Robin's Mother

While I was working for the syndicate, Esther was Vincent’s secretary. Later she resigned and stayed with us in Johore Baru on and off. Most of the time, she stayed in Kuala Lumpur with her mother. I used to travel as far as to Thailand and when I was in Kuala Lumpur, I stayed at her place. Sometime I stayed in KL Hilton Hotel when she was not around. We often spent time at the Pan Pacific Hotel Health Club. Sometime when I traveled, she followed me. I like her and always treat her as my sister. One day she drove my car to Penang. On the way we got a nasty accident and the car was badly damaged. Luckily both of us were not hurt.

For a month I was in Kuala Lumpur doing nothing other than waiting for my car being repaired. That was in 1987. Then some members of the syndicate from Singapore came to Kuala Lumpur. As usual in the evening we would spend our time at nightclubs wherever we were. That evening we went to the Shangri-La Nightclub and that was where I met Robin’s mother (Ann). She was a GRO (Guest Relation Officer). I ordered two bottles of Cordon Bleu from her and gave a heavy tip. I invited the group including Ann and her friends for dim sum lunch at the Shangri-La Hotel. I was always a big spender with my new life style, with tinted hair and dressed in branded clothes and what’s not.

There was still half bottle of the brandy left at the nightclub. When the group returned to Singapore, I went back the next evening for it. The following evenings I found myself there. I love to drink especially Cordon Bleu. I was never a womanizer. Ann was always around and we just talked. That was all. I was lonely in my line of work. Though I earned easy money but I never know what would happen on my next job. It was a very trying career. I could not go back to my normal life which was too slow for me then. I was a changed person. Being a front man, I became fearless.

Soon my car was repaired. I went back home to Johore Bahru. Every morning I went over to Singapore to have breakfast with the group at Newton Circle and then proceed to our own club waiting around for the next job. Sometime for days there was nothing. In the evening we would go to some bar to have drinks. Usually I reached home late in the evening. Sometime I stayed at home with my Singapore pager on standby. I spent time with Florence and Alex who was only five going to market and do some cooking. We occasionally went over to Singapore for shopping at Orchard Road. That was how our life was before Ann.

I had to work on my own when there was no job from the team. So I traveled from Johore Bahru to Penang. Whenever I stopped over in Kuala Lumpur, I looked for Ann but not at her workplace. I took her to the Pan Pacific Health Club or have lunch or tea with her. We just talked.

For a while I did not get in touch with Esther. I stayed in hotels instead of her place. One day we went to the club and she found out about Ann going to the club with me. She got angry and left. I did not see her again. Two years later she had a daughter and was married to Vincent who already had two families. I was so surprised then.

It was a beginning of my friendship with Ann. She told me about her family background. She came from a small town to work in Kuala Lumpur. I felt comfortable with her and wanted to help her. So I enrolled her to a hair dressing course.

Months went by and I did not have any result from my work. The traveling expenses were more than my earning. I worked with different teams. I went to Sabah and stayed for a month in Kuching, Sarawak with another team. I also spent some time in Indonesia.

One day I told Ann about my work and my families. I was not having an affair with her then. I talked to her about renting a room in Kuala Lumpur. She was staying with her workmate. She shifted in and stayed with me. She had her own work and I had my own life. For the next six years we were staying together. She was twenty one and I was forty two then. That was how it started.