Tangled Dreams

CHAPTER 7: THE HAPPINESS OF A FAMILY (Part 3) | Siti Nuraini

I was busy looking after customers as usual earlier this morning when I noticed a Chinese man standing across the road from the café. Initially, I had not been aware of his presence. However, when I realised that he was there every time I looked out, I began to observe him from the corner of my eye.

The man appeared to be in his sixties and wore an expensive-looking black jacket, together with a pair of dark glasses that matched his clothes. Dark and expensive, just like a wealthy man. He just stood there with his back against a huge column. His eyes were looking towards this direction, but he did not appear pensive. They were actively scanning left and right as if he was tracing something. I tried to follow his line of sight.

Eunice. He was observing Eunice. In a light bulb moment, I realised who he was: Eunice's father. He had found his daughter.

I observed his facial expressions. He seemed calm. No sign of pent-up anger. A sense of relief and thankfulness seemed clearly etched on his face. Maybe Eunice had misjudged him. Her father did not seem angry at all. On the contrary, there was a tinge of regret in his eyes. I was certain from the way he gazed at her that he loved his daughter very much. Privately, I resolved to do something to help this father-daughter family.

After some strategising in my mind, I opened the door and went outside. I looked in the direction of Eunice's father, who was still observing his daughter. I walked towards him and it was only then that he became aware of my presence. He appeared cautiously hesitant as I neared him. I increased my pace.

"Hi, I'm Nur. Would you like to come in?" I asked while pointing to the café in front of him. I purposely spoke English. I did not want him to know that I knew who he was. Let him think I was a local.

I stretched out my arm to show the way so that he could not refuse my invitation. Behaving like a gentleman, he nodded and followed my lead. When the door opened, it caused the small hanging bell to ring and Eunice behind the counter stuck her head out to welcome the customer. She was taken aback when she saw her father. I pretended not to notice. I took a menu from her and invited her father to sit down.

As with Eunice before, I tried to start a conversation with him. I started off with the usual questions similar to when I chatted with other customers. I was eager to understand in-depth this man who was her father. Was he as unyielding and fearsome as described by his daughter?

We chatted for a long time. Datuk Wong did not reveal much about himself. He merely entertained my questions with brief answers. He was gentlemanly and polite. I understood the tactics he used. To avoid revealing information about himself, he started to ask me questions instead. I took the opportunity to exchange stories about my path to establishing this café.