Spider Boys

by Ming Cher

  “I’m getting fed up with her. She is changing.”

  “What about her and Big Mole? They are still together? I lost touch with them.”

  “Yah, now and then.”

  “And that little monkey, Sachee?”

  “Doing better than me. He is happy like crazy when two of his fighting fish had a few hundred babies recently.”

  “Aha! No wonder he snuck round to get some of my smaller boys to work for him.”

  “Yah? For what?”

  “Catch red water fleas from the drain to feed his baby fish, I suppose.”

  “You mind?”

  “No, not at all,” Yeow admitted. “Makes me laugh, that’s all. I wish he’ll take away all those little mouths from me, all they do is eat, eat, eat. Frankly, I don’t know where to chuck them.”

  After their satay meal, they relaxed on a seaside bench and smoked. “Let me go back to the same point we mention before,” Yeow started. “It will make us rich. I believe you are still interested?”

  “Talk it out lah.”

  “Just between you and me first, right?”

  “I give you my word.”

  “You must have a fair idea about chap jee kee.”

  “Everybody knows about it.”

  “But do you know how much money those faceless bastards on the top make?” Yeow said, staring challengingly at Kwang.

  Kwang did not blink.

  “They eat people up without leaving a drop of blood on the floor, right? Fat like hell. Those bastards are the worst cutthroats, cheat people for far too long. Did you ever wonder how they operate it, how they laugh away with enough returns to buy the banks?”

  “They pay a lot of hands and legs to shadow for them, that’s all.”

  “Exactly! I am glad we are hitting somewhere.” Yeow was excited but he quickly calmed down. “If they can get their hands and legs to shadow for them, why can’t we? You have enough spider mates in every corner to do the same thing. I know they’re invisible, but who can say we can’t compete with them? Guess yourself!”

  The idea resonated with Kwang’s very core. “You mind passing me a smoke?” he asked, wanting more time to think.

  Yeow handed him a cigarette and lit it for him. “You know what I mean then?”

  “Yah, many of my old spider mates will do anything for something that big. They are not scared of anybody, only scared of police. The police have guns.”

  “Don’t worry about police. Gambling is not a big offence. If they get caught, I bail them out. Same as the chap jee kee runners, that’s how they operate.”

  “If you’re serious, I think my mates will listen to me. Any idea what is the cut for the show?”

  “Depends.”

  “Why?”

  “Nobody is equal, some longer, some shorter. Same as fingers on the hands. If they are better, we pay more.”

  Kwang grinned. “What about me, for example?”

  Yeow returned the smile. “You find the crew, I pay the cash. Make it equal between us. Fair?”

  “Did you talk to Chai about it yet?”

  “No, Chai’s head is too thick. Unless we agree first.”

  “I have to discuss it with some of my mates, let you know.”

  “Sure, but before we go back, I think it is better for us to come up with something solid together first.”

  “When?”

  “Now, if you like.” Yeow suggested. “The plan has been building in my head for a long time. Might as well draw it on the sand in front of us to clear it out!”

  “Might as well lah,” Kwang agreed. The two of them jumped over a concrete sea wall at Queen Elizabeth Walk to reach the sand. Yeow squatted down to draw a circle in the sand with his index finger, then glanced up at Kwang, “As you know, Singapore is divided into fifty-two districts. In every district, you know the chief of the spider boys, right?”

  “Right.”

  “Good. And every chief knows their own territory inside out. Correct?”

  “Go on.”

  “Can they recruit at least a dozen good hands who are willing to work quietly for them?”

  “Easy like hell.”

  “From what I hear, each chap jee kee runner can collect at least two to five hundred from the punters. This is only a low guess.” Yeow wrote down the figures.

  “Let’s say we have fifty-two districts times twelve runners, equals six hundred twenty-four. Times only two hundred dollars, equals one hundred twenty-four thousand eight hundred dollars every day. From what I hear, those bastards distribute only half of the collected cash back. But not us. We’ll throw back seventy percent to keep our punters happier and still have enough left to pay everyone. We should be able to divide ten percent between us.”

