Chapter 5 One Kiss and Then Good-Bye

It was February 1960,that Alex joined the plantation in Taiping.He actually stayed at a distant uncle's house for the night before being picked up by the Boss of the plantation the next morning.

The house he passed the night was actually an estate supply shop.The family were very
hospitable and they took care of him very well,providing free lodging and food.They also helped him to inform the plantation Boss of his presence.That family have a number of children,five sons and a daughter.The eldest son was an excellent guitarist and he entertained Alex with his singing.

Next morning his Boss came in his Mercedes to pick up Alex to the plantation.The distance to the plantation was nearly nine miles,thereafter turned left into the plantation crossing a railway gate.The plantation was situated two miles from the main road.Both sides of that plantation were old rubber with bushy inter-rows, belonging to small holders.

The Boss drove straight into the Manager's bungalow,they waited a while for the Manager to return from the fields.After the introduction Alex was given a front room on the second floor of the bungalow.In actual fact there were only three rooms in that bungalow.Two huge rooms and one small front room.Alex chose the small front room because it had many windows thus more airy.One of the big rooms was occupied by the Manager and the other one empty.

Alex did not select that empty big room was because it was too big and he did not like the sight of it for he had an eerie feeling of it,so he selected the smaller room which was very airy.Very much later two recruits also joined him and they were given that big room.Was that room haunted? Yes,it was,Alex was right in not taking that big room.Apparently foot steps of someone walking can be heard from that room.Did they discover any ghosts? No,not yet!.

Early next morning he attended muster with the Manager.At the muster ground he was introduced to the Sr.Conductor,a Ceylonese in his fifties..He did the roll calls thereafter.Most of the workers were present and answered their names as soon as called out.As soon as completed they returned to the plantation office.

Alex being new was placed in charged of a second Division and had to cycle there by himself.The land there was very flat so bicycle could be used.All the rubber tappers also used them so was his "kapala".Being new apparently he was advised to begin from scratch.

The tappers in that division were majority female tappers and a few males.Almost all the rubber tappers were Chinese.He could not see their faces clearly because they had scarves over their heads ,while in the field with his "kapala"or" kangany".Coming receiving latex time he could see all their faces clearly.Almost half of them were young girls.Many of them beautiful and all smiling broadly at him.Alex pretended to be very cool in performing his duty.But his roving eyes was looking at those pretty ones.

All the younger girls were also watching him carefully and giggling as they whispered to each other.Talking softly and laughing aloud heartily.What were they talking about,definitely about Alex.

Alex had to cycle every morning to that division passing an estate and a small holding.After going through to that division,he came to know the owner of that small holding.She was there every morning to supervise her rubber tappers.A very fair but fat woman in her forties,wearing black spectacles,wearing "samfu",white gloves and long stockings.

Every morning Alex would wished her,"Hi,Good Morning Auntie".One day she suddenly stopped Alex and demanded Alex not to call her Auntie."Don't call me Auntie",she said."It makes me seem so old and I am unmarried, you know?Call me something else",she demanded."Very well,I shall call you Sister,okay?",asked Alex."that is at least better,but still not good enough I don't want to be your sister"she replied."Aiyo,then call you what?Like that very difficult,lah".said Alex.

"Oh? Very simple you can called me Miss Goh",she said.""Yes,Very well,Miss Goh".thus they became friends.At times she will bring along some delicious cakes and shared them with Alex.The Miss Goh was really something Rich and fat. Knowing her was not too bad for she was loaded.Alex 's imagination surely ran wild.

So whenever went out to Taiping town in the evening he would called her out and she gave Alex lavish dinners,Of course Alex pretended to settle the bills but she stopped him for doing so, Whenever in town Alex stayed at the distance relation's house.He never dared returned to the plantation late night because the inlet road to the plantation was haunted.

However one late evening he did tried to walk home on that that stretch of road between the plantation and the main.That evening he had no choice as he had not made prior appointment with his distance relatives so forced to endure that walk back to the plantation.That night it was pitched dark all the way because of impending rain.

Initially he walked as fast as he could but half way he saw a light in the nearby small holders.The light was the size of a football, floating and drifting in the air about three feet above from the ground.That really scared the guts out of him and in fright he began to run,doing less than 12 seconds for the 100 meters stretch.What a fantastic run,a run for his dear life.Was it 12 seconds, no, no, never but slightly above 13 seconds would be more accurate.

