Bitter Sweet Harvest (6 page)

“Please let me speak to Hussein.”

He shrugged her hand off. “
Tak malu!
Shameless! Chasing after him, throwing yourself at him and expecting me to help you. Who do you think I am?” He snorted again before striding off.

Left alone, An Mei crumpled to the floor. She felt ashamed, ashamed that she had let herself, her parents and her aunt down. She did not know how she could ever bridge the gulf created between herself and her family. She was in no doubt that she had done wrong. She had gone against the filial piety that her parents expected of her. She had convinced herself that it was for love; because Hussein loved her. Now even this seemed doubtful. Why hadn’t Hussein been in touch? She was not sure if there was any truth in what Ahmad had relayed, but she felt humiliated by his taunts. Was she really throwing herself at Hussein? she wondered.

I
n Kemun, Hussein paced up and down the length of the drawing room in his parents’ palatial home. He ignored their entreaties to sit down and relax. His parents were sitting on a settee with other members of the family around them. He looked at their colourful clothes, their opulence and lavish styles; he saw them talk and laugh without a care and felt completely apart from them. He had rushed back from Oxford in response to his father’s plea and the crisis his homeland was facing. But it appeared that the crisis did not bother his family. He had forgotten just how many family members he had. He felt stifled by their presence — their eyes following his every movement. The only respite came from speaking to his friend Ahmad. Yet even there he was disappointed. Ahmad had explained to him gently, but in no uncertain terms, that his parents would cut him off if he continued his relationship with An Mei in the brash manner he had done so far. He would not get a penny and would have to make his own way in the world. He had answered defiantly that this was precisely his intention and what his education had prepared him for, but Ahmad had brusquely pushed his bravado aside.

“How naïve you are and how out of touch. You might have the qualifications and of course that helps, but no doors will be open to you without the support of your parents. This is how things work here. Who would dare risk their displeasure by taking you on?” Ahmad placed his arm around Hussein’s shoulders and, in a conciliatory tone, continued. “Let me speak to An Mei. Don’t try to contact her. It will only upset your parents. Trust me. I will see what I can do.”

“Can you tell her what is happening here? I have been trying to call her every day, but no one seems to know where she is. She must be frightened.” Hussein was tortured by his inability to keep the promise he had made to her. “I don’t want her to think that I have abandoned her. I wanted to go back to Kuala Lumpur but have been thwarted each time. You know my parents have taken away all my cash and even my cheque book?” When he protested, they said he had no need of them because everything was provided for. And at that point, as never before in his life, he understood the true meaning of independence. To be independent, you needed to have money and he had none. All that he possessed, or thought was his, had been taken away in a single swoop. He felt trapped and completely powerless.

Ahmad laughed. “Yes! Of course! Don’t worry. Just go and sit over there with your parents and try to win their favour. Whatever you might think, they want the best for you. I’ll see how I can bring both of you together without upsetting them.”

Hussein looked over to where the party was congregated and caught his mother’s eyes.

“Come, come over and join us. We are planning what to do tomorrow. Tomorrow is Shalimar’s nineteenth birthday.” Faridah patted the seat next to her. “Sit by me, my son. And stop looking so glum.
Apa ini?
What is this? I have had enough of your requests to leave us for Kuala Lumpur. We have only just arrived back home and you want to go away.”

With the other hand, she waved to Shalimar to come forward. “Sit here, next to me.” Taking Hussein’s hand from one side of her and Shalimar’s hand on the other side of her, she joined them together holding both on her lap. “We shall have to make plans for your engagement soon. Give it some thought. Make use of the time to get to know each other. Understand?” she said looking from one to the other.

Shalimar, her eyes firmly cast down, refused to look up. Her headscarf slipped forward, shielding her from view. Hussein looked desperately for Ahmad. He struggled to remove the hand that his mother had placed firmly on Shalimar’s.

“
Ibu, jangan!
Mother, don’t! Don’t force me!” He could feel Shalimar’s hand limp below his.

“What do you mean? Have you forgotten that you were already informally betrothed to Shalimar when you were children and until now you have never shown any objections.”

