Soul departed in Jakarta
The driver weaved the Jaguar through the busy morning rush hour traffic of Jakarta with his thumb continuously on the horn, occasionally cursing and gesticulating with both hands allowing the blaring horn a momentary rest. Suddenly he had to screech to a halt, throwing his passenger in the back, forward, against his seatbelt and disturbing his concentration on the financial news in his broadsheet. The driver again banged both hands on the steering wheel in disgust at missing his chance of shooting the red lights since a traffic policeman in the central box was giving him the eye, whistle at the ready to pull him over if he dared. A piercing screeching of brakes from behind made him glance in the rear-view mirror and raise his hands in horror as he witnessed a large truck bearing down on him. The crunch of bending metal obliterated the roar of traffic as the car was shunted forward like a ball ejected out of the mouth of a cannon, into the path of the traversing vehicles.
Bill Radley, the unfortunate passenger, who had been in the process of calculating his previous day’s profits on the commodities stock exchange, made the mistake of turning his head to check on the noise to his rear when the severe whiplash of the shunt broke his neck cleanly and he died instantly without pain. Only his soul witnessed the rest of the mayhem. If he had been facing forward at the time of the impact his life might have been spared for a further nanosecond for, he saw and heard his driver cry out in fright and despair. The car was then hit in the side, which spun it across to the police box on the centre of the crossing, totally destroying the structure and the man inside and also forcing it into the path of the oncoming bus which rode over the car, crushing its roof like a road roller and flattening the life out of the unfortunate driver and further distressing the cadaver in the back.
Bill Radley’s soul witnessed further collisions but these were of a minor nature, more fender benders than fatal crashes. The whole crossroads came to a standstill, only the scooters push-bikes and motorbikes managed to weave their way past to continue their journey unimpeded. Since the policeman in charge of the crossroads was no longer at his post and in fact his soul was alongside Bill’s in witnessing the continuation of the chaos, it took some time to alert the authorities of the issue and mobilise them to send a bulldozer to push and scrape the immovable debris to one side and allow the larger traffic to proceed. It was only then that the ambulance men could attend to the injured. The dead were beyond their remit.
The passengers of the damaged bus had long dispersed and found other means of continuing their journey. The driver of the truck, the root cause of the accident, decided that it was more fortuitous to run off than face any inquiry into why he had spent the last eighteen hours at the wheel, high on drugs to keep him awake. The physical remains of Bill Radley and his driver were neatly exposed for all to see, as the clearing bulldozer had neatly ripped off the car roof. A crowd quickly gathered around the grizzly scene and even the attending police had difficulty in keeping them at bay. A phone check of the number plate established the name of the owner of the vehicle as belonging to a Mr. William Radley, residing in a salubrious suburb of Jakarta. This knowledge of possible elevated foreign status of the victim, and the quality of the car spurred the officer into a higher gear of action and he called base to arrange removal of the passenger’s body to the special morgue for people of high standing and made arrangements for someone from the household to identify the body. The local driver’s body and fate was put on the back burner.
Bill Radley looked down on the scene and felt remarkable well physically for the first time in years. The rheumatics in his back and legs that had annoyed him for some time had completely disappeared. The recurrent touch of malaria had gone. The heat and humidity of the tropics no longer bothered him. In fact, when he looked down, to his surprise, his body had vanished, only his mind was active. He watched as his physical body was stuffed and zipped into the black plastic body bag and thrown unceremoniously into the back of a black van, along with his driver. Once in the back of the van and out of sight of the general populace his bag was once again unzipped and searched. His wallet removed, contents checked with a gasp of surprise and the thick wedge of notes pocketed. His Mont Blanc fountain pen, a gift from his late father went the same way. His Philippe Patek watch, a birthday gift from his mother was inspected but rejected as damaged goods. The man didn’t bother searching the driver’s bag but knocked on the back panel to signal that the driver could go off to the morgue.
He decided to follow his own body as the black van weaved through the traffic, horn blaring. At the morgue, reserved for important people only, his body bag was dumped onto a waiting trolley and the van drove off to dispose of his driver. The orderly wheeled the trolley into the main hall and transferred the bag onto a body tray, looked about surreptitiously, unzipped the bag and did a thorough search of the clothing for contents. A pocket diary, a small penknife, a comb, some loose change, and the silver cross and chain were removed and placed in a plastic tray. The three gold wedding bands were removed and pocketed and so was his silver cigarette case which somehow had got embedded between his ribs and had to be tugged loose, wiped clean on his best Sea Island cotton white shirt and again pocketed. The table and tray were wheeled over to the side of the hall and slid into a compartment of the refrigerator, the door slammed shut and a label with his name, stuck into the holder.
