Spirit Tiger by Barbara Ismail Read Free Book Online Page B

you going to get the money for that? Who will lend it to you? No one. Just Yusuf, and the interest is high and you can never get out. Soon, he’ll take any land you own or your house. Macam pacat melompat , like a jumping leech. Then you’re nothing anymore.’
    Maryam and Rubiah exchanged a look, surprised at how much one could miss about what went on below the surface of everyday life.
    â€˜So we knew, this was the start of our disaster.’
    â€˜Wasn’t it gambling that was the start of your disaster?’ asked Rubiah blandly. ‘I mean, once you’d lost all that money you knew this was coming next.’ She pursed her lips, unwilling to allow Munira to paint herself as the innocent victim.
    Munira gave her a dirty look and ignored her. ‘When he came, we knew. Tinggal kelopak salak: only the salak (snakefruit ) wrapper is left. We’d be destitute. We were doomed. We’d lose everything and it was all over for us.’ She sighed, and wiped away more tears.
    â€˜Well, when he left, what could we do? We looked at each other, Ruslan and I, and I tell you, Kakak , all I wanted to do was die. What future was there for us? No money, no home, no land, everywhere people would look at us and whisper. I couldn’t face it.’
    She buried her face once again in her hands and sobbed. Maryam again patted her shoulder absently, growing tired of this endless sobbing. How did gambling always end? Never with the gambler becoming rich, that was certain.
    â€˜Ruslan said he would go to talk to his older brother: maybe he would help him. I didn’t care if he did, but I didn’t think it would help, either. He left soon after Yusuf did, and he came back about two hours later. Just as I thought, his brother didn’t want to do anything to help: he only wanted to lecture him about how it was his own fault.’ Munira made a face. ‘It’s no help at all.’
    â€˜Where does his brother live?’ Rubiah asked.
    â€˜In Kampong Dusun Muda, Jalan Bayam,’ she indicated the direction with her head. ‘Not too far.’
    â€˜How did he look when he got back?’
    Munira was no longer sniffling and seemed to have become more argumentative. ‘How should he have looked? The same way he left.’
    â€˜I mean, was he muddy or anything?’
    She snorted. ‘There’s no mud yet,’ she reminded them. ‘Not in the middle of Kota Bharu.’ She was quiet for a moment. ‘I know, you’re asking me if he killed Yusuf.’ She nodded. ‘I know it. But I don’t think he did … I think whoever killed Yusuf killed Ruslan.’ She began crying again. ‘I think he’s dead. Why else would he stay away?’
    â€˜Have you spoken to his brother?’ Maryam interrupted.
    Munira shook her head. ‘I haven’t spoken to anyone. I don’t want to see anyone.’
    â€˜Has anyone come to see you about the money you owned Yusuf?’ Rubiah was curious as to whether Noriah had gotten right to work.
    Munira shook her head. ‘Not yet. Cik Noriah hasn’t really started the business up again.’ She sighed. ‘It won’t take long, though.’
    â€˜What’s the brother’s name?’ Maryam asked briskly, anxious to be away from Munira’s damp self-pity. As often happened when she was presented with characters weaker than her own, she longed to slap them into shape, though she knew it would be socially unacceptable. It was time for her to leave, before she surrendered to the urge.
    â€˜Yunus. Just ask when you get to Dusun Muda, everyone will know who he is.’
    Maryam nodded, and forced herself to smile and pat Munira’s shoulder. ‘I’m sure Ruslan will be back, who knows where he’s gone to? Maybe up to Thailand to win back the money.’ If that were the case, then he’d certainly deserve whatever happened to him there, she reflected. It would be even