A Hasty Act

     It had been fifteen years since he left home. Fifteen long years. He had sworn to himself years ago that he would never come back to Leningrad, but fate it seemed, had decreed otherwise.

     Alexei Vladimirovich Kranchek looked up at the massive stone mansion that loomed before him now. The grand white-washed building was every bit as beautiful as he had remembered it. It was an impressive piece of architectural work that was designed in an elegant Victorian style. Built at the turn of the century, the mansion boasted of at least five hundred bedrooms, two kitchens, and a dozen halls.

     Alexei cautiously ascended the marble steps that led up to the ancient wooden double doors that made up the front door. He cleared his throat, raised his knuckles, hesitated, before knocking on the door.

     Five minutes later, the door opened with a creak.

     "Who's there?" came a soft, feminine voice in a hushed tone.  

     "It's me, Alexei" the visitor answered in a serious, formal tone. Too formal indeed.

     Immediately, the door swung wide open.

     "Lexy! Oh, it's you. Thank God you're finally here!"

     A young lady dressed in a dark muslin frock stood at the doorway. She could had been described as beautiful, for she had large, doe-like hazel eyes and raven tresses, if not for the fact that she looked so miserable. Red, puffy lines under her eyes and pale face were evidence that she had been crying. The lady was Tatiana, his sister.

     Alexei was ushered into a large reception hall. He indicated his wish to see his estranged mother and Tatiana eagerly showed him the way to the drawing room. Alexei noticed that all the servants were dressed in black, the traditional mourning colour. Even the whole mansion was enveloped by a silent, gloomy atmosphere, as if something horrible had happened. Alexei knew that fact all too well.

     The previous morning, he had received a shocking piece of news from Leningrad - that his father had died. The grumpy old man had finally succumbed to his lung cancer, a lifelong malady that he had wrestled with. Alexei was rather surprised to get the news, and he bought himself a first-class ticket from Moscow and rushed back home. He had attended his father's elaborate funeral like a dutiful son although the reality was that he was not.

     The truth was, Alexei never liked his father. A stern, authoritative paternal figure, Vladimir Kranchek did not shower love on his son. Even at a very young age, Vladimir was constantly pushing his son, his only son, to excel in whatever field that he was in - academics, sports, career. He wanted Alexei to be great in life, and would not tolerate mistakes. When Alexei failed, the boy would be reprimanded or punished harshly.

     As time went by, Alexei's relationship with his father was strained. When he reached his late teens, father and son had drifted so far apart that was a communication breakdown between them.

     The last straw came one fine summer afternoon on 20 June 1987, the most significant date in Alexei's life history. It was that day that he graduated from the University of Moscow with a first class honours degree in law. It was s strict tradition in the posh, wealthy neighbourhood that he lived in for a father to give a car to his child who graduated from university to celebrate the success.

     Alexei had fallen in love with a dashing, black Ferrari and had repeatedly told his father so. That was the car for him. The young man was looking forward to owning the sleep automobile himself.

     The day for the arrival of the present came. Imagine Alexei's shock and bitter disappointment when he received a gift-wrapped Holy Bible from his father. The horrified youngster felt as if someone had just slapped him across the face. To Alexei, this was the greatest insult he had received in his life, and to rub salt to the injury, it was from his own father.

     In a blinding moment of rage and fury, he slammed the book down onto the floor and stormed out of the house, never looking back again. He severed his ties with his father that day. Later, he went to Moscow and became a successful lawyer.

     That was fifteen years ago.

     Alexei was jerked back to reality. Beside him, Tatania motioned towards a door in front of him. Without wasting any more time, he grasped the handle and opened the door.

     Mrs. Kranchek was a sight to behold. The recently widowed woman was garbed in a black gown and was slumped against a high rosewood chair. Her face was tear-stained and there was an expression of extreme grief in her eyes. She looked dreamy, as if unaware of their entry.

     "Mother."

     The wretched woman was stunned.

     "Lexy? Is that you, Lexy?" Ekaterina Kranchek muttered in a low voice.

     "Yes, mother. I've come home."

     Ekaterina shook her head from side to side as if in disbelief.

     "Aaah... Lexy, my son, Lexy! You should not have come!" She burst into tears. "You should not have come!" she repeated mournfully. She was weeping uncontrollably now.

     "What's wrong, mother?" An alarmed Alexei rushed to her side.

     "T-there... There!" Ekaterina pointed towards a nearby desk. "There! You will find all your answers there!" Her finger was shaking.

     Puzzled, Alexis walked towards the desk. There was an assortment of items on the desk like keys, photo albums and articles, and he suddenly realized that he was looking at his late father's belongings. A familiar-looking book caught his eyes.

     It was the Holy Bible. The very same book that was responsible for his breakup with his old man.

     Instinctively, his hands touched the leather-bound volume. Blowing dust away from the cover, he opened the book. As he was flipping through the crisp white pages, a bunch of keys fell from the book. He bent down to pick it up.

