Summer Camp, day 11
After school, volleyball court.
Jennifer took a deep breath. What she was going to do was very difficult for her.
Before her was the volleyball club members, seated at the court. Xue Ge was absent. Rahman was there, and Wati was standing near Jenn, holding up a notebook.
"I'd like to apologise for my absence in the past week," Jennifer addressed the members, "I know you've all been training hard and could have used my help. You have every right to be angry with me."
A club member put up her hand. "We're not angry. We know what happened."
"We know you have your hands full."
"It's okay. We support you."
Jenn's heart wrenched. You're making this harder and harder to say. "Thank you, everyone. But I'm afraid that I'm going to have to disappoint you even further."
She took another deep breath. "Due to the current circumstances, I can no longer participate in the volleyball club activities."
The volleyball club gasped and immediately started to protest. "What about the upcoming tournament?"
"If you can't play, can you at least help us train?"
"How can you abandon us? You love volleyball more than any of us!"
Jennifer put up her hands. "I know you're upset. I'm very very sorry. I don't like this either."
"Why? At least tell us why you must leave!"
Jenn figured she had to tell them something. "I need the money."
Silence descended upon everyone as the ramifications of what she said sunk in.
"Isn't finding part-time work against school rules?"
Jennifer nodded.
"You need the money that badly? To support Matthias?"
Jennifer nodded again.
In actual fact, she didn't strictly need to do this much. She and Bolin had worked out a schedule where the four of them took part-time work and could meet the monthly rental. One where she could still play the sport she loved. (Matt himself could not work as it was too dangerous)
But that would also mean there would be no time left for Xue Ge to receive tutoring as he would be too busy. Without tutoring, his grades would plummet back to utter failure again. Matthias wasn't even present in class to help him during lessons anymore.
Each additional hour Jennifer could put in was an extra hour Xue Ge could spend being tutored. Between the sport she loved, and the academic success of the boy she loved, the choice was rather clear.
It was just fortunate that Xue Ge was not present and thus not privy to this information. Only Bolin knew what she was up to. He was not happy about it, but begrudgingly saw her point of view. He cared more about his childhood friend's future than her love of a sport, after all.
The volleyball team gathered round Jennifer to give her moral support, and cried together with her.
Wati looked on, silently. Not daring to do the same, but desperately wishing she could.
#
Wati was waiting for her parents when she saw the local news headlines flash across the TV screen in the milk tea shop she was in.
|NGOs and international media condemn treatment of Matthias Williams|
|Mufti: "Do not meddle in our religion"|
|Syariah court approved 44-year old man taking 15-year old girl as second wive|
|Mufti proposes marriage age reduced to 14 for girls"|
Wati clutched her head in pain. Why are nutcases like that leading us in our religion? They should be fired immediately! They're making us look like obsolete dinosaurs. And paedophiles.
"Hey isn't that a student from Tranquerah High School?"
Wati snapped around to look towards the voice. The group of boys were pointing towards someone outside, and hadn't actually noticed Wati.
"That school useless lah. They just let men walk in to kidnap their students," A boy said.
"If I were there, I wouldn't stay quiet. I'd definitely help my friend."
"Please lah. Impossible! You expect them to talk back ah? Some more want them to fight."
"Oh, yar hor. They cannot wan."
Wati never hoped people would ignore her so much in her entire life. Waiting for her parents felt like an eternity.
#
Summer camp, day 12
It happened again.
Xue Ge had been looking longingly at the teddy rabbit sitting next to him. Then he took it and hugged it. And began to sob. The Jennifer began to sob as well. Chee Yok thankfully didn't cry but looked pretty miserable.
Wati tried her best not to look at him as she wrote her notes, but... the rest of us are looking pretty miserable as well, just knowing that they are.
It was worse for Wati, since she was sitting right next to Jennifer. And Jennifer was still giving her the cold shoulder all this time.
Teacher Halimah kept teaching, trying her best to ignore her distraught students.
'Tik'. Wati's pencil lead snapped from pressing it too hard while she wrote. She glared at the broken pencil for a good long moment as if it had betrayed her in ways most heneious. Eventuallt she took out new one. How did it turn out like this? All I wanted was for Matt to embrace his heritage. It's who he is. Was that really too much to ask?
When the man in the 'kopiah' appeared at the classroom door, the class audibly groaned.
His timing couldn't have been worse! How many times has he interrupted our studies? How much are you going to take from us?
The man was rather incensed at his rude welcome, and made sure Teacher Halimah knew how displeasured he was that her students had so little respect for their elders and men of the cloth. Teacher Halimah could only cower and bow her head.
