Life's Challenges (Chapter Three)

He stood in front of the black coffin, his head bent forward, his eyes blank. Sounds of people crying could be heard behind him. He saw the woman his father had brought home as his new mother. She too, was crying. But in a most bogus way. No tears were coming out although she kept dabbing her eyes. He knew it was just a show. A show to make everyone think she really love his father though it was not true. She had married him just for money. The money his father had earned using his grandfather’s. From the ten thousand he gave, now it was at least more than ten million since he started his own business. And even as he lied in the coffin, his business was expanding and earning more.

He stared at the cemented ground, feeling nothing. No sadness. No grief. No anger. Suddenly, he felt a pair of arms around his shoulders. It was exactly like the gentle embrace his mother would give him before. He turned and saw his grandmother. He could see that her eyes were watery. She looked him in the eyes and said, “Boy, you are ten years old now. You have already grown so much and become strong. But you must be stronger from now on. With both your parents gone, you are alone....”

“Erhemm. He is not alone. He is with me.”

They saw the woman. The woman whom he disliked so much he could bash her. She stood in front of them, smiling. All three of them stared at each other. They were having some sort of staring match among themselves. Suddenly, a man in a suit, holding a file came to them. “May I know who is the son of Mr. Jack Yan?”

For once after so long, he spoke. “I am.”

The man looked at him in surprise. “You? You are his son? Well, okay then. Oh, and also his current wife, parents, parents-in-law and brother-in-law are needed. Is everyone here? Well then, if you would please follow me.”

He led the way to an empty spot where two men, dressed formally, were waiting for them. Chairs were placed in a big circle. He motioned to everyone to sit down as he did so himself. When everyone was seated, he took a deep breath and started.

“I’m sure you do not know me. So, let me introduce myself. I am Mr. Tan, a lawyer. Mr. Jack Yan had hired me to discuss about his will, which is the reason why I am here, to tell you the contents of the will.”

The woman tightened her grip on her handbag and sat up straight. She appeared anxious to hear it and he was sure she definitely thought she would get all his father’s assets. On her face formed a smile. She seemed confident. On the other hand, he did not move a muscle, but just sat still and stared at the lawyer. The lawyer looked around and continued.

“Well, shall I read the will?”

The woman moved a little in the seat. “How about if you just go into the details.” She smiled.

“Okay.” He cleared his throat and opened the file. “Mr. Yan’s assets have been divided as he had wished. Five percent of his business shares will be given to each of his parents, and in-laws, which adds up to twenty-five percent and leaves seventy-five percent. This seventy-five percent will be given to...”

The woman again shifted in her seat impatiently, as if she couldn’t wait to take the shares and disappear with it to use it as she wished. Mr. Tan looked at her and somehow got the impression that she was a most impatient and irritating person because he looked thoroughly annoyed at being interrupted so many times.

“It will be given to... his son. And so will the house. The jewelleries that was and is still being kept will be given to his current wife. The total sum of money after being converted is a hundred thousand dollars. The business will currently be taken over by his wife. The shares and house given to his son will be, in simpler words, looked after his wife until he is seventeen years of age.”

The lawyer cleared his throat. “I’m sure everyone agrees with the will. Before I forget, these two gentlemen are witnesses for this will. They agreed and signed it. May I introduce, Mr. Lee and Mr. Lim.”

The two gentlemen rose from their seat and smiled while shaking hands with everyone, even with the woman who looked extremely furious. He thought she must have burst a blood vessel, with her face so scary. Secretly, he was happy that not even one percent of the shares were given to her. On the other hand, most of the shares percentage were given to him. Though he could not help the family business nor can he take over the business for the woman would be the one running it starting on that day, he felt slightly relieved that all business-related things were not in his hands yet.

He still sat on the chair, not moving. He could see the formally attired gentlemen having a chat with the woman. She appeared to be trying to seduce them with her so called charms which he thought she didn’t have any. She kept batting her eyelids and spoke to them with a sickening voice which she had used too many a time while talking to his father. But her efforts seem to go down the drain. The gentlemen did not appear to like her much and were trying to get away from her by starting to talk to his grandparents.

The woman was shocked to have met these kind of people who did not bother about her much. She stepped back away from them with eyes wider than usual. Then, she snapped out of her thoughts about something and went back to normal. She looked at them with eyes full of annoyance and looked like she was going to murder someone but she just walked away. He continued watching what everyone was doing.

The woman started talking to a man who looked like an underworld boss, full of tattoos on his arms. She flirted with him by using her index finger to poke him on the chest. Although he thought the action was too weird, he let her continue doing it. Then, he leaned over to whisper something to her ear. She giggled and whispered back something. He smiled and put his hand around her waist. Then, again he whispered something and the woman nodded her head.

As it was too obscene to watch, he looked away. He could not stand watching the woman whom his father had trusted and loved, so called, was flirting happily with another man on his funeral. He was sure his father now saw her true colours but it was too late. He found out only after he was gone from this world.

But that didn’t matter anymore. What mattered the most was to find his mother. His father had told him she went somewhere. But where? He couldn’t possibly go around the whole world to find her. He wouldn’t know where to start and his father had left him so much money and shares and even a house that was so big it could be occupied with a hundred people. But he could not use it until he was seventeen which was nine more years. In the meantime, it would be ‘taken care of’ by that hateful woman, which he knew it would be finished in no time if given to her.

He stood up. His family members including the woman turned to look at him in surprise and wondering what he was going to do. He walked to the woman and stepped on her foot. She screamed at his face. “What the HELL are you doing!”

“Something I feel my father wanted me to do right at this moment,” he replied.

“And WHY would he want that?”

“Because you’re unfaithful and you’re flirting with as many people here. Right HERE at his funeral.”

The woman was silent for a moment and she felt all eyes on her as she realize most of them were either murmuring something to each other or just plainly shaking their head to show that they did not approve that kind of a person. She then burst into a stutter, “I.. I was not flirt.. flirting. I was.. I was talking to.. to them about.. about.. about.. er.. personal things.. you know..”

“No, I don’t. And you can’t deny that you WERE flirting. You even tried to flirt with the two witnesses of my father’s will.”
“I.. I...” she stuttered and stammered. Out of the blue, she gave him a slap across his face, so strong and fierce that he fell onto the floor. His family members ran towards him as he laid on the floor, not moving.

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He felt his heart being stabbed as he remembered the next memory in which he was.......

-brenda-