It was late afternoon before the extended family, including the two servants and his three children arrived to view and identify the body. A dozen or so of them were ushered into a small waiting room and stood patiently as the manager explained that he wouldn’t allow them to see the body since they would be further distressed and asked if they could note down any significant features of the deceased to help in confirming his identity. As the manager left, the occupants broke up into a noisy affray of posing questions to no one in particular, of a strictly materialistic nature: -
“Will we have to leave the house?”
“Was there a mortgage on it?”
“What about the insurance on the car?”
“Did he leave a will?”
“What will happen to our jobs?”
“Did he have life insurance?”
“How rich was he?”
“Who will carry on the business?”
Bill noted that there was not one mention or reference to his poor driver who had suffered the same fate. Only his own wife, Ki-Lee, was ignoring the hubbub and busy writing on a blank page of her filofax. Bill looked over her shoulder as she wrote down, ‘Scar on the left temple,’ ‘4-centimetre scar on the inside of the left knee.’ A knee cartilage op. as a result of a squash accident noted Bill. ‘Birth mark size of an egg under the left arm pit,’ ‘vaccination scars on the right buttock and right upper arm.’
“She’s left out the most significant if intimate detail,” surmised Bill. “Only one testicle but that hadn’t prevented me from fathering nine children,” he though smugly.
Ki-Lee, the ever efficient PA, ripped out the page and shouted for the mob to be quiet just as the manager opened the door and requested the list and immediately departed. “Quiet everybody!” she demanded, “Just remember where we are. A little more deference and respect for the departed please,” she added sternly. “I can assure you that Bill left us well provided for,” as she waited for the sighs of relief to die down and continued, “I shall ensure that Kowlong’s family are also provided for.” This didn’t receive much sympathy from the crowd. “The police tell me it was not his fault and he has been a good servant to us all for many years.”
“What about the business and our future?” shouted someone from the back that Bill couldn’t identify.
“I will be in touch with Wanglong in Bangkok as soon as we leave here and later with Felicity in London,” she said firmly and continued, “I don’t see why the business shouldn’t carry on as before, so you don’t have anything to worry about. I will arrange the funeral, the body to be cremated and the ashes sent to London to be with his father and mother.”
At that moment the manager returned with a plastic tray of his personal effects which signified that it was her husband in the morgue. Bill noticed that there was no reaction from Ki-Lee at the meagre remnants on the tray. Even the silver chain and crucifix had since disappeared. She picked up the diary, comb, broken watch, leaving the loose change, empty leather wallet, wrapped them carefully in her white handkerchief and placed them in her voluminous handbag plus her filofax, before noting to stop Bill’s credit cards immediately by underlining the record twice, the ever-efficient PA.
Bill decided to check out the Bangkok end of his business. Wanglong, his wife, was at her desk checking a financial spreadsheet in front of her and occasionally looking up at her computer screen to check on the current commodity prices. Her phone on the desk rang loudly. She answered politely, listened, answered in Thai and immediately rang an internal number, barked an order and returned to the original call and softly spoke into the handset. The door opened and Hanlee, her assistant hurried in with an opened ledger and placed it on the desk and turned it towards her, pointing his finger at the entry. Wanglong spoke assertively and set the phone back in its cradle whilst Hanlee pickup the ledger and politely asked if there was anything else she required, as was his custom. He was sent off with a satisfactory smile and a thank you which pleased Bill. He liked his staff to be treated well and wasn’t sure that that was the usual custom in his office when he was away.
The phone rang again. Wanglong checked the caller ID, recognised it and pressed the ‘Conference’ button which switched on the speaker. “Hello Ki-Lee, how are you?” she asked in a singsong voice, still perusing her spreadsheets. Bill was pleased that they conversed, office to office in English as he had insisted. It kept him informed when he was listening and also maintained their English language which was of prime importance to their business.
“Wanlong, something dreadful has happened,” Bill heard Ki-Lee say in a grave voice. “There’s been an awful car accident here this morning and Bill was killed.”
“What? Bill killed in a car accident. How did it happen?”