“But mother, we were just children, playing — it was never meant to be serious. Anyway I have not seen her since she was twelve. And since that time, you have never really brought it up. Isn’t that so Shalimar?”

Shalimar nodded, still silent, still looking down. Tears, however, fell from her eyes wetting her sleeves.

Did she agree with him? Hussein wondered. His heart leapt feeling a ray of hope that he was not alone in his opposition to his mother’s plan.

“Look what you have done. You have hurt Shalimar,” his mother scolded.

Hussein looked at Shalimar and saw her tears. Abashed, he gripped Shalimar’s hand, which lay under his, and said, “Do you wish to talk? Shall we step out to the garden?”

Faridah broke into a big smile. “
Bagus! Pergi-pergi!
Good! Go! It will do both of you some good.”

They got up and walked to the terrace and into the garden. Faridah nodded to Ahmad and indicated that he should follow the young couple. Ahmad shook his head. “Leave them be,” he mouthed silently and smiled.

Outside in the warm night air, Hussein apologised. “I am sorry if I upset you, but what I said was true. Don’t you agree? We may have played at getting married when we were children, but since then we have never been together. Surely, you must be as much against this marriage as I am?”

“
Abang
, elder brother, speak softly. Walls have ears. I am not free to speak my mind.” Shalimar drew her headscarf tighter towards her face, half covering her mouth. When she looked up at him, her eyes were luminous.

“You can tell me. I won’t repeat it to anyone.”

She looked around anxiously before saying. “I have no choice. I cry because I have no choice. Don’t you understand? I am to marry you — someone who has no wish to have me as a bride.”

“You have a choice. You can say no!”

“You have no idea,” She lowered her voice further.

“Tell me. I promise on my honour that I will not tell anyone.”

She looked at him for a long time, her eyes searching his. “You swear to this?”

He nodded putting the palm of his hand to his heart.

Finally, she whispered. “I love someone else too. He is our gardener’s son. My brother said that he is a thief and that he caught him stealing. He threatens to put him in prison if I do not do as he bids. Your parents do not know of my circumstance. They believe that I have agreed to the marriage willingly.”

Hussein smiled a mirthless grin. He realised then why Ahmad had proposed to be his and An Mei’s intermediary. He said to Shalimar, “We have to put our heads together and see what can be done.” He held out his hand and she took it.

Faridah watched them from the window and smiled indulgently.

Two days later, Hussein went with Shalimar to Faridah. He held Shalimar’s hand in his. “Mother, Shalimar and I would like to go to Kuala Lumpur. I would like her to see some of my favourite haunts and perhaps do some shopping.” Turning to Shalimar, he asked gently, “You would like that, wouldn’t you?” She nodded demurely in response.

“Yes! Go,” beamed Faridah. “But you have to be chaperoned. And Ahmad is not here to go with the two of you. He has left for Kuala Lumpur and has not returned.”

“Can the driver take us to Kuala Lumpur and be our chaperone?” asked Hussein. Seeing her reluctance, he added, “You might wish to appoint Shalimar’s maid to come as an additional chaperone. In any case, if Ahmad is in Kuala Lumpur, I am sure that he will look after Shalimar there.”

Faridah’s heart sang. She felt a change in Hussein’s attitude; she liked his solicitous and caring manner when he spoke to Shalimar. She recalled how he sought Shalimar’s company after dinner last evening. However, there remained the problem of An Mei. She was still in the guesthouse in Kuala Lumpur and Faridah did not want Hussein to see her. She would have to get rid of the girl somehow.

With a broad confident smile, she said to Shalimar, “I leave him in your hands. See that he does not go astray. And buy something pretty.”

She watched as Hussein and Shalimar left the room. Then she sprang up and with a speed that belied her age went into the adjourning library. She locked the door securely behind her and paused for a moment with her back pushed against it. A determined look crossed her face. She strode to the huge desk at the corner and picked up the phone, her fingers nimbly dialling before speaking into the mouthpiece. “I don’t care how you do it, just make sure that she leaves the country. Take her by force if you have to, I want her put on the first available plane to the UK. I don’t think we will have much trouble with Hussein. He seems quite besotted with Shalimar. He will be leaving for Kuala Lumpur with her tomorrow morning.”

