Chapter One - Richard Lewis
Chapter One - Richard Lewis Chapter One - Richard Lewis
She got Reed settled in the visitor's sofa, under the blessed cooling stir of the overhead fan. The sister brought in a tray of tea and retreated. They chatted briefly about Bali and Father Louis. The small talk dwindled. Mother Agnes clasped her hands across her habit, her thumbs on the small cross at the bottom of her rosary, her calm gaze steady on him. "I didn't stop in just to say hello," Reed said. "I didn't think so." Reed opened his briefcase and on the table placed a photograph, the one he'd taken at the rally. "A Gerwani member from Djakarta," he said. "Now in Bali. Her name's Naniek." "And?" Mother Agnes said. Her guarded tone was something new. Perhaps it came with her added responsibilities "This doesn't have anything to do with politics," Reed said. Mother Agnes smiled. "Ah. I see." "Do you know her?" "Gerwani is a large organization. But I knew her as Yuyun. That was her nickname. I didn't know her well, but she struck me as earnest and dedicated. She had patrons in power, but never used that to her advantage. I thought highly of that." "Why would she be sent to Bali?" "I don't know. What are her feelings for you?" Reed grinned. "I'm not sure, but I'm hopeful." Mother Agnes escorted him convent's front door and there took both his hands and said she would say prayers for him. Across the road, a crowd had gathered to watch a medicine man hawk his special herbs and amulets. A rusty sedan was parked on the edge of the crowd, and the man in the passenger seat raised a camera and aimed its telephoto lens at the nun and her guest, clicking off several shots. . In Djakarta, Reed professionally printed and framed the best of the photographs that he'd taken of Parwati's daughters, of the girls in mid-jump as if leaping away from their shadows, the afternoon bathing their faces with light. The older sister was intent on her landing, and the younger flew with a smile wide as wings. The day after he got back to Bali, he puttered in his jeep to Batu Gede, arriving late afternoon. With a rush of elation, he noticed Naniek's bicycle in the carport, which also sheltered a sedan car with official plates. Stepping up to the residence's porch, he called out hello. Parwati's two daughters rushed out and stopped in mid-stride to stare at him. "Is your mother home?" he asked. The youngest turned. "Mama! That American is here!" Parwati emerged, an apron around her. "Yes? What can I do for you?" she said, coldly polite. "I promised you these," Reed said, showing her the framed photographs. She took them with a puzzled frown that eased to delight. "Oh, my. They look so lively! And look, that is just like Endang, always so serious, and Sri, always so happy." "They're lovely girls," he said. "You must be very proud of them." 106
"Yes," she said. "I am." She studied Reed for a second and then stepped to the side. "Please. Come in." The front parlor was simply furnished with cheap bamboo chairs around a low bamboo coffee table. The mahogany cabinet, though, was stout and well-carpentered, a colonial period piece. Parwati placed the photographs between two plates of Delft porcelain, and invited Reed to sit. As she made tea, the girls shyly stole forward to stare at their photographs. Reed asked them their ages. They giggled shyly behind palms. Then Sri dropped her hand and said say forthrightly, " I'm seven. Endang's ten." "Eleven," Endang said. Whisk of sandals sounded in the hall, and the hanging cloth curtain was pushed aside. A slender man entered, still buttoning up a shirt, his face creased on one side from a nap. Instantly his two daughters swirled and ebbed around him like excited tidal currents, pulling him to look at the photographs. When that was done, he greeted Reed, and introduced himself as their father. Parwati served tea and kue lapis. Reed took a bite to be polite, as he found local cakes to be too oily, made with tinned margarine, but his eyes widened in surprise. "This is delicious!" he exclaimed. "Freshly made." "My mother loves to bake," Reed said. "If she was here, she'd charm the recipe out of you." "Oh, it's easy enough, you can find the recipe in our Gerwani magazine," Parwati said, with a mischievous twinkle. "And thank you again for the photographs. My husband and I don't have many. Just school photos." Reed tapped the bandage on his cheek. "I also stopped by get the stitches out. I could do it but I'd probably faint. Is Comrade Naniek around?" He asked as casually as he could, but was acutely aware of Parwati's less than hidden amusement "Let me get her," she said and disappeared down the hall, reappearing a minute later with Naniek. Naniek's right forefinger was stained with fountain pen ink, and she had a mildly annoyed look of having been disturbed at her writing "Here he is, your Nekolim boyfriend," Parwati said with a teasing smile. Naniek didn't respond. Parwati said to Reed, "Naniek is too serious with the revolution sometimes." "There is much to do," Naniek said. Reed tapped his bandage. "Including removing my stitches, if have you a minute." "He will faint if he does it himself," Parwati said. Reed made a face. "A common weakness of the reactionary bourgeoisie." That earned a smile from Parwati, but nothing from Naniek. His hopes began to flag. Had he misunderstood her, that night of falling stars? In the clinic, Naniek ordered him to lie down on the clinic's bed. After removing the bandage, she bent over him with scissors and tweezers. He studied her face from hairline to chin, ignoring the small tugs as she cut and pulled the stitches. "Last one," she said. "Look at me," he whispered. She did, her gaze not serene but troubled, her brows dipped together. "Closer," he whispered. 107
- Page 55 and 56: Nol knew next to nothing about song
- Page 57 and 58: "Your uncle put together the deal o
- Page 59 and 60: Chapter 11 Nol and Sudana took turn
- Page 61 and 62: "He was a surfer punk harassing Mis
- Page 63 and 64: Arini replied with a nod, tucking t
- Page 65 and 66: Chapter 12 After early morning flag
- Page 67 and 68: The blond girl shrieked and ducked
- Page 69 and 70: one." "And you want to be an actor?
