My adventure in the office

[Souledge]

Take care bro.. Take your time.. You don't own us anything...

[peter11]

take your time bro, will wait patiently.

[JonathanSIV]

Bro iLock

Do ignore those who complain for the lack of updates from you. Everything here is free and you do not get any incentive if you get more readers for your stories.

The very least is that you do post updates on your personal situation and inform when we could possibly expect a completion (much thanks for those posting here the updates from his blog). Some other writers are on "permanent" hiatus...

At the end of the day, it is heartening to see many our SBF empathizing with bro iLock. At the same time, it is a reminder for those in fairly stable jobs / industries to not take things for granted as things change pretty fast in this new age economy. Cheers.

[dating]

Camping here.

[Tamader]

camping here..

[CombatRation]

Camping here too.

[husky1shepherd4]

Bro Ilock
all the best for next job

shall wait for your updates

[EhWahEhWah]

Paging for Bro iLock, Paging for Bro iLock.

My F5 button change alot of time liao.

[skl8188]

Originally Posted by EhWahEhWah

Paging for Bro iLock, Paging for Bro iLock.

My F5 button change alot of time liao.

Already inform update will be at end of October

[Valeros]

Originally Posted by EhWahEhWah

Paging for Bro iLock, Paging for Bro iLock.

My F5 button change alot of time liao.

F5 button no stock liao, please change keyboard

[Zeelova]

Great story! Took me a few hours.. I love the excitement in it 😈😈😈

[yy0202]

Been reading TS's stories for quite sometime... im not following closely but will actually wait out 3 to 4 weeks before i start reading from page 1. That will give me quite alot to read.... Glad that TS contributes stories on a regular basis... SBF had become pretty boring.... Keep it up TS... you are doing great

[Megatronzombie]

Bro ilock, simply ignore that idiot complainer in your blog. His sense of super bloated self entitlement is a testament of the new age thinking some singaporeans have today. A stark contrast to the working class of yours and my age. Unfortunately, companies don't appreciate loyalty and hard work these days and instead trust 3rd party so called consultant to replace good grounded workers. This is a reality everyone will suffer for the next decade coz believe me, the govt is downplayingthe severity of this depression. Its gonna last for at least 3-4 years and singapore being an export driven country will get the most hit out of most asiapac countries.

I think you did the right choice in dumping your unappreciative company and move on to a new one. Irs lower salary but you keep your sanity. I wish i have the courage to do the same. I have been taking on more roles while my colleagues left or fired and stress has been causing me to experience sudden chest pains. But there is simply no job in the market for my experience right now (its quite a niche market im in) coz everyone is hunkering down. The goodthing for me is at least the management seemed to be very concerned with my well being and tried their best to reduce my workload.

To bro ilock and everyone else hang in there and make sure you have a savings of at least 6-9months of expenses coz thats the min period you require to find a new job with a similar pay you are getting. Its really rough right niw but it will get rougher next year. So be ready.

[ilikeoldchangke]

Seconds ticked by slowly before I saw 1 of them reach for the door knob.




Rat tat tat…



It’s locked but a flimsy one. It’s not hard to knock it off.



Kate immediately went to Mr Liew’s table and tried to look for the phone.


Mr Liew’s table was filled with rolls of drawings and files, I could hardly see the keyboard not to mention his phone.




As Kate tried to trace the phone by running her hands through all the stuff crowded on the table, I could see the guys outside the room discussing what to do.



The man I punched kept tugging and pulling the door knob.



I could see Xiaoqiang gesturing towards the cigarette, he looked like he was telling them to quickly grab their stuff and clear out but the man who touched Kate seemed intended to open the door.




Kate : God…. Mr Liew needs to tidy up his desk !! … Kate bent over and finally found the phone that was entangled with it’s own cord lying on his pedestal.



She immediately picked it up and held it in a threatening manner towards the men outside the room.




Kate : I’ll call the police !!! I really will!


I could see them deliberating their decision.




If they are smart enough, they would take their stuff and go. Their decision seemed split as they spoke among themselves harshly and in an urgent manner. Then without warning, Hejun, Xiaoqiang and one other guy started to walk briskly away.




The door knob kept vibrating and shaking as the guy kept hitting and pushing the door. He looked like he was going to rape Kate if he can get his hands on her.