     He froze.

     It could not be.

     Those keys were actually the keys to a sports car - his black Ferrari. There was even a receipt attached to the keys as proof of purchase of the vehicle.

     "No!!!" Alexei screamed as his world came crashing down on him. He was so sad, no words could possibly describe what he was feeling then. He crumbled to the floor and broke down.

     "Please forgive me, father, for I've wronged you. I'm so very, very sorry for what I've done." He cried and cried. But, no matter how much he cried, his father would never come back again. His father was truly lost from him.

     Since that incident, Alexei Kranchek became a better man. He learnt a valuable lesson that day - that there is nothing more precious than family relationship. There is no price tag to love. A lifetime of misery was the price he had to pay for an act of haste.

GLADYS KOH

(MGSS,  5K1/2002)     

An Overheard Conversation

     It was a very hot afternoon. I was drenched in sweat and my blouse was sticking onto my back. Beads of perspiration trickled down my forehead. I walked slowly and began to mumble stinging expletives to myself. How could anyone live in a place like this, I cursed. I could not take it anymore. That afternoon was exceptionally hot and I was asked by Mrs. Lim to help with an errand. I was allowed to change and fill my stomach before I started the job.

     I headed towards the toilet with a pair of shorts and a white tee shirt in my hands. As I entered, the walls seemed to create an eerie feeling as I could only hear my heavy breathing. I went into the one nearest to the exit and closed the door. I began to undress and slipped on the new set of clothing. It was a relief as I felt quite comfortable in a dry tee shirt and suddenly, it felt like there was a slight breeze running through my body. I closed my eyes and decided to let my mind drift. I saw clear blue skies, pristine beaches and even cascading waterfalls which were all so seemingly refreshing. My mind was brought back to its senses when the thumping of feet began to near the exit.

     I opened my eyes and started to fold my uniform quickly, feeling a little embarrassed that I could up with silly imaginative ideas in a toilet! Anyway, as the footsteps got nearer, I heard giggles and laughing. The footsteps stopped and I was now ready to unlock the door when I heard familiar voices.

     "Hey, you did great today, the technique you taught me was first class!" someone exclaimed.

     "You did well too. I guess we should have thought of it sooner," was the reply.

     I did not mean to be rude, nor did I eavesdrop on purpose, but somehow my legs just refused to move. I stood still like a statuette, and listened to their conversation. At first, it seemed like they were talking about the English Language examination results which we had just received that morning. Then as I began to sink deeper into what might seem like girl-talk, my eyebrows raised in disbelief and my heart stopped.

     The two girls talked about how their devious plan of cheating in the English paper had paid off and how they got away with it. The plan seemed simple enough but I thought it made the rest of the class seem stupid. The first girl would raise her pen with the cap intact to indicate an answer while the other pretended that she was coughing to agree or disagree. From the way they talked, I knew who they were. They were Su Fen and Amy who were seated at the back of the class. And to think that I actually gave Amy a throat-drop, I thought angrily.

     After what seemed like eternity to me, the two girls walked out feeling proud and happy at the same time. Little did they know that their scheme was going to be exposed... by me. I began to unlock the bolt of the door and stepped onto the wet cement floor. By now, my tee shirt was wet again but this time, I was not bothered. I headed towards the sink and began to turn on the tap. I placed my cupped hands directly under it, collected some water and splashed it on my face. I felt refreshed but my heart was racing. I repeatedly did that and looked at myself in the mirror. My reflection was a worn-out, tired girl with strands of black hair out of its place but there was a look of determination in the reflection too, which surprised even me.

     Carrying the bundle of wet uniform, I headed out. My steps were now faster and before I realized it, I was in the staff room. Mrs. Lim greeted me cheerfully and I managed to flash a faint smile. How was I to break the news to her that I had found out some students had cheated in her paper? My breath was heavy and slow as my mind tried hard to come up with a good explanation.

     Finally I said, "Mrs. Lim, Su Fen and Amy cheated in the English paper you gave a fortnight ago."

     Mrs. Lim turned around and there was a shocked expression on her face. She seemed to be searching for more details and I explained everything to her. After ten minutes, Mrs. Lim said that she would seriously look into the matter as she could not tolerate cheating in her class. The rest of the afternoon went smoothly as I helped the short and chubby lady to rearrange her shelf. There were moments of awkward silence, but I did not mind them at all. I had done the right thing, I reasoned as I continued placing books on neat piles.

     The next day, Su Fen and Amy were called up and everyone was curious as to the reason why. I remained seated and obediently started writing an essay which had just been assigned to us. Deep in my heart, I knew that those who commit bad acts would be punished. Well, maybe I was destined to feel hot the previous afternoon. Maybe I was the 'chosen one' to reveal such cases of cheating. Either way, I felt that I had done 'justice' to the class.

QUEK SUE LYN

(MGSS 5K1/2002)