- Page 71 and 72: On the way back, she asked Nol if h
- Page 73 and 74: LBJ's State Department had been so
- Page 75 and 76: Arini hung up the ironed dress and
- Page 77 and 78: The next morning, Nol walked to the
- Page 79 and 80: He told the receptionist, and then
- Page 81 and 82: "This way," Reed said, and they mad
- Page 83 and 84: Bali from a professor there and I s
- Page 85 and 86: damp, and she was brushing it with
- Page 87 and 88: Nol crunched the mint. "Wayan, do y
- Page 89 and 90: Nol didn't like the sounds of this
- Page 91 and 92: "Hush, you silly boy. Don't mention
- Page 93 and 94: Nol braked a sudden stop. "Give tha
- Page 95 and 96: The Zoo child didn't wilt. An unhap
- Page 97 and 98: "It is only my wife," Gusti said. "
- Page 99 and 100: At the Gerwani house, the late afte
- Page 101 and 102: The railroads were heavily PKI. "Wh
- Page 103 and 104: uilding's lobby, two men intercepte
- Page 105: Reed leaned back against the cushio
- Page 109 and 110: Arini murmured, "Lieutenant Colonel
- Page 111 and 112: "At the Batu Gede rally I asked peo
- Page 113 and 114: egrets to the family that an emerge
- Page 115 and 116: Chapter 21 An hour after sunrise, T
- Page 117 and 118: Down the beach, Mantera buried his
- Page 119 and 120: "It was a day of low clouds and wes
- Page 121 and 122: Taking a deep breath, he said to Ti
- Page 123 and 124: treacherous Communists, the Army qu
- Page 125 and 126: Chapter 22 Nol's cell phone blasted
- Page 127 and 128: He hurried out to the lane and was
- Page 129 and 130: Chapter 23 Tina rushed along a wide
- Page 131 and 132: Chapter 24 On the night of the full
- Page 133 and 134: fingernails into this crack, then t
- Page 135 and 136: strolling through Merdeka square wi
- Page 137 and 138: "You won't be able to protect her f
- Page 139 and 140: Chapter 25 It was now five minutes
- Page 141 and 142: "What happened here in 1965, Mother
- Page 143 and 144: Chapter 26 1965 A heavy rain fell f
- Page 145 and 146: This time Wendell was less guarded,
- Page 147 and 148: "The secret to selling to tourists,
- Page 149 and 150: "My ancestors came from China, but
- Page 151 and 152: dozen kue lapis. I told her take th
- Page 153 and 154: "I understand," Reed said cheerfull
- Page 155 and 156: denounced the cruel and sadistic mu
"Yes," she said. "I am." She studied Reed for a second and then stepped to the<br />
side. "Please. Come in."<br />
The front parlor was simply furnished with cheap bamboo chairs around a low<br />
bamboo coffee table. The mahogany cabinet, though, was stout and well-carpentered, a<br />
colonial period piece. Parwati placed the photographs between two plates of Delft<br />
porcelain, and invited Reed to sit. As she made tea, the girls shyly stole forward to stare<br />
at their photographs. Reed asked them their ages. They giggled shyly behind palms.<br />
Then Sri dropped her hand and said say forthrightly, " I'm seven. Endang's ten."<br />
"Eleven," Endang said.<br />
Whisk of sandals sounded in the hall, and the hanging cloth curtain was pushed<br />
aside. A slender man entered, still buttoning up a shirt, his face creased on one side from<br />
a nap. Instantly his two daughters swirled and ebbed around him like excited tidal<br />
currents, pulling him to look at the photographs. When that was done, he greeted Reed,<br />
and introduced himself as their father.<br />
Parwati served tea and kue lapis. Reed took a bite to be polite, as he found local<br />
cakes to be too oily, made with tinned margarine, but his eyes widened in surprise. "This<br />
is delicious!" he exclaimed.<br />
"Freshly made."<br />
"My mother loves to bake," Reed said. "If she was here, she'd charm the recipe<br />
out of you."<br />
"Oh, it's easy enough, you can find the recipe in our Gerwani magazine," Parwati<br />
said, with a mischievous twinkle. "And thank you again for the photographs. My husband<br />
and I don't have many. Just school photos."<br />
Reed tapped the bandage on his cheek. "I also stopped by get the stitches out. I<br />
could do it but I'd probably faint. Is Comrade Naniek around?"<br />
He asked as casually as he could, but was acutely aware of Parwati's less than<br />
hidden amusement<br />
"Let me get her," she said and disappeared down the hall, reappearing a minute<br />
later with Naniek. Naniek's right forefinger was stained with fountain pen ink, and she<br />
had a mildly annoyed look of having been disturbed at her writing<br />
"Here he is, your Nekolim boyfriend," Parwati said with a teasing smile.<br />
Naniek didn't respond. Parwati said to Reed, "Naniek is too serious with the<br />
revolution sometimes."<br />
"There is much to do," Naniek said.<br />
Reed tapped his bandage. "Including removing my stitches, if have you a minute."<br />
"He will faint if he does it himself," Parwati said.<br />
Reed made a face. "A common weakness of the reactionary bourgeoisie."<br />
That earned a smile from Parwati, but nothing from Naniek. His hopes began to<br />
flag. Had he misunderstood her, that night of falling stars?<br />
In the clinic, Naniek ordered him to lie down on the clinic's bed. After removing<br />
the bandage, she bent over him with scissors and tweezers. He studied her face from<br />
hairline to chin, ignoring the small tugs as she cut and pulled the stitches.<br />
"Last one," she said.<br />
"Look at me," he whispered.<br />
She did, her gaze not serene but troubled, her brows dipped together.<br />
"Closer," he whispered.<br />
107
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