“The police told us that a tourist had it all recorded on his camcorder. Bill’s car stopped at lights and a truck hit him in the back and shunted the car into the crossing traffic. Both Bill and Kowlong his driver were killed. They wouldn’t even allow us to view the bodies. They were so smashed up.”
“Oh, you poor thing, that must be so dreadful to deal with. What am I going to do?” she said wiping her tears with a paper tissue.
“Don’t worry Wanlong. You know how Bill was so careful in ensuring that we were all provided for. I’ve arranged for the funeral tomorrow with flowers from your office. I will send the ashes to London for Felicity to place in his father’s and mother’s grave. I think that’s what Bill would have wanted.”
“That’s very thoughtful of you, thank you Ki-Lee. Thank you for being so kind. I’m going to burst into tears in a minute,” said Wanlong sniffing gently and searching for another tissue.
“I had a good cry too Wanlong but not in front of the family and office workers. We have to show a strong front to them. They will all rely on us so much now that Bill has gone.”
“You are so right Ki-Lee. I will call them all into my office when I’ve had a few moments to collect myself.”
“Wanlong, tell them that the business will continue as usual to calm them down. My lot here were more worried about their own future than about Bill’s death. Dreadful it was. I’m going to call Felicity in London later. She will know what to do. She ran the business for Bill’s father when he was ill.”
“That’s very wise of you Ki-Lee. Let me know what Felicity says?” asked Wanlong with much concern in her voice. “What have your kids made of the news that Uncle Bill is no longer there to spoil them?”
“I don’t think they understand the full implication of it yet since Bill travelled around so much. In fact, I don’t think I’ll raise the matter with them just yet. Let them think that Uncle Bill has gone off on his travels until they find out the truth. Somebody here is bound to tell them. You know the spitefulness that exists in large extended families. I hear some raised voices. I better go and placate them. Bye Wanlong!”
Bill was pleased with the interchange there. There was some nice words said about him and due concern for the family. He wondered how Felicity would take it all. Probably with some relief since their marriage wasn’t on the best footing after he had faced her with his findings that she was having an affair with a friend of the family. Bill had been informed by another friend who he suspected was a jilted lover of Felicity’s and in turn wanted to cause some trouble for her.
He looked back at his charmed life when he was younger, Public School with lots of parties, Cambridge with even more outrageous frivolities. He was setting himself up as a spoiled cad and a playboy, spending his father’s hard-earned cash. The family business was Commodity Merchants, trading in palm oil, rubber, tea, coffee and sugar cane, all in the Far East, shipping the stuff to Europe and supplying the food manufactures. On one of his jaunts his father had brought back a beautiful Philippino wife and he was the product of that marriage. All of his high living was brought to a close when his father suffered a stroke which paralysed his left side and severely impeded his speech. Bill had to suddenly grow up and take on the family responsibilities. He was fortunate that his father had employed a super efficient secretary who had been quickly promoted to a Personal Assistant and that was dear old Felicity who was more family than an employee. She was smart, attractive, and helped to nurture Bill into the business. Since his father couldn’t travel, Bill took over that role and since he was still green about the business his father suggested that he should set up offices in the Far East to continue the work. He suggested he should appoint Ki-Lee in Jakarta and Wanlong in Bangkok. The geographical placement was simply that was where they lived and father had been impressed by their efficiency in the past.
A few years on Bill took Felicity to London on a business meeting to meet some buyers. It was probably Felicity who was taking Bill to introduce him to the buyers, after all he was a greenhorn and she was at twenty-six, some five years older than him. Things in London happened beyond the call of duty and Felicity soon announced that she was pregnant. They announced that they were engaged and wanted a quick wedding in the Bahamas out of the limelight. Both sets of parents were delighted even though they found out later that a shotgun was involved. A set of twin girls resulted, born rather early, followed quickly by a boy. By this time the mother was employing a Philippino maid to look after the house and father, so after the arrival of the twins a second maid was brought over to become nanny and Felicity could continue to tutor Bill in the ways of the business.
