Without You I Have Nothing (61 page)

_{Giggling she held him
off until they arrived at their floor.}

_{Peter kicked the door
of the suite to slam it behind them.}

_{Pinning Jennifer to
the wall, he pressed his mouth to hers, allowing his need to wash over her. She
pretended to resist but her tongue and her mouth met his with just as much need.
Ignoring her struggles, he started to undress her as her hands stole from his
chest to around his neck.}

_{Slowly her clothes
slid to the floor. Her eyes opened as Peter's lips trailed their way from her
mouth to her eyes to her forehead to her earlobes then her back and shoulders
before starting a downward, slow, deliberate descent to her breasts. She felt
the clasp of her bra being undone and marveled at how deliberate and
painstakingly gentle he was in undressing her. Gasping, she enjoyed his
attentions as he kissed under and around each breast so delicately that when he
looked up, her eyes queried his actions.}

_{"Just butterfly
kisses!”  His words answered her unspoken question.}

_{He continued to
undress them both but, when he tried to kneel, she grasped his hair to pull him
back to her lips.}

_{"No Peter, not
yet."}

_{Ignoring her wishes,
he slipped his hands behind her knees and swung her up into his arms to carry
her under the shower where they clung to each other, enjoying the needle spray
lashing their skin and revitalizing their bodies after the debilitating heat of
the topics.}

_{The water poured over
them as they clung to each other, kissing deeply as they tried to drown the
other in their love. Soap, bubble gel and hair shampoo were all used to good
effect until Peter was groaning with pleasure while Jennifer was gasping her
need for his thick hardness.}

_{Realizing the bed was
close by, Peter turned off the water and began drying his wife, marveling at
her beauty, her faultless skin and her flawless breasts. He thanked the Gods
for the gift of this woman as he carried her to the bed. He pulled the sheet
over her before lying beside her.}

_{"Sleep my love. We
have such a lot to do tonight. Don't be concerned about the time when my sisters
come to pick you up, as tonight is one big celebration. I'll see you at the
party."}

_{Jennifer made a quick
call to the hotel concierge, asking that they ring her in an hour to wake her
from a much-needed sleep. As Peter was walking out she crawled into bed and
curled up to sleep in the cool of the air conditioning.}

_{Startled when the
phone rang, Jennifer quickly got up and dressed. In Singapore, the Chinese
sisters had caught her in a drowsy state and she didn't wish for a repetition
this time.}

_{Knock, knock.}

_{The moment Jennifer
opened the door, the rush of her two Tamil sisters-in-law almost bowled her
over as they scurried into the room.}

<sub>"Peter, come out
here now!  We told you to leave Jennifer alone and let her rest. What happened
- god you're an insatiable sex fiend. If only we had known all those years ago
we'd never have let you escape."</sub>

_{Giggling, they went
from room to room, ignoring Jennifer's comment that Peter had left and she'd
been sleeping.}

_{They began nosing
around. Seeing her sari, choli and pavada, they commented.}

_{"How beautiful! 
All those hours we spent training Peter in the selection of saris were not in
vain."}

_{"Now, as we are
in saris, then so are you."}

_{They redressed her,
with such careful attention to her hair and the folds of the shimmering fabric
that as they swept across the hotel foyer all male heads turned to watch the
progress of three sari-clad beauties parading to their transport.}

_{"Come on, let's
have some fun shopping,” Jennifer smiled as she had waved Peter's credit card
before their eyes. "We'll fix Peter and his surprises."}

_{There was no
argument.}

_{At the beauty parlor,
three young Indian women in white business dustcoats escorted them to a special
room. The women waited for their three customers to strip and soak in huge tubs
of hot, fragrant water before leading them to three massage tables.}

_{The three customers
had their hair and nails done followed by facials - the lot. They spared no
expense with Jennifer signing the credit slips for everything. Imagining the
look on Peter's face when he received his credit card statement made them
laugh.}

_{Their next stop was a
sari shop where they purchased three identical saris with gold sandals and
undergarments.}

_{Now let's go and have
fun stirring up men,” were their cheeky, grinning words.}

_{By the time they left
the jewelers, they were all wearing new gold toe rings, gold bells around their
ankles, gold bangles on their arms and gold nose rings in their noses. The long
dangling heavy gold earrings at first felt most uncomfortable for Jennifer but
with the red ochre bindi (dot between her eyebrows) she believed she was just
as much Tamil as Peter's sisters.}

_{Back at the hotel,
they dressed in their new saris and finery before parading into the bar with
the tinkle of their ankle bells to accompany their steps.}

_{Jennifer could feel
that all the attention in the room was on them. Not for a second did the
women's eyes stop twinkling nor their happy conversation falter. While sipping
their fruit juices they swapped stories about Peter's exploits in the jungle as
he put his own life at risk to protect them.}

_{When they began
softly speaking of Peter's mother and her place in the sorry saga, Jennifer
began to question them closely.}

_{"Was she
beautiful?  Did she love Peter and her husband?  Why did she take that horrible
man as her lover?"}

_{"Lover? 
Lover?”  They were horrified.}

_{"He was never
her lover. Not once was he her lover. Every time he took her, it was rape and
he was vicious and cruel, not worrying about her feelings or body at all. The
more he hurt her and the more she bled after his so-called loving, the more he
was pleased. No they were never lovers."}

_{Tears came to
Jennifer's eyes as the bizarre account of horror and degradation unfolded.}

