were they in Taipei society? Who exactly were this girl’s parents,
and how much did she stand to inherit? She needed to know what she was up against.
It was 6:45 a.m. in New York.
High time to wake Nicky up
. She picked up the telephone with one hand, and with the other she held at arm’s
length the long-distance discount calling card § that she always used, squinting at the row of tiny numbers. She dialed a complicated
series of codes and waited for several beeping signals before finally entering the
telephone number. The phone rang four times before Nick’s voice mail picked up:
“Hey, I can’t come to the phone right now, so leave a message and I’ll get back to
you as soon as I can.”
Eleanor was always a little taken aback whenever she heard herson’s “American” accent. She much preferred the normal Queen’s English he would revert
to whenever he was back in Singapore. She spoke haltingly into the phone: “Nicky,
where are you? Call me tonight and let me know your flight information,
lah
. Everyone in the world except me knows when you’re coming home. Also, are you staying
with us first or with Ah Ma? Please call me back. But don’t call tonight if it’s after
midnight. I am going to take an Ambien now, so I can’t be disturbed for at least eight
hours.”
She put down the phone, and then almost immediately picked it up again; this time
dialing a cell-phone number. “Astrid, ah? Is that you?”
“Oh, hi, Auntie Elle,” Astrid said.
“Are you okay? You sound a bit funny.”
“No, I’m fine, I was just asleep,” Astrid said, clearing her throat.
“Oh. Why are you sleeping so early? Are you sick?”
“No, I’m in Paris, Auntie Elle.”
“
Alamak
, I forgot you were away! Sorry to wake you,
lah
. How is Paris?”
“Lovely.”
“Doing lots of shopping?”
“Not too much,” Astrid replied as patiently as possible. Did her auntie really call
just to discuss shopping?
“Do they still have those lines at Louis Vuitton that they make all the Asian customers
wait in?”
“I’m not sure. I haven’t been inside a Louis Vuitton in decades, Auntie Elle.”
“Good for you. Those lines are terrible, and then they only allow Asians to buy one
item. Reminds me of the Japanese occupation, when they forced all the Chinese to wait
in line for scraps of rotten food.”
“Yes, but I can sort of understand why they need these rules, Auntie Elle. You should
see the Asian tourists buying up all the luxury goods, not just at Louis Vuitton.
They are everywhere, buying everything in sight. If there’s a designer label, they
want it. It’s absolutely mad. And you know some of them are just bringing it back
home to resell at a profit.”
“Yah
lah
, it’s those fresh-off-the-boat tourists that give us a bad name. But I’ve been shopping
in Paris since the seventies—I would never wait in any line and be told what I can
buy! Anyway Astrid, I wanted to ask … have you spoken to Nicky recently?”
Astrid paused for a moment. “Um, he called me a couple of weeks ago.”
“Did he tell you when he was coming to Singapore?”
“No, he didn’t mention the exact date. But I’m sure he’ll be there a few days before
Colin’s wedding, don’t you think?”
“You know
lah
, Nicky doesn’t tell me anything!” Eleanor paused, and then continued cautiously.
“Hey, I’m thinking of throwing him and his girlfriend a surprise party. Just a small
party at the new flat, to welcome her to Singapore. Do you think that’s a good idea?”
“Sure, Auntie Elle. I think they would love that.” Astrid was quite taken aback that
her aunt was being so welcoming to Rachel.
Nick must have really worked his charm overtime
.
“But I don’t really know what she would like, so I don’t know how to plan this party
properly. Can you give me some ideas? Did you meet her when you were in New York last
year?”
“I did.”
Eleanor seethed
and how much did she stand to inherit? She needed to know what she was up against.
It was 6:45 a.m. in New York.
High time to wake Nicky up
. She picked up the telephone with one hand, and with the other she held at arm’s
length the long-distance discount calling card § that she always used, squinting at the row of tiny numbers. She dialed a complicated
series of codes and waited for several beeping signals before finally entering the
telephone number. The phone rang four times before Nick’s voice mail picked up:
“Hey, I can’t come to the phone right now, so leave a message and I’ll get back to
you as soon as I can.”
Eleanor was always a little taken aback whenever she heard herson’s “American” accent. She much preferred the normal Queen’s English he would revert
to whenever he was back in Singapore. She spoke haltingly into the phone: “Nicky,
where are you? Call me tonight and let me know your flight information,
lah
. Everyone in the world except me knows when you’re coming home. Also, are you staying
with us first or with Ah Ma? Please call me back. But don’t call tonight if it’s after
midnight. I am going to take an Ambien now, so I can’t be disturbed for at least eight
hours.”
She put down the phone, and then almost immediately picked it up again; this time
dialing a cell-phone number. “Astrid, ah? Is that you?”
“Oh, hi, Auntie Elle,” Astrid said.
“Are you okay? You sound a bit funny.”
“No, I’m fine, I was just asleep,” Astrid said, clearing her throat.
“Oh. Why are you sleeping so early? Are you sick?”
“No, I’m in Paris, Auntie Elle.”
“
Alamak
, I forgot you were away! Sorry to wake you,
lah
. How is Paris?”
“Lovely.”
“Doing lots of shopping?”
“Not too much,” Astrid replied as patiently as possible. Did her auntie really call
just to discuss shopping?
“Do they still have those lines at Louis Vuitton that they make all the Asian customers
wait in?”
“I’m not sure. I haven’t been inside a Louis Vuitton in decades, Auntie Elle.”
“Good for you. Those lines are terrible, and then they only allow Asians to buy one
item. Reminds me of the Japanese occupation, when they forced all the Chinese to wait
in line for scraps of rotten food.”
“Yes, but I can sort of understand why they need these rules, Auntie Elle. You should
see the Asian tourists buying up all the luxury goods, not just at Louis Vuitton.
They are everywhere, buying everything in sight. If there’s a designer label, they
want it. It’s absolutely mad. And you know some of them are just bringing it back
home to resell at a profit.”
“Yah
lah
, it’s those fresh-off-the-boat tourists that give us a bad name. But I’ve been shopping
in Paris since the seventies—I would never wait in any line and be told what I can
buy! Anyway Astrid, I wanted to ask … have you spoken to Nicky recently?”
Astrid paused for a moment. “Um, he called me a couple of weeks ago.”
“Did he tell you when he was coming to Singapore?”
“No, he didn’t mention the exact date. But I’m sure he’ll be there a few days before
Colin’s wedding, don’t you think?”
“You know
lah
, Nicky doesn’t tell me anything!” Eleanor paused, and then continued cautiously.
“Hey, I’m thinking of throwing him and his girlfriend a surprise party. Just a small
party at the new flat, to welcome her to Singapore. Do you think that’s a good idea?”
“Sure, Auntie Elle. I think they would love that.” Astrid was quite taken aback that
her aunt was being so welcoming to Rachel.
Nick must have really worked his charm overtime
.
“But I don’t really know what she would like, so I don’t know how to plan this party
properly. Can you give me some ideas? Did you meet her when you were in New York last
year?”
“I did.”
Eleanor seethed
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