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"You don't have to swim faster than the shark, just faster than the guy next to you." - Anonymous
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Lessons in Life Part 2
My family moved a lot due to my father’s job as a headmaster. Among the towns we have stayed in are Teluk Intan (Teluk Anson at that time), Langkap (Near Kampar, Perak) and Batu Gajah. When I was 16, we moved to a brand new housing estate in Ipoh called Silibin Garden.
I enrolled for form four in the Anglo Chinese School, became active in the Literary and Debating Society, Theatre group, started drumming and got myself my first motorbike – a very safe and boring Honda C70.
I also made friends with the local gang that “controlled” Silibin Garden and the neighbouring Lim Garden. These dudes ran around on modified Honda CB100s and used their leader G’s house as a base.
A couple of streets from my house, in Jalan Mohanlal, lived the Peters family, with daughters Francissca and Bibiana. A very young Fran was fronting a band called Delta at that time, and I would end up playing as replacement drummer for a short while, but that’s another story for another day.
Nearby my house also, next to the Our Lady of Lourdes Church, lived a Portuguese family with three daughters. I developed a crush on the middle girl, 17 year old Monica. So did my schoolmate and Lim Garden resident Colin M.
For some time, I didn’t know what to do. Colin was already on “Hello” terms with her and had the advantage over me but he of course refused to introduce us. After observing her movements, I hit on the bright idea of chatting her up as she fetched her little sister home from school on her bicycle every evening.
So I borrowed my sister’s bicycle and waited in front of the Tarcisian Convent School. I spotted Monica shortly and her little sister climbed on the carrier behind her bicycle. I followed as she set off home, gathering up the nerve to cycle abreast and chat her up,
I failed the first day. Followed her all the way and nonchalantly turned into my street whistling like nothing was happening. The second day I drew abreast and managed to croak a “Hi!” She smiled and said “Hi” back. Naturally I ran out of things to say after that and said “see ya around” before I sped off like the idiot I was.
I was late the third day and was pedaling like mad to catch up when I spotted Monica in trouble at a quiet side street. Two dudes had attacked her, with one holding the bicycle handle bar and the other holding her right arm. I leapt off my bicycle and piled into them, punching and kicking like a mad man.
Surprisingly, they didn’t fight back too hard but fled after a short while. Monica’s little sister was bawling her lungs out. Monica was hugging my waist and said “my hero!” when Colin turned up jogging, looking very flustered and unhappy. “What happened?” he demanded.
She left as I started to explain things to Colin.
“Shut up!” he said. “I paid them RM 10 to bother her”.
“But why, Colin?” I asked.
“So that I could save her, you arsehole!” he snapped.
“Well, how the fark was I supposed to know?” I bleated, thinking he was watching too many Hindi movies.
After that I escorted Monica home regularly ‘just to make sure she was safe. We were becoming good friends and I was planning to ask her out for a date soon. I was one happy guy. Meantime, G told me that I had been accepted into the gang and had to attend their party. I had to contribute a carton of Dunhill cigarettes.
Cigarette carton in hand, I went. There were all kinds of hard liquor, beer, weed, a card game was in full swing at the dining table and a couple of the neighbourhood girls were dancing to the disco music blaring from G’s speakers.
I grabbed a cold beer from the bucket and was taking a swig when G pulled me aside. “Dude, there’s some action going on in my bedroom” he said winking conspiratorially. “You want in?”
“Sure” I said, not knowing exactly what he was talking about but not wanting to appear uncool.
“I’ll set you up next” he said. “There’s a long queue. She’s really hot”.
So it was I found myself in his dark bedroom shortly. I could barely make out a naked female on the bed. Curious, I fished out my Zippo from my jeans and flicked it alive.
“Oh my God, Hero!” went the girl on the bed, simultaneously pulling up the blanket to cover herself with one hand and turning on the bedside lamp with the other. Eyes downcast, she said “I can’t do you”
Equally embarrassed, I stuttered “ I…I…can’t do you too” and fled the room. I sat at the table drinking steadily and kept my back to the room after that, not wanting to know how many guys went in or whether she left immediately after our encounter. I was heartbroken. We never spoke again.
Needless to say, I got drunk for the first time in my life that night.