Kate went up to the glass panel and knocked the phone on the window, raising it and making the motion of calling the police. The guy behind that asshole at the door tried tugging at his friend’s arm, asking him to let it go but he shrugged him away.




He tried talking to him but after a minute, he grew impatient and walked off as well.



Now it’s just us and the man at the door.




Kate : Ok… good.. now only left him…. Let’s push the door out and beat him up…. This fucker touched me !...



James : What if the others are hiding in the corner waiting for us to come out. ?




Kate looked like she was about to say something else but kept quiet.




I saw Xiaoqiang back in view again with 2 paper bags stuffed full of his stash, the top were flimsily covered with some recycled paper as he nudged his friends a few times but he refused to go.



Exasperated, Xiaoqiang shouted for him to catch up as he disappeared from sight once more.




The man kicked the door several times, hard. The loud thumping gave Kate a shock and she jumped, choosing to come closer to me.



He paced around the outside for a while , wiping the sweat from the top of his lips and wiping it on his shirt.




Kate : Ok don’t worry , he’ll walk away in a while… his friends are all gone.. we can wack him.


I almost wanted to roll my eyes at her.




Kate : See… in situation like this…. It’s best to stay calm James…. don’t worry… this is Singapore…. Nothing will happen.




I ignored Kate totally as I kept my eyes peeled on the man.



He seemed to be walking and wandering a little further away.




If he was far enough, I might want to open the door and make a run for it.



I saw him walk over to Kate’s desk and he looked around.




Then he started rummaging through Kate’s bag.



Kate saw what he was doing and in a moment of panic, she opened the door and dashed out before I could react.




Kate : HEY!!!



I immediately followed close behind Kate’s heel, my eyes scanning the rest of the office for signs of his accomplices.


I was so sure they were going to jump us but thankfully that did not happen.



Kate ran towards the man but he was faster, he grabbed her wallet and when Kate got within range, he pushed her on her chest, causing considerable amount of pain on her breast I’m sure because I saw Kate staggered and fell back onto the floor, clutching her breast and chest area.




Man : hahahaha…. 臭婊子。。。 ( hahaha… fucking bitch )



I was barely a few steps away and I ignored Kate, going straight for the man.




He saw me approach and I guess the anger from our previous run in fuelled his anger and he came at me too. Our bodies connected and we started raining punches on each other’s head and face.




Man : aRGHHHGHHGg..


James : ARGNHHH!!...



The struggling and punches lasted barely 30 seconds when I heard voices behind me.


From the reflection on the glass panel behind the man I was fighting, I saw his friends approach from the reception.



Kate was still on the floor behind me.



With a hard shove, I pushed the man away and heard him groan as his head hit the tempered glass of the building’s façade.




I quickly pulled Kate to her feet and dragged her behind me. Grabbing what I could from Hakim’s table, I had a 30 cm metal ruler on my left hand and I extended the orange cutter blade by 2 notch with my right as I held my arms out slightly.




Hejun and another man stopped a few steps away but mostly they were focused on their friend who was curing and massaging his head. He was still holding Kate’s wallet.


As that few seconds ticked by, I could see them deliberating their actions.




Hejun urged everyone to just quickly go but the fucker with Kate’s wallet did not look like he would let this go.



Hejun : Hanbin !!... 走吧！！ 别浪费时间了 !! 钱要紧 ( Haibin, let’s go !!!.. don’t waste time… money is more important )





So that man is called Haibin.



He grunted and shouted in exasperation and he opened Kate’s wallet.


Fine, take the money, whatever, I don’t care.






Just take it and fuck off.



But I was wrong.


He was not going for the money, he was not even aiming for the credit card.

Kate : STOP!!!! HEY!!!




Haibin laughed as he looked through Kate’s wallet and he took out her pink IC.

He immediately flipped it over and looked at her address as he laughed.





Haibin : 你等着啊。。。哈哈。。。婊子。。。 你等着。。。明天我去拜访你。。haha ( Just you wait… haha… bitch…. Just you wait… I’ll pay you a visit tomorrow.. haha )




Kate wanted to charge at him as she screamed but I held her back.



There’s 3 of them, this is not some young and dangerous movie.


