Chapter 4

4

This can’t be happening. It can’t be. But wait, what is happening?

These are the thoughts swirling through my mind as I creep up the staircase, careful not to wake anyone up. I knock softly at Ma’s door before going inside. Ma and Second Aunt are sitting in their beds, hair rollers on, both of them scrolling through their phones, probably watching one of the dozens of fake health news videos that they will then forward to the family WhatsApp group with the caption: “You see, if you want to be healthy, avoid sunlight for one hundred days!” The normalcy of the scene weighs me down. I wish I could lie and say “Just wanted to wish you a good night” and then leave them alone.

But just as I think that, Ma glances up, catches the expression on my face, and lowers her phone. “Aduh, Meddy. What now?”

“Yes, who you kill this time?”

“Nobody! Why’s that always your first assumption?”

Second Aunt narrows her eyes. “Every time you call or you come into our room late at night, wearing that miserable face, is either someone die, or someone about to die. So, which one is it?”

I put my hands on my hips. “Well, you’ll be glad to know that for once, none of this is my fault. Abi’s downstairs, and he says he’s in trouble.”

Second Aunt shoots straight up like a meerkat. “Abi is in trouble?”

I blink, and she’s out of the bed, leaping out of it with the fluidity and speed of a ninja. Wow, I guess Tai Chi really does keep you young. She moves like a whirlwind across the room, tearing off the curlers from her hair. When she reaches the makeup table, she swipes on a lick of lipstick, slaps some rouge onto her cheeks, and steps back, glaring at the mirror. “Okay. Let’s go. Quick!”

Ma is still struggling out of bed. Second Aunt tuts at her. “Why you move so slowly? Cepat!”

“Iya, iya,” Ma sighs as she finds a robe and shrugs it on. “Okay, ready.”

Second Aunt side-eyes her. “You not even bothering to put on lipstick? Tsk. Don’t blame me if Abi thinks you are the older sister.” She primps her hair and slinks out of the room. Is it my imagination or do her hips sway more exaggeratedly than usual?

I exchange a glance with Ma, who smiles softly. “Been a while since I see Second Aunt act like this.”

I bite back my smile. I know so little about what Ma and the aunties were like when they were younger. There are only a few faded photos retained from their youth, so every time I get a glimpse at what they must have been like back when they were still living in Jakarta, it’s a priceless moment that I like to savor. I can see Second Aunt in her teens, walking past Abi’s house on her way to school. I can see her giving him a half-shy, half-flirtatious side glance that would set his heart racing. She would’ve noticed the way his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he gulped at the sight of her, and she would’ve laughed a little and swayed her hips ever so slightly, feeling his eyes on her as she walked away. Oh, Second Aunt. Who would’ve thought?

But now, there are far more pressing issues at hand. I link arms with Ma and the two of us make our way out of the room, past Big Aunt and Fourth Aunt’s room. Their door is ajar, the room empty, so I guess they’ve gone downstairs as well. I grimace. Big Aunt is probably already deep into a lecture, telling Abi off for showing up so late at night. We hasten our step and hurry down.

As it turns out, they’re not in the living room but in the study, and all of them are looking very somber and worried. Immediately, my anxiety spikes. It’s okay, I tell myself. This time, it’s not my problem. I mean, of course it’s something I would help out with, but it’s not actually anything I’ve done. Or is it? No, there is no way that this could be related to me. I haven’t killed anyone, I haven’t hired anyone . . . I’m clean.

Ma joins Big Aunt and Fourth Aunt on the sofa, while Second Aunt is perched on the other sofa, next to Abi, her hand on his arm. Nathan leans against the back wall. I go up to him and he puts his arm around me. “It’ll be okay,” he whispers, as though he could sense just how anxious I am. I nod and try for a smile, but it feels heavy and forced.

Abi clears his throat before speaking in Indonesian. “I’m very sorry for disturbing all of you.”

“Eh, wait,” Ma says, waving her hand at Abi. “Can you speak English? So my son-in-law can understand.”

My heart swells. That’s so sweet and thoughtful of Ma.

“Ah, yes, of course,” Abi says in flawless English. His accent is vaguely British. “As I was saying, I’m so sorry for disturbing all of you. I wouldn’t have come here like this, in the middle of the night, if I had any other choice.”

Big Aunt shakes her head. “I knew it.” Her voice is sharp with disapproval. “I knew you are bad egg, Abi. Even when you are kid, I already know, very bad egg, always up to no good.”

I’m surprised her face doesn’t melt under the furious heat of Second Aunt’s glare. Second Aunt shifts, straightening up, her chest ballooning and her nostrils flaring. “Some people,” Second Aunt declares, “cannot help but jump to crazy conclusion. Is a bad habit. They are always wrong, but they think they so smart, keep on jumping to very embarrassing conclusion.”