  “Five enough for me!”

  “That means you’re in?”

  Kwang joked, “Seventy percent already!”

  “Well, if that’s the case, let’s split now. You find out more from your mates. Then we talk again. Okay? But before you go back for your bicycle, I think you should have some of this first.” Yeow pulled out his wallet, casually withdrew a few hundred dollars in large notes and slapped them into Kwang’s hand in a brotherly fashion.

  “This is just oil money in advance. Even if they all say no, I am happy to forget it.”

  • • •

  In the taxi on the way back, Yeow felt he had finally caught Kwang. Just before they went their own ways, Yeow said, “A leader is a good judge who can pick the right horse to be the first past the winning post.”

  Kwang simply grinned. He liked the chap jee kee idea, but not the way Yeow had dominated him with questions, as if he were Kwang’s boss. Kwang felt uncomfortable about Yeow’s proposal. To play it safe, he decided to find out exactly where Yeow lived, something he had never bothered to do before.

  18

  Lonely as a Rock

  KWANG SPENT THE next few days looking for the few spider boys he trusted. All of them were happy when they heard about the chap jee kee idea and agreed to discuss it as a team at Redhill. This place was memorable to every one of them, especially now that Kwang was leading them to a new destiny that promised to be fat and rewarding. They had felt lost without a proper leader. The adults within their territories were afraid of them as they had a reputation for being tough and fearless.

  It was a great social occasion when they all met again. Their meeting was brief and straightforward. After Kwang had explained the facts and figures by drawing in the red earth, he said, “No matter what happens, we must stand together through thick and thin!”

  “Sure! Sure!” Everybody nodded approvingly.

  The hotheaded boys said, “If anyone dares to be funny with us, we melt them down!”

  “Of course!” replied the hungry ones. “We have nothing to be afraid of, nothing more to lose!”

  “Who is the backer?” the smart ones asked Kwang when he rose from his squatting position.

  “I promised not to mention his name,” Kwang said candidly, although he was in two minds about Yeow’s trustworthiness.

  “Why hide his face and put you in the open?” the same boys warned. “Don’t let him fool you!”

  “Yah! Yah!” The rest started to chip in, “Don’t let him fool you. He sounds like a double-head snake! Check his head and tail first!”

  “I know, I know,” Kwang replied thoughtfully. “I will make sure I dig him inside out. I won’t let you all lose face.”

  After further discussion, they agreed to wait for Kwang’s confirmation on the project.

  The next day, Kwang went in search of Chai, who was making extra money on the side as a loan shark. In Chinatown, at the foot of the flat-topped hill, he found Chai busy polishing a new motorcycle.

  “Chai...!” Kwang playfully jabbed his big arm from behind.

  The jab was strong and it hurt a bit. Chai jerked around with a fierce frown to see who it might be.

  Kwang grinned widely. “Did you see Yeow anywhere?”

  “No,
” Chai slipped into the conversation easily. “He must be in his nest at Katong with some girls.”

  “Katong? Where?”

  “Neat place! Twenty-one Seaview Road. But don’t disturb him! He wants to be quiet about his women, keep this between you and me.”

  “Don’t worry,” Kwang replied. “Just curious. I’ll wait for next time to see him.”

  Yeow had phoned for Cheong Pak to come to Katong to talk about the feasibility of the chap jee kee idea. After two cups of coffee, Cheong Pak finally agreed it would work, but warned, gesturing with his index finger, “Regardless, you must plan an escape route for yourself. The old snakes behind chap jee kee will try to hang you. They know exactly what to do, they will keep away from Kwang’s boys in every district. They don’t want to see blood on the floor, it will disrupt established business. They will use police to pick them up.”

  “Don’t worry about me.” Yeow lit up a Lucky Strike and smiled. “I’ll work that out. Kwang promised silence for me. I know how to play shadow boxing with those old snakes.”

  “A name. Tell me your organisation’s name. A name must come first.”

