Andy, Gabriel or King’s dirt. I eliminated Gabriel from the list because from my observation of the list, no elder would hold onto each other’s dirt. It doesn’t work that way and Gabriel is already holding onto Roland’s.



That leaves Andy and King. Which is a 50% chance of me getting it right.

I chose Andy because it made sense to me, they’re on opposite sides of the camp since the beginning.



Andy and Gabriel’s family had always been close with the baton being passed among them for the longest time. If I were Kate’s grandfather, and I had to give something of value from my family to another elder, I would give it to a family I am close with.


Andy would be holding Gabriel’s dirt.


This just leaves Ben, who would be holding onto King’s dirt.


A succession of taps sent all the messages out to the elders and I could see Fungye glaring at me, waiting for me to make my move.



Fungye : Why ??? calling for help ah??? Calling your daddy??? Or mummy ??? hahahah…. Call police ah ?? come and save you ?? hahaha…


Thanks to the beauty of technology, within seconds of me sending out the messages, I could hear the beeps and notification from the elder’s phone.



Within seconds, I heard several palms hit the table in anger. King, Terry and Ah Keong stood up immediately, shouting at me. I could see Andy’s jaw dropped while Gabriel stared at his screen in disbelief.


The sudden outburst caught Fungye by surprise and he glared at me .


Jake : You don’t need…… a loud voice …. To get everyone’s attention.




All eyes were on me as more and more of Fungye’s men arrived and streamed into the factory from the entrance at the far end.





Terry : What the fuck !!...

King : What is this !...

Ben : JAKE …. What did you do ??!




Voices rang out from the floor as I turned towards them.


Fungye shouted for everyone to shut up.


Fungye : Shut the fuck up…. All of you !!... you lowlifes….pieces of trash….


Then he turned to me , took two steps towards me and raised his hand in an attempt to slap me. I stepped back, easily avoiding his palm causing him to stager a little. This enraged him even further as he waved his walking stick at me.




Fungye : WHO…..

Fungye : THE FUCK……


Fungye : DO YOU THINK……

Fungye : YOU ARE !!!!!!


Liuhai and his men shouted and cursed at me, jeering at me to get off the stage.

Fungye : Get off this stage…. And join the rest of your shit family down on the floor where all of you belong !!....




Fungye’s face flushed red as she struggled to speak. Good, perhaps he might get a heart attack.


Fungye : you have no right !!!.... no right to even be on this stage…. Get the fuck off it !!!...


The noises of protest from the floor rose and it was worse than a market on a Sunday morning. Everyone was just shouting , raising their voices to be heard.


I too had to shout and I was surprised at how loud my voice were. I manage to project my voice towards the floor and beyond without the microphone . It was loud enough to even surprise Fungye


Jake : I HAVE EVERY FUCKING RIGHT…. TO BE HERE..!!!

Before anyone else could comment even further, I took out the old relic, the 9th vote that I had kept hidden for so long and raised it high about my head.


Gasp of surprise and shock came from the men as Fungye glared at me in disbelief.



I was not satisfied with just flashing that fucking vote at Fungye.

I wanted to give him the biggest fuck you I can muster.




I brought that pen down so hard, smashing it onto the cover that was protecting Fungye’s blade, the impact cracked the cover with a loud smack. The crack line ran along the entire cover before eventually collapsing upon itself.




Jake : As the holder of the 9th vote….. I challenge you …. On your right to rule. !!


The entire banquet erupted into chaos as Fungye tried to swing his walking stick at me but I stepped aside once more, avoiding it easily.


Fungye : You are shit !!!... all of you are SHIT!!!!..... useless …. Good for nothing !!!.... You will not survive without me !!!!.... This organisation will fall without me !!!..


Ah Keong and his men were shouting at me, nothing could describe the anger on everyone’s faces. They had every right to be angry at me, for concealing the 9th vote.



Fungye was so angry that he stumbled a little and Liuhai came up immediately , helping him down to get a seat.

Even as he helped him off the stage, Fungye was cursing at me. Vulgarities from a few different languages flew at me as Liuhai and his men tried to calm Fungye down while I was shouted to get off the stage by a few others.


I pointed to Fungye and looked at the rest of the people down the stage.


Jake : Is that the man you want to lead you ?? …. Someone like him… ??

Terry : You are no fit to lead us too !!... get off the stage… !!!