_{"While Peter was
with his tutors, Peter's mother, Anna, took us under her wing, explaining the
dangers waiting for us, being female in this jungle world. She was our
surrogate mother whenever the bastard leader was away. Anna told us of the
horror of her life, explaining how she came to be in this terrible situation.}

_{"Eui Si Soon had
snatched Anna while she was shopping in Penang Road. He drugged and repeatedly
raped her in a brothel where he was safe from inquisitive police eyes. He
constantly blackmailed her, saying that he would show her husband photos of her
with him in a brothel. Additionally, he threatened to kill both her husband and
son if she told anyone. It was this threat of death that made her submit to his
demands.}

_{"Anna was
terrified for our welfare, given that our maturity into womanhood was almost
upon us. She insisted that we do exactly what Peter asked, as she believed that
in spite of his young age he would keep us safe.}

_{"Despite the
constant terror and horrific rapes that caused her face and body to show the
ravages of age, we could tell she had been a beautiful lady.}

_{"The guards
separated Peter and Anna at all times, ensuring she was unable to communicate
with her son privately. Once they captured Anna, she never again spoke with
Peter alone.}

_{"She was
beautiful and every inch a lady - giving everything up for her son. Yes
Jennifer, she was a true lady and she would be delighted that you're her son's
wife."}

_{One of the sisters
glanced at her watch and noted the time. She stood.}

_{"But enough of
the sadness!  We must go now. Father will be expecting us."}

_{The three made their
way slowly up the broad staircase to the ballroom while many young men's eyes
followed them.}

_{Jennifer watched as,
with their hands held in a prayer attitude, her two new sisters made a bow to
the tall grey-headed Tamil man standing at the closed doors. Following suit,
she was astounded that this distinguished looking Tamil effortlessly lifted her
off her feet.}

_{A deep, booming laugh
rolled over her.}

_{"Now I have
three daughters and they are all beautiful, but I'm afraid my two girls could
have led you astray Jennifer. Did they take you shopping?”  He laughed at his
own joke.}

_{"Welcome!  I'm
so proud and happy to be standing here welcoming you. What a wonderful woman
Peter has for his wife."}

_{Two attendants swung
the brass doors open and the twins fell in behind as their father, with
Jennifer on his arm, made a triumphal march into the room.}

_{Jennifer recoiled
from the strong aroma of incense that seemed to hang heavily in the air. She
clung to the handsome Indian's arm as she saw, standing against the far wall, a
huge idol of an elephant, with one broken tusk and nursing a rat.}

_{Wild applause greeted
them and Jennifer was astounded to find the room full of saris and suits, all
seated on green carpets with banana leaves before them. At the end of the
ballroom squatted on a pillow at the feet of the elephant-headed Hindu god,
Ganesha, the god of the family hearth, was Peter}

_{Peter stood as she
approached. Taking both hands in his, he faced her before turning to introduce
her in Tamil to the assembled crowd. He repeated the introduction in English.}

_{Delighted by
Jennifer's arrival, he helped her sit on the cushions by his side.}

_{The crowd was quiet
and the silence seemed to continue indefinitely.}

_{Jennifer looked
around and was not surprised to see her parents seated to her left and her new
Tamil sisters sitting on either side of Andrew, who for once was silent -
overcome by the weird situation.}

_{Eventually the
faintest tinkling of a bell broke the silence and a tall, bearded figure clad
in long white robes strode into the room followed by two women carrying a huge
brass tray between them on which a single flame was visible. Two halves of a
cracked coconut framed the flickering flame.}

_{The priest, as
Jennifer surmised, approached Peter and knelt. He dipped his fingers into the
white powder on the tray, and forcing Peter's mouth open, flicked some or the
powder onto his tongue before anointing him with some of the milk from the open
coconut.}

_{Duplicating his
actions with Jennifer, he stood, and, holding the tray high above Jennifer and
Peter, he went into a trance while chanting in a monotonous high-pitched voice.}

_{Just as suddenly as
he began, he stopped chanting, broke free of his trance, wheeled around and
disappeared through the main entrance.}

_{The silence continued
as white-clad waiters carrying brass trays appeared and dolloped huge mounds of
rice on the banana leaves before each of the guests. Peter quietly whispered to
Jennifer, "Remember right hand only.” before resuming his formal position,
staring stoically ahead.}

_{The guests feasted on
curries of various hues and degrees of heat, until Peter's Tamil Father clapped
his hands and the waiters cleared the remnants of the meal, including the
banana leaves. He then took a bowl and a towel which he draped over his arm.}

_{As he approached,
Peter extended his hands. His Tamil father washed Peter's hands and dried them
before repeating the action with Jennifer.}

_{Immediately the
silence broke with everyone standing and moving to talk with Peter and
Jennifer, until a sea of saris swept them up. Her family suddenly broke through
the throng to tell her of their adventures.}

_{She could only laugh
when her brother capped their stories by saying, "You have married a
family of drunkards. Dad and I are still recovering from a night on the tiles
drinking Toddy (the drawn sap, especially, when fermented, of any of several
toddy palms, used as a drink) with your relations. Boy can they drink!  I am
sure they have hollow legs."}

_{Before she became too
engrossed in her family's adventures, her twin sisters rescued her.}

_{"Jennifer, you
did well. Fancy banana leaves and fingers for a meal?”  Nethianie began
giggling.}

_{Sasimala continued,
"We would have warned you, but father would have been most unhappy had we
done so. Peter must've warned you of our customs. Your parents and brother did
well too. It must have been even stranger for them."}

_{Nethianie cut across
her sister's words. "Wait a bit, we're going nightclubbing. Hope we
haven't worn you out. We're taking Andrew too."}