There’s no way I can go around slashing people like I’m Ekin Cheng.



It was more of a deterrent.




Kate shouted for me to go grab her wallet back but I stayed where I was.

If I did go for the wallet, she would be left open for Hejun and the other guy to grab her. What’s the point of getting the wallet then ?





Haibin : hahahah…. Hahaa…


Haibin laughed as he skirted around us and left the office with his friends after throwing us a dirty look and blowing Kate a kiss.




Once the chime of the lift drifted to our ears, I dropped the ruler and the cutter and asked if Kate is ok.




James : are you ok ??



Kate : I’m fine…. You should have just chopped them up James !... fuck !....



James : Can you don’t be so gangster ?? We are civilized people.



I could tell she was fuming mad as I walked over to the phone.



I picked up the receiver and I managed to hit the digit ‘9’ twice before Kate stopped me and hung up.




Kate : What are you doing ?



James : Are you mad ? Call police la… people steal your wallet and IC leh… you got pay tax one …. Let them do their work.




Kate : NO!... don’t need.


I gave Kate an incredulous look .




James : What are you talking about ? What don’t need.



Kate : Don’t need to call the police… I can handle it myself.




That was when I lost my patience with her. You see, the problem with Kate, she thinks she’s always had a handle on things. That she’s always in control but that is not how the world works.



One moment back in Mr Liew’s office she was ready to hit dial, now there was a sudden shift in her position.

[ilikeoldchangke]

I was about to give her a piece of my mind when she started to dial the phone she was holding.




It was not a mobile number.



It started with a ‘6’.



I guess she was trying to warn her parents with some guy might be heading up to her place to find trouble. It was the least she could do since she want to handle it on her own. I seriously wondered how her parents could stand her character of behaviour.




Kate : KOR ! it’s me ..


Kate : Some fucker took my wallet, molested me, he has our address…. He says he would pay me a visit tomorrow… he.….




I turned to look as Kate she spoke angrily into the phone but as soon as she had spoken the words, it was as if a realisation suddenly dawn on her and she mellowed down immediately, looking a little embarrassed.



I didn’t know she had a brother.




Kate paused and saw that I was listening to the conversation and she covered the mouthpiece and asked that I give her some space.



I walked away as she turned her back towards me.



2 minutes later , she hung up the phone and started to pack her bag.



James : Kate… listen…. I think…. Some….things…. We shouldn’t be so stubborn…. I’ll call Terry, they’ll be gone in the morning…. Then we’ll just report this and….




Kate cut me off and said she had it under control.




James : You got to be kidding me.



Kate : It’s under control James… everything is fine…


She refused to engage me in the conversation any further.


I could tell she was angry, getting angrier by the minute. There was this determined look on her face, something I could not explain.




I grabbed my bag and said I would send her back.



James : They have your address, I’ll walk you back home.


Kate did not reject my offer and we took a cab together back to her place in Ang mo kio.



When we got in the lift , Kate seemed to have calm down a little when she told me not to worry.



Kate : The address on my IC has not been updated. It’s still my brother’s place…. I was staying there for a while…. Long story…will tell you when we have the time.



James : Then you better warn your brother and his family about this…



Kate : Don’t worry. He knows…. I’m taking leave tomorrow James…


James : Ok. … can I ask why ?




She ignored my question and walked towards her unit without turning back.


We parted ways and on my way back, I called Belinda and told her what happened. She was shocked of course and she asked me to call the authorities without letting Kate know.



I told her I would but after thinking about it, I stopped short of making the call.



Something seemed off with Kate and it was beginning to eat into me the more I thought about it.




Kate’s character is so different. She’s still young, a little green in the working environment but to have the balls to stand up to things like this and handle them the way she do, she has to have a good reason to do it.



It’s like she’s not afraid of any repercussion.



I mean right from the first day I knew her, it was just go go go, all the way. She’s was always so sure, except when it comes to matters of the heart. She is stubborn too



Maybe she got a rich daddy backing her up but still, so what if you are rich.



You kena wack, you also get a bruise.




What I could not wrap my head around why does Kate have such a strong sense of righteousness. It made me curious about her family, her upbringing.



Did they influence her character ?



She never really talked about her family.



Maybe her dad is a policemen ?