  “Chap jee kee run under the name Old Company. Turn it around a bit, call it New Company.”

  “Perfect!” Cheong Pak exclaimed, quietly proud of Yeow. “I want to see what Kwang can come up with now.”

  • • •

  Having hunted wrestling spiders for years, Kwang had finely honed his ability to comb through all clues that would lead to a person’s location. That afternoon, he caught up with Yeow at the latter’s favourite coffeeshop.

  “Hey!” Yeow looked up and smiled at the sight of Kwang. “You are here at the right time. I was about to look for you.”

  “Yah?”

  “Yah, let’s walk away from here.”

  They got to the foot of the hill, where Yeow asked, “How is luck with your spider guys?”

  “They are all keen. I’m back early to let you know.” Kwang grinned. “Where are you staying now?”

  “Pasir Panjang,” Yeow lied without hesitation. “Why?”

  “Saves time looking for you. Why stay so far?”

  “Good for fishing. I caught a big one the other day. You like fishing?”

  “Now and again.” Kwang dug further. “What is your house number?”

  “Forty-three, opposite Haw Par Villa,” Yeow gave Ng Koo’s address. “My funny landlord doesn’t like visitors. I only rent a room there.”

  “Can I phone you, just in case?”

  “No phone yet, that’s the only problem,” Yeow swore. “By the way, what did your guys say about our deal?”

  “They are all for it. But they want to see some money on the table first. I can’t answer them. It’s up to you.”

  “I have to work that out. I can come up with one week’s pay in advance for them to try things out and see how. By the way, how many guys do you think you can round up? I mean, all together?”

  “Hard for me to say, depends how much you want to spend.”

  “Let’s say one chief, one deputy and ten legs in each district,” Yeow worked out the numbers by scribbling on his palm with a blue pen. “Fifty-two times twelve equals six hundred twenty-four, times roughly fifty dollars a week each, equals thirty-one thousand two hundred dollars.”

  “Wheeoou!” Kwang whistled at the large figure.

  “Should be more, if everything’s smooth.” Yeow smiled. “You will be fat... driving a car!”

  “It’s a very big gamble for you.”

  “Life is a gamble,” Yeow smiled. “I will be ready when you are, okay?”

  “Say a few days’ time?”

  “No problem,” he patted Kwang’s back. “I can wait.”

  But Kwang felt that the pat added further insult to his pride and decided to ride to Katong to find out if Chai was right.

  • • •

  Kwang left his bicycle a few doors from Twenty-one Seaview Road in case Yeow returned ahead of him. But when he saw that all the windows of the bungalow were closed, he knew there was nobody home and so he leapt over the gate for a better look inside. He recognised Yeow’s shoes outside the front door. “If you don’t trust me, how can I trust you,” he thought resentfully. He knew he had to get inside the house for more clues. From Katong, he rode to a boarding house in Joo Chiat, a middle-class area not far away. He wanted to get in touch with an ex-spider boy who had become a burglar, so that he could borrow a skeleton key.

  The burglar had just woken up as he had done a midnight job. Inside his room, there were no table or chairs, but only a bed and a basin for washing his face in.

  “Hey, Hong!” Kwang sat on his bed. “Talk, give face. Can you lend me a wire?”

  The burglar was light and small. He handed Kwang a skeleton key and asked, “What’s the deal?”

  “Nothing much. Looking for a snake.”

  “Kidnapping or personal?”

  “Personal. When do you want it back?”

  “No hurry, up to you.” The two of them talked about old times for a while.

  The next morning in Katong, Kwang saw that some of the windows of Yeow’s house were open. He waited behind a tree for almost three hours before his patience started to run out. Then his eyes almost popped out when he spotted Kim and Yeow holding hands and emerging from the house.

  Everything inside Kwang sank. He did not have the will to follow the couple and simply watched them disappear in the direction of the main road. Using his skeleton key, he entered the bungalow. In the bedroom, he could detect Kim’s smells on the bed, and he could even recognise a few strands of her long black hair on the sheets. He felt sick and walked out through the back door, which led to the beach.