Wati noticed her classmates glaring and clenching their fists as the man went at their teacher like that. And no wonder: Teacher Halimah was well beloved by the class. She was the best teachers they had; dedicated, excellent teaching skills and (normally) very caring for her students' welfare.
How dare this brute treat her like this? She's done more for us than he ever has.
Once he was done berating Teacher Halimah, the man turned his attention on the class and rained fire and brimstone upon them. On and on he told them how insolent they are, how their parents brought them up badly, and how they should show respect to their elders. And of course he demanded they tell him where the apostate is immediately. Wati was certain she wasn't the only one feeling extremely irate with the man.
"Will you just shut up already?"
The man went silent and looked in Jennifer and Wati's direction. So did Teacher Halimah and the rest of the class.
Wati looked to Jennifer seated next to her. Jennifer?...
But Jennifer was looking back at Wati in shock. "Wati? Why did you say that?" she whispered urgently.
It took a moment for Wati to realise what happened. Wait, that was my voice I heard? I said that aloud?
Too late for regrets, because the man in the 'kopiah' had turned his wrath upon Wati. At this moment Wati realised how much bigger he was than her, and how fierce he looked. She suddenly felt very small and shrunk back into her chair as the man approached her and started spewing venom.
A boy moved between Wati and the man.
"You have something to say, say it to me," Rahman said.
The man's eyes flared and he raised his hand to slap Rahman.
A flying shoe hit the man in the face.
Another boy, missing a shoe, stood next to Rahman.
"Sorry. It slipped out," Xue Ge said. He didn't look at all sorry.
The man was incensed, but now had two tall and fit 16-year old boys staring him down. He tried to scream at them at the top of his lungs, but the two didn't back down. He tried to scream at Teacher Halimah to do something instead.
That was too much.
"Don't you dare talk to her like that!" Wati found herself standing up and scolding the man, behind the safety of her two new bodyguards. Well, in for a penny, in for a pound. So she poured out all her frustrations for the past weeks on the man, tears filling her eyes as she admitted her own feelings of guilt and sorrow, but mostly anger with him. She really wasn't sure what she was saying anymore and wouldn't remember most of it later.
The man seemed to want to say something else, but was hit in the face with another shoe.
Chee Yok shrugged. "Sorry, it slipped out as well."
The man cursed aloud then narrowly dodged a third shoe, and another classmate issued an apology. Then he was hit with another shoe. Then another. Soon the whole class was throwing their shoes at him, apologising all the while.
The man ran out of the classroom, screaming obscenities, but did not stay to be pelted with more shoes.
As the class laughed and cheered in victory, Xue Ge and Rahman fist-bumped.
Wati's heart was beating fast, and she sat down feeling dizzy from the excitement. No sooner had she sat down when she felt someone hugging her.
"Thank you," Jennifer whispered to Wati.
Wati felt a surge of pride swell within her, and hugged Jennifer back.
#
What happened over the next few days was a frenzy of activity.
Right after that incident, Wati had stood before the class and gave a passionate call to action: fund raising. The class headed her call and quickly set out a game plan to have the money collected by the end of the week. Even Teacher Halimah got into it.
Plans completed, the students got Project "Save-our-friend" going. They sang songs by the roadsides ('Angguk-angguk Geleng-geleng' by Ahli Fiqir especially), gave impassioned speeches, cleaned cars, visited homes offering to do chores, and even begged from non-government agencies.
Perhaps it was the passion and the testimony of the classmates. Perhaps it was the disgust at the thought of their fellow student being tied up and dragged out like an animal. Or maybe students were just tired of being told what to do all the time. Whatever it was, somehow the fervour caught on. The Volleyball Club started their own fund-raising exercises, and so did the Red Crescent society which missed Matthias. Even some teachers joined in: they expressed their extreme dissatisfaction with the situation and wanted to do something pro-active.
In a mere six days, they had gathered enough to pay 5 months of rent. Supplemented with a little part time work, Bolin calculated they had enough to last the entire year. Jennifer wouldn't need to stop playing volleyball and Xue Ge would have time to be tutored. And there was one more very substantial benefit...
#
Summer Camp, Day 18
A blue-eyed boy was present at morning assembly at school today. He was surrounded by friends, who gave him hugs and patting his dyed black hair. The school ustadz had come to assembly, but was surprised to find himself blocked off from meeting the boy with blue eyes by rows of students who stood in his way. They called themselves "Matt's army".
But what really surprised the ustadz was the request made by the blue-eyed boy to resume attending Islamic classes as usual since it was a new month. The ustadz readily agreed, and the blue-eyed boy promised to study hard.
