Chapter 7 The Ragging Fire Loosing Its Fury?

Initially he reported for duty at the Kuala Lumpur head office and the Secretary took him to Kuala Kubu Badru.He was introduced to the out going manager who was retiring.
The plantation office was at second floor of a shop lot.

No accommodation was available, so he was forced to stay in a Hotel-the only one in town.Apparently he was given the best room,the front room.Quite a quiet place and clean with only a ceiling fan,seemingly haunted.It seem that in a small town like this very seldom visitors lodged there.Imagine he alone going to lodge there,quite scary,Ken suspected so.

The other place would be the rest house,since that was highly recommended Ken had to stay there temporary,no other option.Also the rest house was some distant away from the office.

It was a "cowboy" town only no horses around.It was also fortunate he did not brought his girl friend along otherwise she be scared especially when Ken report for work.Down stair was the coffee shop where food was also available.So very convenient.

As the old manager left the car he was using was handed over to Ken.An old Volkswagon but in good order.There was no handing over notes etc.,but the Conductor was to show him around initially.

Ken slowly set to settle down knowing not what to expect ahead of him.Now that he has a job there was no more worries to bother him.But was the ragging fire within him dying off.No never he could never erased those ugly faces that were so bias and offensive towards him. How can he forget so easily.Not only that he had yet to show all who belittle that he could not written off with ease.He was positive he could achieved success in his new encounters that should ultimately shut their gap for good.

In that mean time that should put to rest temporary,put on hold but not forgotten.Revenge can be easy but has to plan for them.Ken was serious in seeing their dying faces and urinate on them.

Going back to the plantation he was now presently employed in.The plantation was actually owned by the Loke family,since he died in a plane crushed the management was taken over by one Gan who once wrote a thesis in Rubber Research Institute on extracting oil from rubber seeds .Anyway he was the only creature on earth who wrote about that and one else ever tried.

His thesis was not challenging but rubber seed oil what rubbish only a joker could have thought of that.In any case he was a very mean and funny old man not only that he was stingy.All these Ken was soon to discover about his Boss.

His staffs consisted of a Conductor and a junior conductor.The conductor was the son of the Retired Manager.Armed with the plantation's map,Ken made the conductor drove him to the plantation on his first day of work.The plantation being 1300 acres or so,was situated along the Kuala Kubu Bahru to Kuala Lumpur highway that was the old road not the present highway.

The plantation had an frightening past,as few years back the lorry used to transport tappers early in morning had a terrible and horrifying accident in which twenty over of its tappers perished.It was half way to the plantation from Rasa.

Tapping was in full swing in some of the fields.The road leading to plantation had to go below a railway line.The whole plantation was actually part of a huge hill.Thus the whole plantation was hilly .All went well for the first month,then the Boss sent for him.

He was to report to him at his bungalow in Kuala Lumpur.Ken went there at the appointed time.While there Ken gave the Boss,Mr Gan his view of the plantation and suggested changes.The Boss gave his blessings for changes if necessary.

First he suggested a change of venue for the office and place to reside in for him and the conductor.Secondly the Contractor's attitude towards his administration of tappers must also be rectified.Thirdly,all tree laces must be weighed and returned to the plantation.Gladly the Boss accepted.All beneficial to the Company surely he agreed but.........

With his permission a new shop lot was rented for the office where the main room was occupied by Ken and the conductor given another room.With that settled Ken brought in his wife to to be with him.Everything went on fine.

Then he disallowed all the tappers to take away tree laces and some lumps home,it seem they wanted them for lighting fire only.What? two to three kilos of them for lighting fire?Ridiculous but it happened.Being an order everyone follow suit.

The Contractor was damn mad as he was ordered to come into the fields as well and supervised his tappers as well.Further Ken compelled him to do payments to workers before the 7th of every month as stipulated in the Employment ordinance.

In the plantation he abide by the order but he slowly resorted to going to the Boss directly.Apparently he cried at the Boss residence claiming that he was mistreated by a young pup and no one dared touch him accept Ken.

Seeing that that deterred the Boss he went on to complaint about the gambling session Ken had.What gambling it was only "diplomatic poker" not big stake gambling at the District officer's residence.Being a small town those participants were the Bank Manager and one or two "towkays".So no big deal.

It was just an entertainment as there was no others around.Besides Ken had no big money with him to gamble big.It was also a matter of knowing people around who knows someday might required their assistance. The Police Officer was also there,so Ken was trying to get around.

This the Boss never understand or refused to understand until,,there came to a point that Ken had to give the Boss an ultimatum,it was either the contractor to go or he resigned.Since the Boss did not or refused he thus resigned.

One thing funny in this small town was that his lorry driver,a small size old man,turned out to be gang leader,a very brave old man.It was he who protected Ken other gang who tried to extort from him.This old man dared to challenge them alone telling them,"Touch him,you have to go through me".Those gangster refrained.Ken was also introduced to other gang leaders of his gang and also attended a grand dinner at their place.


It was no used serving for someone who trusted the contractor than his Manager.So he left within that six months frame of probation.

Ken getting fed up with the plantation got a job at his Uncle's sawmill in Karak,Pahang in 1968.The sawmill had concession of large tract of timber land from the state government.Even though it was not his line of trade he nevertheless gave it a trial.

He shifted to Karak with his wife.Later 1969 he was married to his wife officially by the Chinese custom way because the wife's parents cannot accept the Registrar of marriage so he had to marry her out of her house officially witnessed by all relatives.Well he did just that to satisfy her parents.

There was no money for the marriage and he planned it as simple as possible.Even the car for the marriage was the Sawmill's manager's car.It was a 1300 c.c. Opel brand new car.So very kind of him to be the driver,too.Of course the wife's side threw a lavish dinner in Bentong.For Ken it was a simple lunch in Petaling Jaya with only five tables for closed relatives and friends.That was just after 13th.May 1969.

The prospects in the Sawmill appeared to be a good choice but his Uncle too had a host of other nephews also employed there,also wanting his help as well for promotion as well.Well,here too he meet a joker who wanted him out of the way.Why do people always had to pick on him all the time?Something must be drastically wrong ?

Maybe Ken's links were not powerful enough but one thing is sure Ken was the easier scrape goat,because his Auntie was always siding him.People who wanted favour from the Uncle always used tales to convince him to get into his good books.Then there was another Uncle from Teluk Anson who was very critical of Ken fearing that he would take over his nephew's place at the Mill.

Ken was only securing a small allowance for his present at the Mill,so difficult was time that the poor wife had to tap rubber for a relative.Fortunately it was young rubber just came into tapping and within town area,,so quite simple job just shaving the newly opened cuts.

Ken sensing that the position at the Mill does not suit him at all,his life should be in the plantation sector. Realizing that he began making application for a planting position.Even though the Uncle had wanted to send him for further training regarding the Mill,but the point was he did not want to compete with all the others,causing all unnecessary troubles.He already had sufficient problems of his own.Most important he does not want his beloved wife to suffer and with the baby due he must changed fast.

Some how luck apparently was on his side the month before the birth of his first child he received a letter offering him a Manager's job at an estate in Batang Berjuntai,Selangor.With happiness he accepted the position.

The baby came in October 1970,two weeks before he joined that plantation.So after celebrating the birth of the baby girl he left for the plantation the same month.
Now with the child around will the fire within him dies off. No,no never his anger for those who had done him injustice previously he still wanted revenge.

Even then his number of enemies in record had risen.He definitely had a longer list now.So far he had absolved failures after failures.He could not believe that life could so cruel to him.Now that he had a child and a family to defend he should worked doubly hard.Thus he will be joining the new position with a heavy burden and heart.