Ride on Time

Chapter 111

Mitsuo successfully navigated his way towards Shree's home and excitedly made his way towards the doorbell. But before he could even press it, he realised that the porch was completely empty, with both cars vanished from sight. He groaned to himself and sighed, seeing how the family wasn't home.
His gaze suddenly fell on the house beside it. Sufyan was nowhere to be seen but it was evident that he was home. Now seemed like a good time to go see him, seeing how Shree wasn't home too.
After a thought, Mitsuo made his way towards the house and rang the doorbell. Sufyan's son poked his head out. "Ya?"
Mitsuo bowed slightly. "I'm sorry, but is Mr. Sufyan home?"
The young man nodded and muttered something in Malay before retreating. Mitsuo patiently waited as he went to call his father, who soon came out. Sufyan looked at him in surprise, pushing his glasses up his nose as he came out to meet him at the gate.
"Hello," Sufyan greeted. "You wanted to see me?"
Mitsuo nodded. "Yes, sir. I just wanted to ask you about Shri Mohan, your old friend. Of course, only if you don't mind."
Sufyan frowned slightly and regarded him. Mitsuo just gave him a smile, a hand clutching his pendant. Sufyan's face changed as he nodded slowly. "Come in."
Mitsuo bowed and followed him into the house. It was a mirror reflection of Shree's home in structure but the interior was differently decorated with cream walls. Mitsuo couldn't help but think it looked a little cramped, seeing how the sofas were arranged facing each other when they had a really big living room. Sufyan invited him to sit down on one of the plush green couches and asked his son to make a drink. Of course, Mitsuo didn't understand a word since they spoke in Malay.
Mitsuo now he felt bad for not bringing him anything in advance. But at least he had taufufah.
"I brought some taufufah," Mitsuo said, holding up the plastic bag he brought. "Got it from the food court nearby."
Sufyan politely declined. "It's fine, I don't like taufufah."
Mitsuo shrugged. 'Well, it was meant for Nika.' He thought to himself before speaking. "Sorry, I didn't bring something on the way, I just came here by chance and decided to talk to you."
"What you want to know about Shri?" Sufyan asked.
"Just wanted to know him in general, like how was he at school?"
Sufyan pursed his lips thoughtfully, leaning back in his seat with a sigh. "He was a nice feller, always writing in class." He chuckled. "Teacher also won't scold him because they think this feller studying, see-see he writing story. He used to read also but got one teacher, that lady always bully him, even confiscate his book one day."
"But why?" Mitsuo asked. "Was it a bad book?"
Sufyan shook his head with a smirk. "No lah. He sitting and reading in class. But he only read after finishing the teacher's work. Even after we leave school, he still complain about that teacher." He shrugged. "I don't blame him also lah, that teacher had an eye on him for always reading in class. One time he forgot to bring homework, but he brought storybook, the teacher ask him how can forget her work but not storybook. He somehow kautim with her."
Mitsuo nodded slightly. "Did you like reading his books?"
"Yeah. His books very nice, his stories all got no dirty scene, so my children also got read when they were small, his words also very nice." Sufyan smiled at Mitsuo. "You should know, you got read his book, what?"
Syukri came in with a tray of drinks and placed it on the table in front of them. He gave Mitsuo a smile and left the two of them together.
"My son," Sufyan said when he left. "He followed in my footsteps to become policeman also."
Mitsuo nodded and helped himself to a glass of cold rose syrup. "He looks a bit like you."
"No lah, he look like his mother lah," Sufyan chuckled. "He really take after my wife."
Mitsuo nodded politely. "I really like The Collision of Two Worlds. That was his last story, right?"
Sufyan nodded slowly, a faraway look in his eyes as if he was remembering something. "He was very excited about it when he told me. Both of us went to Jaya and buy that day."
"Jaya?" Mitsuo asked. "As in the Jaya Shopping Centre near Sheralbon?"
Sufyan nodded. "That time never renovate yet, still Jaya Supermarket only." His face contorted with a frown as if a bad thought polluted his mind all of a sudden, but he looked up at Mitsuo with a smile. "I asked him to give me the book for free, but he made me buy all three of his books at the bookshop." He started snickering when something funny. "He can send free book to his girlfriend in Japan, but not give me."
Mitsuo couldn't help but crack a smile at that. "Yeah, I knew that. Her mother sold me those copies for a low price."
"Oh yeah, you Japanese, right?" Sufyan nodded as he remembered the fact. "Pity that girl also, I heard she died one day only before Shri passed away."
"His sister told me that he was actually on his way to the airport when he crashed," Mitsuo stated. "But sadly, he didn't even cross PJ, right?"
"There, here only, near Iron Can," Sufyan said, pointing a hand towards the street as if it was the Federal Highway itself. "Before that only I called him and asked if can go out. He scold me because it was Ramadan and I can't eat and told me that we can go out that weekend. He was at work, so I also never disturb him." He took his glasses off and ran a hand down his face before turning to Mitsuo with sad eyes. "Less than one hour later, his brother call and told me he passed away in accident." He took a deep breath before facing Mitsuo again. "He always make fun of me for not taking my police cap off." He gestured towards his head. "And always tried to make me take it off whenever I was in uniform. He succeeded the next time I went to meet him, that feller."
Mitsuo understood what he meant and felt sorry for the older man. He knew that it wasn't easy losing a friend, especially a good one that you'd never get to see again no matter where you searched. "He had a brother?" He decided to change the subject.
Sufyan nodded. "Got one brother. Older brother. Shri not very close to him, he closer with the sister only. She also not very close to the brother, I think."
"I think so," Mitsuo nodded, seeing how Shruti hardly mentioned him and how he had never seen him at the company though it was a family business. "Any idea what happened to him?"
Sufyan shrugged. "I also don't know lah. I heard the company also the sister only took over, don't know what happened to the brother."
"Do you think he had any enemies?" Mitsuo asked at last.
Sufyan looked taken aback, but shook his head. "I don't think so lah. Shri was a very nice feller, he won't fight with anyone also, mostly kept to himself and only sat with me or Jamal, our other friend. But he was close with his Chinese friend, that Wang guy. I think I saw him in the neighbour house last week only."
Mitsuo knew exactly what he meant. "Yeah, she told me about it. I've seen him in Shridhar Industries too, he's still the Chief Financial Manager there."
Sufyan looked at him strangely. "Who are you, actually? You Shri's friend ah?"
"I guess you can say that," Mitsuo shrugged and finished his rose syrup before getting up. He bowed to the older man. "Thanks for your time, sir. I really enjoyed talking to you."
Sufyan got up to see him off. "You're welcome. It felt good to talk about Shri, he was my best friend since school time. If he was alive, he would've seen how famous his books became."
Mitsuo smiled. "He might still know about all of it."
A food delivery bike suddenly stopped in front of the house and Mitsuo eagerly went over to the gate.
"Mizo Ta... Tado?" The driver completely butchered his name.
"Yeah, it's me," Mitsuo inwardly sighed and nodded. The rider passed a plastic bag of stuff over the gate. Mitsuo bowed and turned to Sufyan, who stood there in surprise. "Sir, I got you some cakes from the nearby bakery. In Japan, it isn't nice to visit someone empty-handed, so that's why I ordered these. I'm pretty sure it's halal too since they're from Queen's Bakery in PJ State. Please, accept this as a thank you."
"We do that in Malaysia too," Sufyan smiled as he accepted the bag of cakes. "Thank you."
Mitsuo bowed and waved at him before making his way out.