What ever it was he reached the bungalow in a horrified dash.He was totally exhausted when he reached the bungalow.Breathing hard, fast and sweating profusely.In panting he finally admitted he was really terrified at that sight of the light.The main gate of the bungalow was locked so he had to go to the small side door.That too was locked as it was passed 1.00 o'clock.It took him quite a while to recover his composure before he could called out for someone to open that door for him.After half an hour some one did come to relieve him with the opening of the gate, it was another new recruit.That was one horrifying experienced he encountered.

What an experience he had and he never dared attempt that again.Sometime back at that bungalow he experienced another sighting of the "fire ball" drifting in mid air near the bungalow.It was not him that saw the "fireball" first but the Manager some time after mid night and called out to him to watch the scary flying "fireball".The "fireball" drifted about at a distance and slowly vanished in the rubber plantation.Though it appeared scary but it never harm anyone.Days after he learned that "fireball" was in fact little ghost bred by "Bomoh"living nearby.

Back at work he had to face those rubber tappers every day.Many of them tried to be friendly with him and having no interest stayed away from them.

No matter how he tried there was always some attraction from these girls and there were so many.One fine day another attractive girl from the other division caught his attention.She was a very lovely petite young dame and charming too.He was infatuated with her.When she talked she wore a beautiful and attractive smile and that caught his attention and admiration.

So slowly he was tempted to date her out, he asked her.It was no surprised as she met his request with a smile.So he took her out for a walk,half way through he held her tightly and planted a lovely kiss on her lips.She responded with intensity so furious were the warm kisses that they clinked on to each other for quite a long moment.

It was sweet and lovely kiss that cannot be erased in the years to come.First its taste was so specially sweet and tender,Then that kiss was planted so beautifully that neither could ever forget it while it lasted.It was definitely a beautiful moment worth remembering.

But whatever it was beautiful or otherwise while kissing Alex lost his senses in calling out a different name,the name was "Linda,I love you".Poor thing that name was apparently inaudible to her and she only heard "I love you"as they kissed.What a ridiculous encounter.Well the fact remained that Alex remembered a certain name as he kissed this girl,what a shameful deceit.

Two day s later Alex was to return to Teluk Anson for a day or two,she even send him off at the Taiping bus station where he boarded a taxi home.It was a sad good bye as she was madly in love with him and so reluctant to let him go,His return to his home town was nothing more than having a glance or a look at the one he really love.

He in deed had a good look at her while she was cycling home with her group of friends.He saw her and looked forlornly into her eyes and she looked back,That starring moment lasted only few precious seconds.He too saw her at Church that evening but they never had the opportunity to even talked for so many friends wee around them.

Next day he was back at Taiping but on the way he gave thoughts to his affair with the girl in Taiping.Oh yes he knew he must not betray that girl in future.He made up his mind to leave that girl alone not wanting to hurt her further.He dared not even see her let alone meet her.That really broke her heart as she felt jilted and fell sick thereafter,Many advised Alex to see her and tell her the truth.

Alex was reluctant to face her as he knew facing her was the most difficult task to do,for he knew had he gone and seen her he would have relented and took pity on her ,following which will hold her and kissed her thus prolonging the affair.He rather they break abruptly then to break it gently hurting her more.Short and fast breaking will hurt for a short moment, but to prolong the affair and the hurt will be more serious when she found out he really loved another.In any case he only stole her heart nothing more,she was still as lovely as before.

So he told her friends ,tell her he was no good for her and he jilted her.And if cannot just tell her he do not love her.He is bad and a cheating heart.Say what you may, those lovely kisses they had still embedded within him for a long,long time to come.So it was one kiss and then good bye,what sad ending.It could have been the other way,loved her and lived with the memories of the girl love at first sight.Then will this love last,no I doubt but some will say love can further blossomed as days go by,will it.It may be but cannot be so with Alex...................

Luck was apparently with Alex for he was transferred out of that plantation
thereafter to another plantation along the northern boundary of Perak.The small town called Selama and then miles off into the interior towards the border.Although so far interior the whole stretch of laterites road passed through many plantations along the way.All beautifully maintained.

That stretch was very slippery during rainy seasons,so careless drivers usually landed in the ditch along the way.That road was reputed to be haunted as there were many people murdered during the emergencies.It used to be a Communist infested territory.

That girl was actually from Ipoh and each time Alex passed by Ipoh his thoughts immediately drove him to remember this girl- the girl he kissed and then good bye.