Some terrified survival instinct kicks in and I blurt out, “Anyway. What’s the matter, Om Abi? Anything we can help you with?”

Abi nods vigorously, his face a mixture of gratefulness and fear. His gaze skitters to Big Aunt before dropping to his hands. “Ah, well, there has been an unfortunate mistake. The gift baskets that I brought over earlier today . . .”

“Aha!” Big Aunt barks. “I knew it. You want them back, right? You cannot have them back. You already give out the gifts, how you can ask for them back? So lose face.”

“No, not at all,” Abi says quickly, raising his palms in front of him, as if to shield himself from Big Aunt’s wrath. “They are all meant for you and your family, of course.”

“Hmph,” Big Aunt snorts, deflating slightly.

“Ah, well, all of them, that is, except for one.” Abi wrings his hands, looking like he would die to have a hole to crawl into and hide. “One of the baskets, you see, was actually meant for somebody else.”

This time, it’s Second Aunt who snaps. “What?! You going after some other hussy? Hanh? You come here and give me all this gift, then you go to her house, give her more gifts?”

“What? No. It’s not like that at all, wait—”

“You tell me which hussy is it now. Aha, I know, must be that Halena, right? Ever since we young, she is always drooling after this boy and that boy. I haven’t seen her in over thirty years, but I bet you she is just as genit as before.”

Abi looks at the rest of us with panicked eyes. He’s so obviously out of his depth that I can’t help feeling sorry for him. “Second Aunt,” I call out, “maybe it’s worth letting Om Abi explain?” Before jumping to conclusions, I silently add.

Abi nods. “Yes, please, Enjelin, it really isn’t what you think.”

Second Aunt takes an enraged breath and releases it dramatically. Abi reaches out for her hand, but she yanks it away. “Fine. You continue,” she snaps.

Big Aunt is openly beaming at this.

Abi clears his throat. “So as I was saying, one of the baskets was meant for somebody else. That person is the director and majority owner of the Ruo Fa Group.”

Nathan releases a low whistle.

“What is it?” I frown at him.

“That’s a major multinational corporation. Some of my partners are vying to do business with them.”

“Yes,” Abi says, “they’re sort of a big deal.” He laughs weakly. “So you see, that’s why I had to come back here to get the gift basket—”

“Aiya,” Ma says, “you were here, you can see for yourself that all the gift baskets are all taken apart and give away already! Why not you just get a new gift basket for this Ruo Fa Group director? We can help you with it. My Dajie can even bake her masterpiece cakes to put inside the basket. No one can resist Dajie’s cakes.”

Big Aunt harrumphs again, but she’s also smiling slightly at that.

“Er, well, you see, it’s about what was inside the gift basket.” Abi scratches his chin, looking utterly miserable. “That particular gift basket contained all the red packets. And before you offer to give me money for it, it’s not about the money. One of the red packets contains a title deed to a large plot of land. Land that’s very strategically located in Jakarta. Ruo Fa Group has been gunning for it for almost a decade now, but I’ve held fast to it all this time. But now, after all this time, I’ve reached an agreement with their director, and I am giving her the land as a show of good faith.”

This is greeted by a moment of shocked silence.

Then Second Aunt hisses, “Her? I knew it was a she.”

“Really? That’s your takeaway from all that?” I mutter.

“Aduh, all the red packets given away to the kids,” Ma says.

Abi nods forlornly. “I know, I was there.” He pinches the bridge of his nose. “Trust me, I’ve replayed the scene in my mind countless times. All those red packets going out to dozens of children . . .” He ends the sentence with a defeated groan. “I really, really need that title deed back, otherwise . . .” His voice wavers with a note of fear bordering on shrill panic.

Ice tingles down my spine. Sure, from a business standpoint, this sounds bad. But Abi is positively fearful. I mean, his hands are actually shaking, for god’s sake. That’s a little bit over the top, right?

“Om Abi,” I say, “can I ask, what’s the worst thing that can happen if you fail to give the title deed to this Ruo Fa Group director?”

Abi’s eyes meet mine, and the chill spreads from my spine to the rest of my body. My scalp crawls. His eyes are filled with pure, animalistic desperation. “I—I don’t dare to think of the consequences of that, my dear,” he whispers. He tries for a smile, but it ends up a ghastly grimace.

What the hell is going on? What am I missing here? “If it’s a business deal, then surely the worst that can happen is that the deal falls through?” I look around the room at the various expressions everyone is wearing.