Jake : I’M NOT FINISHED WITH WHAT I HAVE TO SAY !!!.


I shouted directly at Terry and he too was shocked at my outburst.


I looked at as many of the men and women before me as I could in the eyes and I told them I was not there to lead.

Jake : I’m not here to lead you…. I don’t care about leading all of you ….. I am here to challenge Fungye’s right to do so !...


Fungye : FUCK YOU !!!..

Fungye tried to lift up his in an attempt to kick me but he fell backwards, luckily for him, he was supported by his men who helped him onto his seat.

[ilikeoldchangke]

Fungye : You will never get the support of this bunch of useless, SELFISH… thugs ..they are all good for nothing……… you are all pieces of shit !!!.... fuck you !!!


His men tried to calm him down as Fungye appeared agitated and out of control.


Jake : You heard that ?? !! did you hear that ???!!!



I pointed to Johari and his men.


Jake : He call you thugs….

Then I pointed to Ah Keong and his




Jake : He called you pieces of shit !!...

I looked directly into Roland’s eyes.


Jake: He said you all are good for nothing !!!


There were still pockets of discussions going on and I have yet to have the attention of the entire floor.


I turned and slammed my palms against the metal board, the sound rang out angrily in the factory. It echoed loud and hollow when the sound waves hit the interior walls of the factory.


Wham !... Wham !... Wham !...

Johari and most of his men stared shell shock at my ouTburst, unsure of what to do. They probably thought I was due for my medication too from the looks on their faces.

Jake : But you are not thugs !!! … all of you are much better than what he makes you out to be !!



I slammed the metal backing again, louder this time and that got the attention of all of Johari’s men including Uncle Ben.


Wham !...

Jake : DID BEN NOT PUT ALL OF YOU THROUGH SCHOOL !


I hit the board again, the pain in my palm driving up my anger.


Wham !...


Jake : DID BEN NOT PULL ALL OF YOU FROM THE JAWS OF JAIL AND A LIFETIME OF CRIME !!



Johari’s jaws dropped as well and several of them in his group stood up from their seat.

I hit the backing again, turning to King and Terry .



Wham !...

Jake : King !!! How many funerals and cremation have you paid for in all, for the old folks that passed away alone in their home with no one to claim their bodies….!! How much have you given to all the different religious organisations !!!



King too was speechless as I moved on to Terry.

Jake : And you ..!... Did you not hold on to all your staff despite your wife asking you countless times to replace them with someone younger and cheaper…. More than half your staff are above 70 !!...



For the first time, Terry stared at me in shock and disbelief. He didn’t know what to say.



Jake : Did you not pay for their medical bills as well !!?? … did you not join King on all his donations ?!!




Wham !...

I slammed the backing again, it creaked angrily at me as the sound got louder.


I pointed to Roland’s men.

Jake : Who paid for your studies !!! ….


Wham !...


Jake : Who took you in when you are rejected by your family just because you loved someone from the same sex !!..



Wham !...

I pointed to Lucy and asked how many girls has she helped out of her own dime who were cheated by their agents to work in Singapore.


Jake : How many have you secretly helped to go back home on your own dime as well !!




Turning to Ah Keong who by then was in shock, I pointed my fingers first to his men.

Several of them at the back still had trouble realising what was going on.


Wham !... Wham !... Wham !...



I hit the board 3 times, the sound of angry metal rang out so loud it hurt my own ear drums when I did it.

I got all their attention and most of them started moving closer to the stage.



Jake : LISTEN TO ME !!! ALL OF YOU !!

I slammed the backing again and I was surprised that the sound was amplified several times that round. I looked towards Johari and his men and realised that all of them had rose to their feet.



Roland’s boys too had gotten up and out of their seats. They too slammed their fists on the table the same time I slammed my against the metal.


Wham !... Wham !... Wham !...



Jake : LISTEN TO ME !!!


Jake : YOU ARE NOT MINDLESS THUGS FUNGYE MAKES YOU OUT TO BE !!..


I pointed my finger out into the crowd, exclaiming as loudly as I could.

Jake : YOU ARE BROTHERS !!! …


Wham !... Wham !... Wham !...


Jake : YOU ARE SISTERS !!! ….. YOU ARE FAMILY….

Wham !... Wham !... Wham !...