It was a year after the birth of their son that Bill learned of Felicity’s philandering, especially when he was away on extended business trips. He faced her with an ultimatum. They either separated with a healthy parting sum or she stayed, stopped her affairs and continued with her role as mother and PA, with a proportional investment in the business. She agreed to the latter as long they had separate beds. Mother suddenly developed breast cancer and on further investigations they found her riddled with the disease and not long to live. Father was most distraught and within six months both had passed away. The business continued to flourish but now Bill was playing the stock market, buying and selling future positions in commodities that he was knowledgeable about. He was quite good at it and soon, most of the profits came from his dealings on the London Stock Exchange. He also branched out in dealing in the Bangkok and Jakarta markets. His experience there helped him increasing his business acumen in dealing and wheeling in his normal day to day business. Things were looking rosy on the business front and Bill was spending more time in Bangkok and Jakarta.
Wanlong was a very pretty Thai PA and he started an affair with her. Her family were not amused until he suggested they marry and he buy them all a house in the City. He bought two adjoining properties with plans to extend upwards and backwards. The ground floors would be commercial shops run by family members. The first floor would be their office and living quarters. The upper floors would be for the family and spare rooms would be let out to backpackers, on a daily basis. All these businesses flourished so well that the next adjoining property was bought up, extended and developed into a twenty-room hotel. The extended family were happy with the deal especially when Wanlong produced three off-springs in quick succession. There was no shortage of help in looking after children with such a huge family and Wanlong could continue with the business.
“Hello Felicity, I’m afraid I have some bad news for you. Bill was killed in a car accident yesterday morning. I’m taking care of everything here. I’ve sent you an Email with all the horrid details but had to catch you before you started work.”
“Oh dear, how dreadful, I don’t know what to say. Thank you for calling me, Ki-Lee. It would be awful just finding out cold on a screen.”
“I’ve contacted Wanlong and she is devastated and her family are very worried about the business just as mine are.”
“I can imagine, but Bill said that you would all be catered for should the worst happens.”
“Oh, we are but large families always worry. Don’t even think about coming out for the funeral. It’s today. That’s the law here. I’m having Bill cremated so that you can place the ashes with his Father and Mother.”
“Oh dear, I feel so helpless here.”
“Don’t worry Felicity, I have arranged flowers from you and I’ll send you some pics of the funeral. I have spoken to Wanlong and we both agree that you should head up the business and we should carry on as before.”
“But the futures and the stock exchange business was Bill’s forte.”
“I know but Bill used to delegate so much that I’m sure we could manage. Maybe not as good as Bill but we all know the ropes and we only stick to the commodities we know and not be too greedy.”
“Thanks for your confidence in me. I shall have to go now. I am too distressed to think about our future just now.”
“We have our usual conference call in three hours Felicity. Please be on it, only you, me and Wanlong and we can get this all decided in principle. Bye.”
A thorough business-like manner thought Bill as he listened in on the last conversation and no bitchiness that he had expected. Ki-Lee was the obvious one to take over as head of the business if he had his way but they all bowed down to Felicity in London as the business matriarch. No matter. He thought back to the time in central Jakarta when the landlord suddenly demanded a three-fold rise in rent. Ki-Lee was the one to hold back any further payments and suggested they purchase a house on the outskirts which would suit their purpose and Bill needed somewhere to stay rather than in some soulless hotel. A large plot with a dilapidated house was purchased and to Bill’s amazement the whole family moved in, including distant uncles and aunts as was the custom. The extensive plot was converted into a market garden. The produce sold on the local market and the surplus used to feed the household. Some related youth converted the garage into a scooter and motorbike repair shop and a bank of sewing machines were installed in the dining room. Bill had an extension built to house the office and his palatial living quarters.
The inevitable happened and a quick marriage was arranged with Ki-Lee moving permanently into his quarters. A further extension was constructed to house the three children. Jakarta was growing rapidly and the suburban sprawl was eating away into the surrounding countryside at a fast pace. Their purchase on a slight rise became valuable real estate. They divided their holding into five building plots and quickly sold them off to the highest bidders. Part of the proceeds bought a substantial farm for half the clan to continue their market gardening on a more commercial footing away from the main house.
Bill listened in to the conference call and was pleasantly surprised by the efficiency of the participants. After the preamble and condolences, the three ladies set about reorganising the business and allocating their individual responsibilities and tasks in a very business-like fashion. There was no show of greed or malice and no mention of the fact that Bill was married to all three. Bill wondered if they even suspected. All the children called him Uncle Bill and when they came over to London during the vacations to learn English, Bill was ensconced in his own suite of rooms so that didn’t cause any controversy on the relationship point of view.
Having left his former Empire in good shape he decided to check out his mum and dad whose soul must be hereabouts.