Mother a lawyer or something.



That might explain things a little.





31th May 2012


Thursday


10am




Kate was on leave, just like she said.


I sent her a text but she did not reply me.



I found out from HR that Xiaoqiang and Hejun had tendered their resignation that day and both of them were on urgent leave.




Sharon : Must be quietly find new job liao lor…. Secretly go sign appointment letter…. So obvious…


I just smiled and kept quiet.





10.30am


I called Kate several times and when she finally picked up, I asked her where she was



Kate : I’m going down to my brother’s place.



James : What ? What for ?


Kate : If that fucker comes… I want my wallet back…




James ; My god… Kate… just call and cancel the cards and make a report….



Kate :No ! This has escalated …. To a point …… that….. I cannot just report to the police…




James : Are you drunk ? What are you talking about ?



Kate : The more I think about it , the angrier I am….


She hung up on me when I tried to reason with her.




I text her several times and she finally reveal the address of where her brother’s place is.




I immediately took a cab down to the place in Joo chiat.




11.20am


It is a coffee shop nested within the quiet estate flanked by private houses and a check of the address revealed that Kate use to stay at the unit above the coffeeshop.




I looked around and there were no sign of her.



I gave her a call but she did not answer.


I ordered a cup of coffee and sat down.




The neighbourhood is quiet, there were a handful of people at the coffee shop. Aside from the occasional helper or retiree strolling down the pathway, it was pretty much empty.



The owner of the chicken rice stall was hanging up a few roasted chicken on the rack. He’s huge, his old white shirt hung off his body, there were several holes in the shirt and I could see that he had a few tattoos on his chest and arms.



The most prominent one being the tail of a intricate dragon reaching up the side of his neck.



He had a thick silver chain on his wrist and it jiggled and shook when he wielded the chopper like a skilled butcher.

Ok, swee.





Maybe this guy is Kate’s brother.



Fucking hell, tattoo and a clever. No wonder she’s not afraid of Haibin if he came.





The man went about his work with a smile, chatting with some regulars who came along to buy lunch. He seemed like a nice guy as he packed up some extra soup for a old man.


His assistant came out from the back with some more chickens. Another heavily tattooed man, his hair dyed a bright shade of blond. His arms were sculptured and rough, he could probably pull the bones out from the chicken if he wanted to.



A small scar ran down the side of his ear.




Wah, this one, this one. This is better.


Looks like he had some battle scar.



This chap got the classic chao ah beng look.




Mr Liew called and I snapped out of my daydream and answered some questions about projects before I hung up.




I tried Kate again but she did not pick up.


Turning to look at the owner of the drinks stall, I immediately dismissed him as Kate’s brother. He’s a pretty young chap, good looking too. Maybe my age give or take. He looks educated, maybe if he was in a suit, he would fit right in at the financial district but he was not.




Instead, he was in simple grey berms and a typical work shirt. One that had seen better days.


Even though his shirt had some holes and coffee stains in them, I could tell he was someone with class. Something about the way he moved and do things seemed different from the others at the coffee shop.



He was going through some invoices from drinks delivery as he asked his staff some questions about the orders.



The man cleaning the tables walked with a limp, singing in hokkien to himself as he went about his chores. Once there were no more tables to be cleared, he settled himself on a seat and started to smoke.


Next, my eyes went to the coffee maker.




This old man with skin dark as charcoal but he’s Chinese. I can tell from the way he speaks local dialect. He wore a gold chain around his neck, not a thin flimsy one. It’s thick, something you would immediately associate with what a debt collector would wear.



Dangling from that chain were a few amulets and trinkets.



He had a thick jade ring too on his little finger. This is what the god of gambler would look like when he grows old maybe, with an extra tan.



Well, he’s too old to be Kate’s brother.




I heard the rumble of a large lorry pulling to the side of the road, blocking half of the coffee shop as the engine switched off.




I turned and saw it packed to the brim with sacks of rice. Huge 50kg packs.



The passenger door opened and out hopped a man that is about 1.85 tall. He’s well built too, I guess he needs to be if he’s hauling rice that size everyday.




He smiled and gave the chicken rice seller a wave. As he came closer to my table, I got even more excited.



You know sometimes you get that urge to just spew vulgarities for no reason.