of bamboo steamers
on the table.
“Uncle Eddie, look out! There’s food right behind you!” his nephew Jake shouted.
Eddie glanced around for a second and continued on his tirade. “Why are you always
like this, Mummy? Why do you always behave so provincial? You are filthy rich! Why
can’t you be a little less cheap for once and have more a sense of your own self-worth?”
His three children looked up momentarily from their math practice test books. They
were used to his rages at home but had rarely seen him so upset in front of
Gong Gong
and Ah Ma. Fiona pulled at his sleeve, whispering, “Lower your voice! Please don’t
talk about money in front of the children.”
His mother shook her head calmly. “Eddie, this has nothing to do with self-worth.
I just feel this sort of extravagance is completely unnecessary. And I am not Singaporean
royalty. Singapore has no royalty. What a ridiculous thing to say.”
“This is so typical of you, Eddie. You just want all of Singapore to know that you
flew in on Ming Kah-Ching’s plane,” Cecilia interjected, reaching for one of the plump
roast-pork buns. “If it was
your
own plane, that would be one thing, but to have the audacity to
borrow
a plane for three trips in two days is just unheard of. I personally would rather
pay for my own tickets.”
“Kitty flies private all the time,” Alistair said, though no one at the table paid
him any attention.
“Well, we
should
get our own jet. I’ve been saying it for years. Dad, you spend practically half the
month in the Beijing clinic, and since I plan to expand my presence into China in
a big way in the coming year—” Eddie began.
“Eddie, I have to agree with your mother and sister on this one. I just would not
want to be indebted to the Ming family in this way,” Malcolm finally said. As much
as he enjoyed flying private, he could not stomach the thought of borrowing the Ming
jet.
“Why do I keep trying to do this ungrateful family so many favors?” Eddie huffed in
disgust. “Okay, you all do what you want. Squeeze into economy on China Airlines for
all I care.
My
family and I are taking Leo’s plane. And it’s a Bombardier Global Express. It’shuge, state-of-the-art. There’s even a Matisse in the cabin. It’s going to be
amazing
.”
Fiona gave him a disapproving look, but he glared at her so forcefully that she retreated
from any further objection. Eddie shoveled down a few rolls of shrimp
cheong fun
, got up, and announced imperiously, “I’m off. I have important clients to attend
to!” And with that, Eddie stormed out, leaving a rather relieved family in his wake.
Tony, mouth full of food, whispered to Cecilia, “Let’s see their entire family plunge
into the South China Sea on Leo Ming’s fancy-ass plane.”
As much as she tried to, Cecilia couldn’t stifle her laugh.
----
* Cantonese for “You’re out of your mind!”
7
Eleanor
SINGAPORE
After a few days of strategically placed phone calls, Eleanor finally nailed down
the source of the disturbing rumor involving her son. Daisy confessed hearing it from
her daughter-in-law’s best friend Rebecca Tang, who in turn revealed that she’d heard
it from her brother Moses Tang, who had been at Cambridge with Leonard Shang. And
Moses had this to report to Eleanor:
“I was in London for a conference. At the last minute, Leonard invites me down to
dinner at his country estate in Surrey. Have you been there, Mrs. Young? Aiyoh, what
a palace! I didn’t realize it was designed by Gabriel-Hippolyte Destailleur, the architect
who built Waddesdon Manor for the English Rothschilds. Anyway, we were dining with
all these
ang mor *
VIPS and MPs † visiting from Singapore and as usual Cassandra Shang is holding court. And then out
of nowhere Cassandra says loudly across the table to your sister-in-law Victoria Young,
‘You’ll never guess what I heard … Nicky has been dating a
on the table.
“Uncle Eddie, look out! There’s food right behind you!” his nephew Jake shouted.
Eddie glanced around for a second and continued on his tirade. “Why are you always
like this, Mummy? Why do you always behave so provincial? You are filthy rich! Why
can’t you be a little less cheap for once and have more a sense of your own self-worth?”
His three children looked up momentarily from their math practice test books. They
were used to his rages at home but had rarely seen him so upset in front of
Gong Gong
and Ah Ma. Fiona pulled at his sleeve, whispering, “Lower your voice! Please don’t
talk about money in front of the children.”
His mother shook her head calmly. “Eddie, this has nothing to do with self-worth.
I just feel this sort of extravagance is completely unnecessary. And I am not Singaporean
royalty. Singapore has no royalty. What a ridiculous thing to say.”
“This is so typical of you, Eddie. You just want all of Singapore to know that you
flew in on Ming Kah-Ching’s plane,” Cecilia interjected, reaching for one of the plump
roast-pork buns. “If it was
your
own plane, that would be one thing, but to have the audacity to
borrow
a plane for three trips in two days is just unheard of. I personally would rather
pay for my own tickets.”
“Kitty flies private all the time,” Alistair said, though no one at the table paid
him any attention.
“Well, we
should
get our own jet. I’ve been saying it for years. Dad, you spend practically half the
month in the Beijing clinic, and since I plan to expand my presence into China in
a big way in the coming year—” Eddie began.
“Eddie, I have to agree with your mother and sister on this one. I just would not
want to be indebted to the Ming family in this way,” Malcolm finally said. As much
as he enjoyed flying private, he could not stomach the thought of borrowing the Ming
jet.
“Why do I keep trying to do this ungrateful family so many favors?” Eddie huffed in
disgust. “Okay, you all do what you want. Squeeze into economy on China Airlines for
all I care.
My
family and I are taking Leo’s plane. And it’s a Bombardier Global Express. It’shuge, state-of-the-art. There’s even a Matisse in the cabin. It’s going to be
amazing
.”
Fiona gave him a disapproving look, but he glared at her so forcefully that she retreated
from any further objection. Eddie shoveled down a few rolls of shrimp
cheong fun
, got up, and announced imperiously, “I’m off. I have important clients to attend
to!” And with that, Eddie stormed out, leaving a rather relieved family in his wake.
Tony, mouth full of food, whispered to Cecilia, “Let’s see their entire family plunge
into the South China Sea on Leo Ming’s fancy-ass plane.”
As much as she tried to, Cecilia couldn’t stifle her laugh.
----
* Cantonese for “You’re out of your mind!”
7
Eleanor
SINGAPORE
After a few days of strategically placed phone calls, Eleanor finally nailed down
the source of the disturbing rumor involving her son. Daisy confessed hearing it from
her daughter-in-law’s best friend Rebecca Tang, who in turn revealed that she’d heard
it from her brother Moses Tang, who had been at Cambridge with Leonard Shang. And
Moses had this to report to Eleanor:
“I was in London for a conference. At the last minute, Leonard invites me down to
dinner at his country estate in Surrey. Have you been there, Mrs. Young? Aiyoh, what
a palace! I didn’t realize it was designed by Gabriel-Hippolyte Destailleur, the architect
who built Waddesdon Manor for the English Rothschilds. Anyway, we were dining with
all these
ang mor *
VIPS and MPs † visiting from Singapore and as usual Cassandra Shang is holding court. And then out
of nowhere Cassandra says loudly across the table to your sister-in-law Victoria Young,
‘You’ll never guess what I heard … Nicky has been dating a
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