Big Aunt appears triumphant. Second Aunt is pursing her lips at Abi, and I’m not sure if it’s meant to be disapproving or coquettish. Ma is looking very worried, and Fourth Aunt is watching with horrified glee, her eyes wide and shining. The last time Fourth Aunt had that look was when she was about to look at Ah Guan’s body. Oh god. It clicks into place then.

They’d said, hadn’t they, in Oxford, that Abi was a crime lord. A mafia. A gangster. I don’t know, whatever the terms are here. But all that talk about Abi being a criminal was no exaggeration.

“Oh my god,” I whisper. “This is a mafia thing, isn’t it? The head of the Ruo Fa Group, she’s also some—I don’t know—some cartel leader?”

“Whoa, whoa,” Abi cries, holding up his palms. “We’re definitely not gangsters. We’re all law-abiding citizens here. There is no such thing as a crime syndicate here in Jakarta.” He glances around the room, as if searching for a hidden camera, and says, loudly, “We all respect and follow the law. We are very law-abiding. I don’t even jaywalk.”

We all stare at him. This is the most unconvincing thing I have ever heard.

“Weren’t you referred to in newspapers as the ‘Scourge of Jakarta’?” I point out as politely as I can. “I’m sure I’ve seen articles about how you’ve had people murdered. Not that I’m judging or anything,” I add quickly, in case I accidentally offend him and he has us killed.

Abi laughs. “Oh god, no. Those aren’t newspapers, my dear, they’re tabloids. They also write about women giving birth to half-goat demons, and family curses, and all sorts of rubbish. My competitors, they like to feed these lies about me to the tabloids to tank my reputation.” He gives Second Aunt a pleading look. “I promise you, I am a law-abiding citizen. All of my businesses are legit.”

I take in Abi’s tattooed arms, noticing how a bit of tattooed skin peeks out from above the collar of his shirt. I can totally imagine his entire torso and back and arms covered in a dragon tattoo. It’s too easy to see him holding a cigarette casually while ordering someone to be tortured or killed. Despite his civility and his fear, he exudes an aura of strength, a certain rough quality that hints at a life of danger.

The uneasiness spreads across my entire being, and I place a hand on my stomach, feeling ill. There’s a sensation of needing to get as far away from Abi and his terrifying problem as I can. “I don’t know if I want to be involved in this—”

“I don’t want any of you involved in this,” Abi says quickly. “But the thing is, the Ruo Fa Group will know that this was where I lost the title deed, and they will send men to—ah, ask for it. Unless we find it first.”

The way he says “ask for it” triggers alarm bells. Somehow, I don’t think he meant people politely asking where the title deed might be. Visions of my family, of my little nieces and nephews, screaming with fear as their loved ones are tortured in front of them, swim across my mind, and my knees nearly give out. I clutch at Nathan, and he keeps a firm hold on me. His jaw is clenched. I know he has sensed the danger as well.

“Okay, simple,” Ma says, with a clap of her hands. “In the morning, we call everyone and see who got the title deed. No big deal!”

Abi nods eagerly. “Yes, that’s a wonderful plan. Wonderful! But ah . . .” He stretches his mouth into a terrified grin, glancing at Big Aunt before glancing away again. “We need to go to the Ruo Fa Group director’s house now to apologize and beg—ah, I mean, negotiate—to have more time to locate the title deed.”

“What?” We all say this at the same time, and Abi quails under our collective surprise.

“Yes, er, you see, it’s important that we don’t anger her, because—”

“Because she’s a mafia lord and might kill us if we anger her?” I cry.

Abi laughs, a shrill sound. “No! Of course not. Oh, you kids are so dramatic. Ha. Ha-ha.” He clears his throat. “She might—you know, just—be a bit offended, that’s all.”

“And what happens when she gets offended?” Nathan says.

Abi’s mouth opens and closes. Opens again. “Ah . . . nothing good.” He laughs weakly. He looks like he’s about this close to peeing himself, this man who’s all ropey muscles and fearsome tattoos.

“Okay,” Second Aunt says, looking resolute. “I go with you. I explain to this woman what happen.”

“I’ll come too!” Fourth Aunt pipes up. She’s still wearing that expression of horrified glee, grinning like a kid on Chinese New Year. “I’m not going to miss this for the world.”

Big Aunt frowns. “I come also.”

“Yes, me also,” Ma says.

For a split second, I see myself saying No. I won’t come. I’m staying out of it.

The thought lasts less than a heartbeat. Because of course I will come. How can I possibly not, when my mom and aunts have had my back at every unfortunate turn of events? They never even questioned it; they were all immediately in for the ride. Guilt gnaws at my belly for even hesitating to go along with them.

But why do they need to get involved here? The whole thing smells bad. It smells of danger. No matter how hard Abi insists that there’s nothing fishy going on, it oozes of hidden perils. The smart thing to do here would be for all of us to wash our hands of it.