Jake : AND HE….. IS THE ONE THAT IS TRYING TO TEAR ALL OF YOUR APART ….!!



Wham !... Wham !... Wham !...

At least half of Ah Keong’s man were up on their feet, nodding their heads and acknowledging what I just said.




I stared right at Ah Keong


Jake : DID YOU NOT LAY THE VERY FOUNDATION OF THIS FACTORY WITH YOUR FATHER !!!


Wham !... Wham !... Wham !...

I addressed Ah Keong’s men before the echoes of the previous slam disappeared.


Jake : YOU BUILD THIS VERY BUILDING WITH YOUR OWN HANDS !!! ….

Wham !... Wham !... Wham !...



Jake : YOUR NAMES ARE ON THE PILLARS, YOUR BLOOD AND SWEAT ON THE VERY WALLS THAT SURROUNDED US !!

Wham !... Wham !... Wham !...



I pointed to Fungye and his men. Liuhai had Fungye up on his feet by then. They were surrounded and he knew they were in a vulnerable position. The rest of their men were at the back of the factory and at tables further away.


Jake : AND THIS MAN…. HE IS HERE TO TAKE ALLLLLL OF THESE…. AWAY FROM YOU !!!



Right at that very moment there Liuhai broke out from the gathering crowd with Fungye and managed to escaped through pockets of space towards the back of the factory. They walked briskly towards the exit, shouting and rallying their men along the way.


You could see the split in the crowd as men loyal to Fungye moved towards the back of the factory while the rest gathered closer to the stage. 2 trucks rumbled up at the entrance on the far end.



More of Fungye’s men alighted and jumped off the back.

“lai liao…. Lai liao…. ( coming… they’re coming already )


Pockets of voices rang out as Liuhai gathered his men on the far end.

They clearly outnumbered us as least 2 to 1.



Jake : ALL OF YOU WADED THORUGH SHIT AND MUD FOR 50 FUCKING YEARS TO GET TO WHERE YOU ARE TODAY !!! .

Jake : Who is he to tell you what to do !!! ..



Jake : He has taken so much from all of you… leaving you with nothing but scraps off his plates.…!!!! ….



Everyone on the floor were on their feet, except the ladies.



I paced up the stage, clenching my fist into a harden ball.

[ilikeoldchangke]

Jake : IF YOU DON’T HAVE THE IRON IN YOUR BLOOD AND THE STEEL IN YOUR SPINE TO DEFEND WHAT YOU HAVE !!!! THEN YOU DESERVE TO HAVE IT ALL TAKEN FROM YOU !!



Cheers rang out from the bottom of the stage and Lucy was the first to react.


They say a woman’s intuition and 6th sense were accurate and Lucy demonstrated to me what that meant that day. I saw Lucy whispered to Jane and Huimin and as instructions were passed down, the hair on the back of my neck rose when I saw all the girls slipped off their heels.



Lucy knew.

She knew what was about to happen even before it did.



They took off their heels, and walked barefoot across the floor towards the office.

You might think they’re bolting, but they’re not.



A few of Ah Keong’s man ran towards the storeroom, knocking and breaking the padlock with a fire extinguisher. Seconds later, trolleys were pushed out. Metal bars, rods and timber clubs in all shapes and sizes were brought out and distributed.

There was this frenzy in the air


This lust for action.

Uncle Ben was laughing in a hysterical manner, like a hyena out for blood. He grabbed 2 metal rods and I could hear Johari giving instructions for his men to hold Ben back.

Roland ‘s boys started stretching their sculpted muscles.


Bill remained seated beside Lucy.

Lucy’s girls had gone into Ah Keong’s office and from the glass panels, I could see they had sealed and shut the door by the reception. They even pushed a couple of tables against the door.



Files, stationaries were swept off tables. Bottle waters from the pantry were gathered. I saw Humin brought out the first aid box while Jane was on the phone.


Liuhai had gathered and formed up his men at the far end. They stretch across the entire breath of the factory, 3 man deep with Fungye and Liuhai right in front.


Fungye : FUCK YOU !!!... FUCK ALL OF YOU!!... WHAT CAN YOU DO ??? HAR ?? WHAT CAN YOU DO ??!!!!! HAR !!!!COME….. COME !!!!

Liuhai kept trying to hold Fungye back, preventing him from charging towards us.



