Chapter 6
Haymitch decided that the weather here was fickle. It started pouring rather heavily the moment they entered the car and not ten minutes later, it stopped only for the sun to shine as ferociously as ever.
He pulled the flask from his pocket only to put it back, thinking it might not be appropriate to do so in someone else's car.
"I'm from Helen, Georgia," he told her, having stalled long enough. "There's nothing much to me, nothin' interesting. Used to own a business with a friend, Chaff, and uh, thought that was over until recently. I thought I was out… got pulled back in," he threw that reference at her and she nodded with a knowing smile. "I've got geese back home to fill my time."
"Such a peculiar choice of pet," she commented. "This business that you thought you were out of, is that the reason you're here?"
"Yeah," he nodded.
"That reference makes me think what you're doing might have a dangerous edge to it. Is it? I cannot imagine why anyone would risk it here. Are you involved in something drug related? Because if you are then I have to warn you that that carries the death penalty and I would like to cease all contact with you right now. I've built a life for myself here and you will not disrupt it," she added.
Her question certainly drew a dirty look from their driver.
Haymitch chuckled.
"Nothing like that, sweetheart. Calm you overactive imagination. What I do ain't dangerous, at least not anymore, especially not this one. Doesn't seem dangerous to me," he gave her a once over but she didn't seem to catch his meaning. "This job is the first that I had to fly out of the States for."
"Isn't that a good experience to have?" she offered him a smile.
"What's your story, sweetheart? How'd you end up here?"
XxX
The humidity that encased the city-island after the rain was almost unbearable. Within minutes of stepping out from the car, he had already begun to perspire. Effie, he noticed, came prepared with a handheld fan and an umbrella.
"What exactly are you looking for?"
"An outdoor wedding venue, as I've told you," she informed him. "I do have a place in mind that I want to recommend my clients. So right now I am more interested in scouting for places where my clients might be able to have an outdoor photoshoot."
Haymitch snorted derisively.
"I thought you're a boutique. That means only wedding clothes, yeah?"
"I started out as such but I have since moved on to bigger things. I now provide a comprehensive wedding package. Wedding is a stressful time - "
"Wouldn't know," he muttered.
" - so what I aim to do is to take that stress off from the bride and groom which would leave all the planning to me – venue, photography, wedding invitation cars and cake, door gifts. Everything. "
"You could just say wedding planner," he retorted.
"When I started, I focused more on customising and tailoring wedding clothes. I didn't dare do more because... Well, the culture for one! I had to watch and learn. Slowly, I ventured out when I began to get an idea of how things are done. For example, do you know that for some here, there is a henna night two days before the wedding?"
Her voice had taken on a slightly higher pitch in excitement.
"No, don't know anything 'bout that."
It was a mistake because she seemed eager to share the knowledge with him and he quickly realised that Effie Trinket could talk without stopping for breath.
"I have been to one quite recently. What an experience, truly," she exclaimed. "It is a pre-wedding celebration so a henna artist will be called to decorate on the hands and feet of the bride to be. Purely aesthetic, I should think. The bride's female friends and relatives are invited too for the henna to be done on their hands. I do not provide that service, of course, but what I quickly realised was that I could send photographers and videographers down for the event. It is the same with the Chinese wedding tea ceremony. That is how I get into the business - I do what I can where I can. I have to play it smart. I have contracts with different wedding vendors and together, I provide a comprehensive package."
Haymitch nodded where appropriate as he walked next to her. They had just passed a row of shop houses and restaurants with an outdoor setting, which was currently empty because of the heat, when a call for prayer rang out in the vicinity.
Without missing a beat, she switched from talking about her wedding services to an unofficial appointed tour guide and gestured to a general direction behind him.
"Sultan Mosque is over there. It is considered one of the most important mosque here and a national monument," she explained. "That's the one with the gold dome, the crescent moon and star. Now come along, we have a schedule to keep to."
She led the way, walking along foot paths and crossing roads before they finally emerged on a one-way lane.
Haji Lane, he read the green street sign.
The stark contrast between the roads he just left behind and the long, narrow alley he just stepped into was glaring. Where there were the usual clean and empty painted walls, the walls here were decorated top to bottom with art and graffiti. Even the walls of the shophouses were painted in varying different colours. It made the stretch of lane popped out and it was eye-catching.
"One of my clients requested something... hipster," Effie explained. "What do you think?"
"Uh... Looks trendy enough to fit the bill," he muttered, not all expecting her to ask for his opinion on the matter.
"I certainly thought so," she beamed. "Take a look at that letterbox... How vintage. The area and background makes for a nice place to have a pre-wedding photoshoot. It is unlike the rest of modern Singapore. The architecture is inherently different."
He could see that without her having to point it out.
"Oh, but on second thought, you can find the same type of shophouses at Chinatown and Little India too but as I've told you, the 'trendy' factor... This place has it."
"Right."