  He sat on a rock, his mind fighting against his broken heart.

  “You have no right over Kim!” he tried to tell himself. “You lost her long ago to your spiders!” Still, he felt badly cheated and began to wonder about the house in Pasir Panjang.

  • • •

  After Yeow dropped Kim off at Bukit Ho Swee, he phoned Ng Koo. He planned to use her contacts to attack the old chap jee kee establishment if it became necessary.

  When Yeow arrived, Ng Koo had just showered following a tennis game. She was dressed in a silky gown and had fresh makeup on. From her bed, she complained, “I thought you were going to forget me!”

  “How can I?” Yeow buried his face between her perfumed breasts.

  “Where did you go the last two weeks, hmmm?”

  Yeow lifted his face, looking sad, and bluffed, “Trouble with my godfather’s business, he is not happy with me. I’m organising a little business for myself.”

  Ng Koo kissed him and asked, “Are you worried about money?”

  “No, not so much... more the gangs and the cops... too much trouble. They want too much protection money.”

  “Why don’t you close it down?”

  “To close down is to lose face. Where am I going to hide my face?” he moped. “Anyway, it is not your problem, forget it! I should not let it spoil our fun now. It’s my fault.” Yeow lit a cigarette and started blowing smoke rings. He rested his head between her legs.

  Ng Koo could not bear to see her pet’s sad look. She stole his cigarette from him and took a long drag on it. “Don’t worry. I can help you. Let me know who they are! I will get them for you. They are only small flies in my eyes.”

  “That is my last resort. I’ll try my best not to bother you.” Yeow was a great pretender, leaving a fine gap open for chap jee kee. And then he made love to her hard and often, although he was tired from having spent the previous night with Kim, the girl he really loved.

  • • •

  Meanwhile, Kwang was still mulling on his lonely seaside rock in Katong. But the dust in his head had settled. Nothing lasted forever. The tide had reached its peak, and a sudden wave splashed up to wet his pants.

  On his way back home, Kwang visited Big Mole and Sachee in Geylang. The shop was about to close and Big Mole was behind
the counter, counting the day’s earnings.

  “Hey, Big Mole! Where is Sachee?”

  “Behind the shop,” Big Mole said sadly. “He won’t listen to me. I am so worried about him!”

  “What’s wrong with him?” Kwang asked.

  “He said he’s going to kill Chai...” She choked on a sob.

  “Tell me what happened,” Kwang leaned over the counter and took her in his arms.

  “You go and look at his face first.” She wiped her wet eyes on the back of her hand and went away to shut the shop.

  Kwang walked to the back of the shop, which was hidden by a curtain. In there, Sachee kept his baby fighting fish in half a dozen big dragon pots, which had been used for preserving duck’s eggs. As Kwang entered, he saw Sachee sharpening a slim fruit knife on the lip of one of the dragon pots.

  “Sachee,” Kwang called out. “What happened to you?”

  Sachee looked up. Half of his face was swollen, like a pig’s face, and one of his eyes was closed. “I don’t want to talk,” he shouted, his mouth crooked to one side.

  “When did this happen?” Kwang could see straightaway that it was Chai’s job.

  “I don’t want to talk!”

  “Don’t be stupid! Look after your face first!”

  “What do you expect me to do?” Sachee made a stabbing motion with his knife.

  “Do you want to make Big Mole cry?”

  Sachee slashed through the air again. “Do you expect me to sit down and cry?”

  At that moment, Big Mole walked in. She looked at Sachee and shouted, “You’d better see a doctor!”

  “Don’t be so stupid,” Kwang repeated. He gently caught hold of Sachee’s wrist and removed the knife. “Listen to me, give face to Big Mole, see a doctor first, come on.”

  Sachee nodded slightly and stomped out with his head down. He was still furious at having been punched in the face after he had attacked Chai for slapping one of his recruits. The boy had been catching water fleas to feed Sachee’s baby fighting fish.