J
enny rushed up the path and banged on the dark red door. Not satisfied, she lifted the brass letterbox to peep into the house before releasing the catch with a clash and a bang. “Come to the door. I have news,” she shouted, breathing heavily. Her bosom rose and fell rapidly from the effort of running all the way from the car park.

“We’re coming. Wait a minute,” shouted Mei Yin.

Mei Yin wrenched open the door.

Jenny could see the top of Nelly’s head, just the forehead and eyes, over Mei Yin’s shoulders. Both women had obviously been crying.

Mei Yin took hold of Jenny’s arm and ushered her into the house. “Tell us! What news? Do you know where she is?” Her voice rose. In her anxiety, she banged the door shut.

“Shhh! Slow down both of you,” warned Nelly pointing with her finger to the floor above them. “Ming Kong is asleep. You are not going to get anywhere by shouting. It’s always like this when the two of you get together. All you will succeed in doing is waking up Ming Kong and having him rush down. You know as well as I do that it would best for us discuss this calmly before getting him involved.”

Jenny stopped mid-stride and turned to Mei Yin. She remembered Ming Kong’s animosity towards her. He thought her a bad influence. There was even a time when he had forbidden his wife from seeing her. What would he do now if he knew that she had been instrumental in introducing Hussein to An Mei?

“Are you sure it is alright for me to stay?”

Their answer was to lead her into the kitchen. Nelly closed the door gently, wincing at the creaking sound it made. “Quick, tell us.” Both women moved closer to Jenny.

“Hussein took An Mei to his parent’s house in Kuala Lumpur. He left almost immediately with them for his hometown on the east coast. Poor An Mei was left on her own for days in the house. Then, according to the servants, she vanished. They could tell me nothing.”

“Did you ask Hussein?” Nelly demanded.

“It took me a long time to get hold of him. At first no one seemed able or willing to get him to the phone. I felt I was bashing my head against a brick wall. One of the servants eventually told me that Hussein had returned to KL. So I called again and managed finally to speak to him. He had little to add to what I already knew about An Mei, but he did admit reluctantly that his parents were against An Mei. I had warned him that would happen, but he chose to ignore me.”

“So where is our daughter, what has become of her?”

“I’m so sorry, but I just don’t know,” admitted Jenny. She was at a loss as to what to say. Her sources had told her of Faridah’s antagonism towards An Mei and of Ahmad’s visit. She did not wish to alarm her friends of her own suspicion. It could be nothing.

Mei Yin looked unconvinced. She saw the guilt in Jenny’s face. “You are hiding something from us,” said Mei Yin.

“I don’t really know. I... I just heard that Hussein’s mother wanted An Mei out of the house before Hussein returned to it.”

“How do you mean? You mean they’ve kidnapped her, harmed her?

“I don’t know.” She regretted her words and tried to calm Mei Yin and Nelly. “It might be that they just forced her to leave the house.”

“Who are these people? How could they turn a young girl out onto the streets, particularly at a time like this, when it was their son who invited her?” asked Nelly turning to Mei Yin, bewildered. “What has An Mei got herself into?” And as Jenny explained Hussein’s family and the ambition they had for him, both Mei Yin and Nelly fell silent. They held on to each other’s hands, finding comfort in the contact. They could not understand why this had happened. They felt as though something precious had been wrenched violently from them. They had lost a daughter. An Mei’s short phone call to say she was leaving without any prior warning had left them distraught. It came as a complete shock that she could behave in such a callous way. Now it seemed that even this thin thread of connection leading to KL was broken.

“Can you do something, Jenny? Please help us to find her.”

Jenny took their hands in hers and shook her head, unable to bring herself to say
no
. She felt guilty for introducing An Mei to Hussein, but all her pleading with her husband to intervene had fallen on deaf ears. “
Datuk
can’t help. He said he does not know how or what to do.”

W
hen Ahmad left, An Mei had remained huddled on the floor. Feelings of shame and anger had coursed through her mind. It drained her of energy. Slowly she picked herself up, every movement an effort. She felt lifeless and heavy. Every sinew in her neck was taut, painful. She returned to her room and lay on the bed, unsure what to do. She closed her eyes. A sense of utter loneliness enveloped her.