"I noticed your flask while we were in the car," she commented out of the blue. "If you enjoy your drinks and if you're one for a night life, there are plenty of bars around this stretch of road. Wouldn't that be a good opportunity for you to meet other people – tourists and locals alike?"
"Not interested," he waved the suggestion away. "You come here often?"
"Only when I crave for Mexican food," she answered and it was only when he saw the twinkle in her eyes that he understood that she was teasing. "They do have Mexican food just around the corner. I came across it about six months after I came to Singapore. If you're feeling adventurous, by the main road, there is a restaurant that allows you to dine in complete darkness."
"Why would I do that?"
"To enhance your other four senses, of course," she deadpanned. "Your olfactory senses when you get a whiff of the food, your sense of touch," she went on and rested her hand on the skin of his arm. "Your hearing…"
"I get the point," he interrupted and moved his hand away.
"This place attracts the young like a moth to a flame. There are numerous café that sprouted here and these youngsters are often café-hopping. You will also meet fashionista here looking for exotic products with a little taste of eccentricity. Not truly my style."
He eyed her skeptically.
"You know a lot about this place," he commented.
"I did my research once and I observe," she threw him an indulgent smile. "By that junction there, if you walk further down, you'll be in Arab Street. That is where I purchase the textiles and fabrics necessary for my wedding gowns. There are all types of textiles that you can find here that are imported from Thailand, India, Europe, just to name a few. I was even told that some members of the royal family from Malaysia and Brunei would drop by to get theirs from the very same shop that I bought mine. Imagine that!" she trilled and laughed quietly, covering her mouth with her hand. "But that could also be dear Mr. Ahmed bragging. Would you like to take a look at the shop sometime?"
Not really, he wanted to say but he merely shrugged in response.
She deemed his answer satisfactory enough because she did not press him on it. Instead, she wandered off to one of the graffiti walls. Haymitch took the chance while she was busy surveying the area and making notes on her tablet to snap a photo of her, under the pretense of taking a photo of the scenery, of course, just in case she caught him in the act.
He sent that photo of her to her parents as proof more than anything else, that he had found and met her. He sent the same to Chaff and Beetee too, for their record.
Then he snapped photos of the sceneries, for real this time, and texted it to the kids back home.
It was then that his phone chimed with an incoming text message.
Let me speak to my daughter – LT.
Can't - will blow my cover.
Just as he responded, another came in from Effie's father.
You've done well, Mr. Abernathy. Now that Lysandra and I have sufficient proof that you are indeed with her, we shall arrange for young Prim to meet her tutor – ST.
He could only stare at the screen in disbelief. That man had a lot of nerve and Haymitch was quickly growing annoyed.
That wasn't the deal. She's supposed to have a tutor already.
He was not aware that they were withholding Prim's education based on his progress with their daughter.
"Haymitch..." she touched his arm gently. "Is everything alright? You are glaring at your phone as if it had personally offended you."
"Just somethin' back home," he grumbled. "You done here?"
If she was taken aback by his abrupt dismissive tone, she did not show it.
"I have to admit, I do find you curious," she lamented.
"That's not the sort of thing you tell people, yeah?"
"I tend to speak my mind," she admitted the through.
Her fingers grazed his upper arm fleetingly to guide him down Baghdad Street, passed the rows of white tents which she told him would be for the night market in a few hours before they emerged down the same lane where he first saw the mosque.
"I believe you are the kind of man to appreciate honesty, are you not, Haymitch?"
He could only describe that as a playful grin when her lips curled upwards and she turned slightly to look back at him over her shoulder.
Haymitch realised he was staring but the way she carried herself with confidence, the way she acted, the things that came out of her mouth fascinated him and she found him curious? That comment about honesty made something in him twinge painfully, as if she was trying to hint at something deeper.
Perhaps she knew.
Or perhaps, it was his guilt twisting her words. He was playing her right now and at some point, he would have to tell her the truth about who he is and what he was sent to do.
"You never answered my question," Haymitch pointed out when he caught up with her.
"What was it?" she asked politely.
"What's your story? Why'd you decided to set up shop here?"
"That corner shop sells very good tea or so I've heard," Effie pointed, evading the topic.
That didn't interest him.
"Got somethin' to hide, sweetheart?" he pressed. "Now you're makin' me curious."
Let me know what you think! What are your thoughts on Stefan Trinket slyly handling Haymitch through Prim? What do you think of Haymitch's and Effie's unplanned outing? I hope you like the chapter and thanks for reading!
Funfact: The 'Sultan' in Sultan Mosque means king in the Malay language (which is my mother tongue). Also that bit about the members of the royal family buying fabric from a shop in Arab Street was something my grandparents told me when I was young. I don't know if it's true but everything there is expensive so it could be. The tea stall exist and sells the best 'teh sarbat', imo.
I realise that some people ask for photos of places I mention so photos will be attached at the end of my post on tumblr.