Liuhai shouted at his men and they started advancing towards us.


Terry : Coming already… they’re coming…


A metal rod was passed up the stage for me and I took it.


Jake : LET THEM COME !!

Wham !...

I slammed the rod against the metal, sounding up the informal war drum.

Jake : I SAY LET THEM COME !!



Everyone that were on their feet smashed the tables with their fist, or whatever that they were holding in their hands, It created such a thunderous din and I could see the caterers ditching their stations and running away.

Wham !...

Jake : Look at them …. Look at how afraid they are !!!



Wham !...

Jake : They’re just catering to the whims of an old man.

Wham !...


Terry :They have so many more men than us !!!



Jake : They bleed just like we do… !!!



Wham !... Wham !... Wham !...


Cheers rang out, filling the entire space and it slowed the advance of Fungye’s man. They looked scared and unsure of what was happening. They were not prepared for this. Most of them stopped advancing, looking towards Liuhai for instructions as he tried desperately to rally up his men.


Jake : LET THEM COME !!



Wham !... Wham !... Wham !...


Jake : YOU FIGHT TO DEFEND WHAT YOU HAVE !!


Wham !... Wham !... Wham !...


Jake : You fight for the future of this organisation !!


Wham !... Wham !... Wham !...


Jake : You fight !!!............................... FOR THIS FAMILY !!!




The shouts that greeted me shook the very structure of the building we were in. Men punched their arms into the air, raising their makeshift weapons. Several of them taunted and shouted for Fungye’s men to come towards them.




Uncle Ben wanted to charge forward but was held back by Herman and a few more guys.


Uncle ; Whahaha… ahahaha.. LET ME GO !!!... FUCK..AHAHAHAH… CHEEE BYEE… WHAHAHA… LET ME GOO !!!!! AHAHAH..



Kate’s eyes were wide open, do was her mouth as she stared at me in shock. It looked like she was going to faint anytime now. Grandma struggled to stand on her feet and Kate helped her to get up.


I have never heard grandma speak before.


At the sight of the family matriarch getting to her feet, the crowd settled down a little and I could see Gabriel asking Kate to get their grandmother out of that place.


Grandma waved for Gabriel to stopped as she walked into the middle of the gathering. She pointed her walking stick towards Fungye and bodies parted to give her a clear line of sight.



I never expected grandma to do what she did but when she did it, she showed everyone else she truly deserved to be the wife of Kate’s grandfather.



Grandma pointed her walking stick at Fungye, a look of defiance across her face.



Grandma : BEAT THE SHIT…………. OUT OF THAT …………..MOTHER FUCKER !!!



The roar was louder than before and everyone took that as a signal. Tables were flipped and over turned. Chairs were kicked out of the way.

I jumped off the stage and I could see Bill coming towards me on my right.



Roland appeared magically on my left.

It’s as if they both knew the moment I ran in, I could get beaten into a pulp but it’s not going to stop me.


As the 3 of us made our way to the front, Roland chuckled and said something to me.



Roland : There was only 2 paths for people like you Jake….

Jake : And what is that ?


Roland : You lead….. or you rot in Jail…



Jake : Why ?

Roland : Because you have that spark…. That spark… to lit the fire in the belly of men…. You would be the first to get arrested in a riot… ahhaa…

Jake : but I don’t want either…



Roland : What do you want Jake ?


I turned towards Roland and gave him my honest answer.



Jake : I want to sell wanton noodles..



Bill and Roland laughed at the same time as we neared the front of the line.

[ilikeoldchangke]

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 ...




………………………..

[Giansex]

Finallly updated!!!cant wait for tml update

[Kujaboi]

I've always been a silent reader but brother ilock... Solid writing. Salute!

[Brogary]

Bro Ilock one hell of a legend writer. Just stopping at the climax to keep the suspense going. absolutely perfect. Keep up the masterpiece bro Ilock

[Tai_zi21]

Wah lan Ey!!!!!!
SI bei Swee lah!!!!
Read until got a bit of tears in the eyes sia!!!!!

[kooolboy]

it was very engaging until i read .... "majulah" wah liao. anti climax.

[PowderUp]

Very good updates, damn shiok!!

[thevilone]

top notch update. simply splendid.

[Oldman13]

Holy shit. Please continue... Really killing without knowing what is next...

[ClaypotAgain]

Superb story!