“Would it be possible to have a chat with my family before we decide on anything?” I say to Abi.

A shadow crosses his face, and for just a moment, it looks thunderous. My heart stops. He looks every bit like the mafia lord he claims he isn’t. Every part of me wants to run away and disappear from his sight.

“Meddy,” Ma scolds, “so rude. Don’t be so rude to our guest, ya?”

I fight all of my instincts and stand firm. My skin crawls, as though it’s trying to get as far away from all of their disapproving stares as possible.

Then Abi smiles. “It’s fine. Yes, of course, I’ll leave you all alone to discuss. But I do have to remind you that we are running out of time.” With that, he stands and leaves the room.

I release my breath.

“Why you do that?” Second Aunt hisses. “You see, now you offend him. So disrespectful to your elders!”

“Sorry, I—I just—look, I feel really awful for Om Abi, I do. But it sounds really fishy.”

There’s silence for a moment, then Big Aunt starts sniffing the air. “Mm, yes, there is bad smell in here.”

Second Aunt sniffs too. “I think moldy. Maybe the curtains not washed regularly, aiya, so dirty.”

“No,” I groan. “I meant—ah, don’t you guys find it suspicious? Do you actually believe Om Abi when he says he’s not a mafia lord?”

“Oh, he is for sure one hundred percent a gangster,” Fourth Aunt mutters.

“Right, exactly!” I cry.

“Tch, don’t listen to Fourth Aunt.” Ma rolls her eyes. “She think everyone is bu san bu si because she is like that. Abi say he is law-abiding. If he is not law-abiding, why he say he is law-abiding?”

Second Aunt nods vigorously.

I flap at them, flabbergasted. Are they seriously this naive? “Because he’s trying to lure us into a false sense of security? No bad guy is going to be like, ‘Oh yeah, I’m a bad guy.’ Of course he’ll say he’s a legit businessman. But I’m telling you, I sense danger. He’s telling us to go to a rival mafia group’s estate. Does that not strike you as massively unsafe?”

“Aduh, Meddy,” Second Aunt sighs. “Why you so drama?”

“Yes, you always overly reacting,” Ma agrees. “Everything so over-the-top all the time, Meddy. Honestly, is very tiring, you know.”

“What?”I feel as though my head is about to burst from all the oh-hell-no going through it. Nathan, who is very low-emotion and down to earth, maybe has the right to tell me I’m over-the-top in comparison. But my mother and my aunts? Hell to the no. I struggle to keep my voice even. “All of my life, you guys have been overreacting to every little thing that happens. I’ve always been the level-headed one.”

Big Aunt frowns. “I don’t think so, Meddy. I think we all are always so wise, guiding you to become proper person.”

I grind my teeth so hard I swear my back molars crack. “I—yes, you’ve always guided me well, but you’ve also always done it in the most melodramatic way possible.” They all start to say something, and I quickly add, “Not that it matters now. I don’t even know why we’re talking about this. What matters now is that this feels really shady and dangerous.”

Second Aunt says, “I tell you, all this is normal Indonesian business. Nothing illegal. Right, Nathan?”

All eyes are suddenly on Nathan, who stiffens under the sudden onslaught of attention. He tugs at the collar of his shirt and clears his throat. “Um . . . I mean, I’m not sure that I have enough information to make a judgment call here . . .”

“Tch,” Second Aunt tuts. “Yes, but you are businessman, so you must know all about businesspeople. What you know about Abi’s business?”

Nathan scratches his chin. “Well, I do know that Ruo Fa Group is highly sought after by many of my business partners—”

“You see?” Second Aunt says triumphantly.

“But I know nothing about the director as a person,” he finishes, but no one is paying attention. Second Aunt and Ma are already nodding and getting ready to leave.

“Meddy, you coming or not?” Ma says, almost as an afterthought.

Oh god, if only I could say no and still live with myself. I try one last time. “I don’t think any of us should go. I think we should let Abi handle this, and in fact, I think we should fly back to LA tomorrow, because this feels really wrong.”

“Will be okay, Meddy.” Big Aunt pats my arm kindly. “I be there, make sure they don’t get in trouble.”

I want to scream at all of them, remind them that they’re elderly aunties, for crying out loud. What’s Big Aunt going to do when faced with a houseful of gangsters? I glance with desperation at Nathan, who raises his eyebrows at me. The words are unspoken, but I know him well enough by now to know what he’s saying: It’s up to you.

There’s no choice. I exhale, my shoulders slumping with defeat. “We’ll come. Of course we will.” There is no way I’m about to let my mother and aunts stroll into a potential mafia lord’s house without me around to get them out.