Ride on Time

Chapter 86

Mitsuo suddenly received a strange PDF file from Shree. His first instinct was to download it to see what it was but he decided to ask her what it was first, afraid that she might've sent it to him by mistake.
What is this?
It only took a few seconds for Shree to reply.
It's a short story by Shri Mohan
As the Moon Lit Their Way
"Ooo!" Mitsuo's eyes shined as he downloaded the PDF file to read the story.
He scrolled through the mass of chapters and stories before finally finding it in the middle. Mitsuo leaned back on his bed and started reading the story, a smile on his face.
The smile slightly faded, however, when he realised how familiar the story felt, like he read the story somewhere before. But he just couldn't place it...

Shree and Vasu just sat in the room until their mother suddenly barged in.
"Oh, you here ah," Chandrika remarked when she spotted her daughter there too. "Both of you, come lah. They going already."
"Good lah," Vasu smirked. "Let them go."
"They calling you lah," Chandrika hissed. "Come lah!"
Without much of a choice, there two of them made their way out, with Vasu quickly pulling on a hoodie to cover his not-so-presentable tank top. They just stood on the porch while their mother and grandmother saw the Chinese family off, trying to mask their bored expressions.
"How come you wearing nice clothes?" Vasu whispered to his sister.
Shree shrugged. "Sherry personally called for me."
"Why?"
"I dunno, maybe because I'm the one who busted them."
Vasu nodded understandingly before turning back to the front, watching the exaggerated farewell going on.
All of a sudden, their neighbour came lingering out of their home, apparently getting ready for a trip somewhere in their car. Wang waved at the them and had to round his car to go to the driver side.
And he inevitably bumped into Sufyan, who quickly apologised.
"Gosh, that guy seems to be bumping into everyone," Shree snorted. "First Mitsuo and now this?"
"Eh, wait, you Shri's friend, right?" Wang suddenly piped up in Malay.
"Shri? You mean Shri Mohan?" Sufyan asked. Wang nodded, prompting him to continue. "Yeah, he was my friend. He passed away twenty-five years ago."
"I know lah!" Wang blurted out. "I saw you a few times, you police, right?"
"I am... and you are?"
"I'm Wang Xiao Sheng, I work in Shridhar Industries. Still work there."
"Wang... oh yeah, I remember Shri mentioning you a few times. You're the Pengurus KeWangan. He told me that you love joking about your name."
Wang chuckled. "Yeah... I used to love doing that a lot during my first few years working there. Still do it sometimes, actually."
To everyone's surprise, they ended up exchanging numbers before parting ways in their cars.
"Is it me, or is literally everyone we're meeting has something to do with this Shri Mohan guy or appears to be a big fan?" Shree said, weirded out. "Like Mitsuo? This guy, and then our own neighbour."
"I won't be surprised if Mom had something to do with him too," Vasu added, frowning.
"Actually, I used to know him in college," Chandrika suddenly piped up, locking up the gates and following the rest back into the house. "He was handsome, nice guy. I would've had a much better life if I had married him instead of your stupid father." She sighed. "But then, you two wouldn't have been born."
She gave them a pained smile and walked ahead of them to enter the house. The siblings were left to stare at each other in shock.
"Did she just tell us that this Shri Mohan guy could've been our father?!" Shree gasped. "Oh gosh, this is getting out of hand."
Vasu snorted. "This Shri Mohan feller, he not enough attacking us in school for literature, now that feller everywhere already."
The two sighed and entered the house, closing the front grille and started going over the day's events.

Mitsuo finished the short story he was reading and decided to go downstairs to get some Malaysian snacks at the nearby petrol station. He even took pictures of whatever he was buying to send to Shree, even asking her for some suggestions to Malaysian snacks.
That's not Malaysian snacks
That's potato chips
Mitsuo was a little confused but replied.
Malaysian flavoured potato chips
Ayam goreng is fried chicken, right?
Mitsuo made his way to the counter and paid for the things he took. His phone suddenly vibrated with a message from Shree as he made his way out. Mitsuo decided to read it only after reaching the hotel's lobby.
Malaysian flavour but not Malaysian snack
I can buy you some if you like
Mitsuo panicked and quickly typed out a reply.
No no, just tell me the name of the shop

It's a roadside shop
It doesn't have a name

Then how do I get there?
Shree then proceeded to type out long instructions on how he would find the stall in Old Town. Eventually, she sent him the location of the nearest landmark since Mitsuo was obviously getting muddled up.
Mitsuo decided to give it a try, going there first chance he gets.
And that would be now.
Mitsuo wasted no time in booking a Grape to the place that Shree sent.

"Shall we buy kuih?" Devi suddenly asked her granddaughter in Tamil.
Shree shrugged, putting her phone down. "Can also."
Devi nodded and waited for her daughter to come in.
"Nika says she wants kuih," Devi said as soon as Chandrika appeared, much to Shree's surprise.
"Awah!" Shree gasped. She turned to her mother, pointing at her grandmother. "Mom! She only wanted, but she telling me."
Devi stared at her but luckily, Chandrika agreed to get some kuih as a tea snack. Well, that's what kuih literally was anyway.
So the three of them drove off to Old Town to get some from their favourite shop when lo and behold, Mitsuo was also I there.
"Eh, your Japanese feller, right?" Chandrika asked, pointing at Mitsuo scratching his head at the array of snacks laid out. "He also buying kuih ah?"
"It is," Shree said, amused. "So fast he came ah? He said he wanted to know where to buy Malaysian snacks, I send him this shop, and then he actually came now itself."
"When did you send?" Devi asked.
"Only just, right before we left," Shree shrugged. "He came so fast."
Chandrika suddenly handed her a twenty-ringgit note. "Nah. Go and buy."
"What?" Shree exclaimed. "Why me? That lady know you only, not me."
"Just go buy lah," Chandrika pushed the money towards her. "Help Mitsuo to buy also. He looks so confused."
Shree sighed and took the money before getting out of the Perodua Viva. She casually went towards the stall and waved at Mitsuo.
"Nika?" Mitsuo said in surprise. "You came too?"
"This is Old Town, I literally live here," Shree shrugged. "Anyway, what are you buying?"
Mitsuo shrugged and pointed at the food, much to the shopkeeper's amusement. "I have no clue what these even are."
The shopkeeper chuckled and explained again. "This one is pisang goreng, fried banana. This one, burger Malaysia, Malaysian burger, kuih bom, bomb—"
"Bomb?!" Mitsuo's eyes widened in surprise.
"It's only called that," Shree snorted. "It's just sesame and inside is brown sugar and coconut flakes."
One by one, Shree explained to Mitsuo and at last he decided to take pisang goreng, a few of the kuih bom, and the burger Malaysia since it looked kinda interesting. And a few powdered doughnuts too. That he recognised without help. And also something called kuih koci and kuih pulut panggang.
"I guess I'll just leave now," Mitsuo said, taking his plastic bag of food and change. "Bye!"
"Eh, wait, wait," Shree said. "We can drop you if you want."
Mitsuo wasn't sure how he should respond. "Umm... it's fine. I can take a Grape."
"Never mind lah, I leave you for free," Shree insisted. "Come lah."
She finished buying her kuih and made her way back to the car. To her surprise, Chandrika had moved to the back beside her mother, leaving her to drive.
Mitsuo got into the front passenger seat and greeted everyone politely as Shree handed the plastic bag of snacks to the back. Chandrika looked over at Devi and wondered how she didn't even mind being dressed in her usual housecoat. Then again, she didn't mind all the time whenever she had guests.
So they ended up driving him straight to the Sheralbon Hotel.