So Matt had resumed attending classes, taking his place next to Xue Ge who beamed magnificently. Teachers chatted with Matt, asked how he was doing, and wished him the best. Some tried to advise him politely, and he politely listened and did not argue nor agree. The men from the Islamic council did not show their faces in school. The class felt alive. Life had almost returned to normal.
Only, Matt did not return home when school ended. He wore his contact lenses, and rode Xue Ge's motorbike back to his 'summer camp'.
#
Jenn, Xue Ge, Bolin, Chee Yok and Matt shared their joyous news with the rest of the household upon their return. The ladies all gave Matt a big hug, and they celebrated together in retelling all the events that had happened in their school the previous week.
As the day drew to a close, Jenn, Xue Ge and Matt sat together in the room. Bolin was sending Chee Yok home.
"Xue Ge, would you like to go home now?" Jennifer suggested, "I think Matt will be okay. Won't you Matt?"
Matt nodded. "i think so. as much as i like you here you should go home sometimes, Xue Ge."
Xue Ge shook his head. "Matt need me. Who will hug you when you cry?"
"even if i cry i'll be okay. things are much better now," Matt promised.
Xue Ge pouted. "I don't want go home."
Jenn placed a hand on his shoulder. "When's the last time you've talked to your parents?"
"Since I left with Matt that day."
Jenn's eyes went wide. "18 days? Why are you so angry? All of our parents didn't help at all as well."
"Xue Ge your parents must be worried sick," Matt said.
Xue Ge took his time to collect his thoughts. "My parents, no abuse. No alcohol or gamble too much. But stupid, rude, lazy, selfish. Like me."
"i don't think you're selfish. and you've been working really hard lately."
"Thanks, Matt. That mean a lot to me," Xue Ge said.
"you're welcome."
Xue Ge waited a while. "...You don't want say I'm no stupid and rude meh?"
"nope."
Xue Ge frowned. "Sometimes, I think we spoil you."
Matt snorted. Jennifer laughed too.
Xue Ge sighed and spoke in Mandarin, "Jenn, translate for me please. I just want to have some sort of redeeming value. And I wish they did too. This was their opportunity to show that they support me and care about something other than themselves."
"I think that they care about you is more than enough redeeming value, Xue Ge," Jenn offered.
"maybe you're being a bit harsh on them Xue Ge," Matt said.
"Hrm. Matt? You leh?" Xue Ge said, "When you last talk your mum?"
Matt shook his head. "not for some time."
Jenn turned to him. "Matt?"
"wait let me think. i need to write it down." Matt wrote out what he wanted to say then read it aloud, "i know she's a good mum. i read all her messages. she tells me she's crying every night. i really want to be there with her even though i don't know how to comfort her. but i can't be there. she's pushing me to do something which i can't even if i wanted to. it's all up to her."
Xue Ge looked at him sadly. "Matt..."
"i'm tired of arguing with her."
Jennifer and Xue Ge gave Matt a hug.
"Well, I still talk to my parents," Jenn said, "They just spew stupid stuff about how they're afraid I'll get married to a Muslim boy."
The three laughed (and snorted) together.
"At least try to call your parents," Jenn said, "Both of you. Tell them how you're doing."
#
Xue Ge spoke into his phone, "Hi mum."
Pause.
"I'm safe mum. I was never in any danger."
Pause.
"I'm doing okay. Matt and Jenn won't let me skip studying too."
Pause.
"I don't want to come back yet. There's something I have to do."
Pause.
"My pride as a man won't let me come home until it's done. I don't expect you to understand."
Pause.
"I know. It's just... I don't know how much longer I have with them."
Pause.
"Thanks mum. I really appreciate it."
Pause.
"Give my regards to dad and sis."
Xue Ge ended the call, then went back indoors to be with the boy and the girl he loved.
#
Later at night, Matt checked the news on his phone while waiting for Xue Ge to shower. Still no news about what happened at school. Perhaps the authorities were trying to keep a lid on it.
Then his blue eyes noticed the headline:
|"Oil tycoon arrives in Malaysia, vows to help his son"|
Matt immediately shut his phone and lay on his bed, hugging his teddy rabbit and MrBearyBear tightly.
#
Author's note:
Mufti: a Muslim legal expert who is empowered togive rulings on religious matters, called fatwas. In Malaysia, enforcement offatwas can be a little hazy at times. Local muftis who sometimes declare fatwasto ban inane and inconsequential things (Yoga, girls behaving like tomboys,Pokemon Go, the National Monument aka Tugu Negara) are a source ofembarrassment to more sensible Muslims.
I wish I was making all this up.