Tsunami - 2. Tsu Chapter 2

For the rest of the day, the family relaxed by the pool, and Mei remained silent during this time, and I did not want to disturb her thoughts on what could be a big event in her life, and we just happily watched the boys have a great time in the kid’s pool.

Once the boys decided that they had enough of the pool and that they were hungry, I organised the boys to shower and change into their pyjamas, while Mei ordered some dinner for all of us, and once everyone had eaten, the boys brushed their teeth and settled into bed.

Mei and I too decided to have an early night, as the past few days had been energy draining, especially with the high humidity and hot temperatures that we were experiencing, which are a lot different to the temperatures that we have in Western Australia, we were thankful that our hotel suite was fully air-conditioned.

The following day, after a big breakfast with the family, I travelled to Penang, to deal with the possible investments that had been recommended to me, and I was hoping that I would be able to conclude the business by the end of the day, to spend more time with the family.

Mei informed me that she would be taking the boys with her to meet Hakim, and that afterwards they would have a picnic lunch by the river. By mid-afternoon, I had realised that I would be in Penang for at least two days.

I have been offered a partnership in a computer parts manufacturing company, which is very new to the scene, but with lower wages and overheads, the new company would be able to export its products worldwide at a fraction of the cost if it is manufactured.

I contacted Mei to let her know that I would be in Penang for at least two days, and gave her the details of the hotel I was staying at and the room number, Mei informed me of how her meeting went with Hakim, and we chatted for a number of hours while the boys played quietly in the garden, and the boys were now having a nap before dinner.

As my meetings continued for the rest of the day and into the evening, I took a short break to call Mei and wish her a good night’s sleep, and this is when she announced that she would be going back to see Hakim again in the morning, I said to her to have an enjoyable time and to give my love to the boys.

After the phone call, I returned to my next meeting and eventually went to bed at around midnight. When I woke up early in the morning and realised it was Christmas Day, I contacted the business negotiators and let them know that I was taking a day off to spend some time with my family, and I hired a car and drove to Alor Setar, arriving shortly after 9am, and the boys were all very happy to see me.

After a late breakfast, and the traditional opening of presents, the boys were changed into swimming gear and the whole family went to the pool to relax, when I passed the reception area, I asked for some lunch to be delivered along poolside, so we could continue to enjoy the swimming and relaxing under the pool garden trees.

As Mei and I watched the boys swimming and wading in the pool, we caught up on news on how the visits to Hakim had been going. Mei informed me that she is a distant aunty, and that there were a lot of family members that had not married and had children, and so the family had virtually died out.

Mei said that the boys enjoyed playing in the back yard of Hakim’s place, and they were always on their best behavior. Mei informed me that she would like to visit Hakim a couple more times before we return to Australia the day after Boxing Day, and I let her know that I was fully supportive of getting to know her lost family.

After we had lunch by the pool, we went by car to the beach to spend the rest of the day swimming in the Indian Ocean, and the boys were having a ball of a time, making sand castles and paddling in the shallows of the ocean.

The next morning I left very early, as I was keen to complete the negotiations with the business that I was planning to invest in, most of the work had been finalised and I had signed all the documents and handed over a large cheque, which was pretty much most of my life savings, and now I was just negotiating setting up a sales base in my home City of Perth. I had arrived in Penang in good time, and parked the car just before 9am, unaware that in just a few short moments my life was about to suddenly change forever.