Jim's tour of duty free

Note: Conversations are in Malay, with English translations in blue.

Jim has been sitting in the theater-turned-club lounge area listening to bad singing for quite some time now. He entered the place early after dinner at 9pm because he wanted to start experiencing duty free Labuan island’s night life with a good head start.

It was his second night there, having arrived late and tired the night before, with a pounding headache. He didn’t have time to think then so he bought a taxi coupon for Sheraton upon arrival, only to find the rate disturbingly expensive, too expensive for his boss’ approval he reckoned. “Oh what the hell, I’m spending the night here and check in to a cheaper one tomorrow” he thought, too tired and sick to even think about looking for a cheaper alternative. Besides, he had already sent his ride away.

The karaoke session that night was painful to say the least. Bad singers came one after the other. “Why don’t they have private rooms for this kind of torture? It’s like enduring Cameron Diaz’s singing in ‘My Best Friend’s Wedding’, without Cameron Diaz, and all of them are men!” he silently grumbled.

As his mug of Tiger beer emptied, he ordered a glass of Long Island Ice Tea. His drink came and he took a sip. His eyes widened, his brows jumped and his brain shook. “Now that’s tea. Talk about duty free, uhuk...huk” he chuckled with absolut delight.

Moments later the band came up. “Finally! If only I have friends around” He said to himself.

As the band started playing, the place too started to fill up. Soon he was surrounded by strangers, all mingling about, making him more conscious about his loneliness. One song, he was lonely, two song, he’s still lonely, three song and everyone got the picture, he was alone!

Half hour had passed when he was approached by a petit lady wearing a tight black dress.

“Seorang ya? [You alone?]” she asked, speaking in local accent, typical of Labuan and Sabah, almost Indonesian.
“Ya.” Jim answered and continued to face the band in front.

“Tak ada kawan? [No friends with you?]” she continued, trying to start a conversation.
“Tak ada. [No]” Jim answered rather loudly, still facing the band which he thought rocked.

“Boleh saya jadi kawan? [Can I be your friend?] she asked.
“Ok.” Jim agreed, not a clue to what he’s gone into.

The woman sat beside him and told the other girl she came in with, (who was standing nearby all the while) to look for another lonesome cowboy. She sat quietly for a minute as Jim stared at the band. She then asked “Belanja minum? [Buy me a drink?]”
“Boleh, mau minum apa? [Sure, what do you want? ]” Jim asked.

“Beer saja [Just beer ]” she said, twice, almost shouting considering the noise level and Jim’s expression. She flagged a waiter and signaled for a drink. That sent the waiter straight to the bar.

“Minum apa itu? [What are you drinking there? ]” she asked Jim.
“Long Island” he said, offering her a sip. She almost coughed because of the intensity.

The waiter came back with a short glass of beer as a result of what seemed to be a flawless communication amidst organized chaos and noise. He handed Jim the bill which startled him. It was five times the regular price and half the volume. “Oh dear, here we go.” Jim thought, he was beginning to see the clear picture in that dimly lit atmosphere.

“Datang Labuan kerja? [You’re in Labuan for work? ]” she asked.
“Ya.”
“Kerja apa? [What kind of work? ]”
“Ada chemical mau hantar ke Shell [There’s chemicals to deliver to Shell ]” Jim explained and she nodded.

“Kamu kerja sini ya?[Do you work here? ]” It was Jim’s turn to ask the questions.
“Ya”
“Berapa lama sudah?[for how long already? ]” Jim continued.
“Tiga bulan [Three months ]”


The conversation stopped and they decided to watch the band play, occasionally sipping their drinks. Jim felt her left hand now resting on his lap and got really worried. He wouldn’t know how to react if that little hand reached his crotch. Much to his relief, she pulled it back. They continued to watch the band.

She tried the lap maneuver again and this time tried to start a long and fruitful conversation.

“Kamu dari mana? [Where you from? ]” she aksed.
Jim explained his origin, mumbling here and there; he was reluctant to expose his identity. She nodded all the same. It didn’t seem all that important to her either. She continued to work his lap with her hand which drove him absolutely mad. She lifted her glass and they clinked, neither taking a good sip.
“Tak minum? [Don’t you drink? ] She curiously asked
“Slow slow, ini keras bah… [Slowly, this is potent you know ]” Jim explained.
“Boleh mabuk ya? [Gets you drunk? ] she asked, like a little girl.
“Mh~hmmm”

“Kamu kerja dengan ejen ya? [Do you work with an agent? ] Jim investigates.
“Tidak, kalau Philippine ada ejen [No, but Pilipino usually do ]
“Kamu dari mana? [Where are you from? ] Jim asked in response.
“Indonesia”
“Oh great! What am I getting myself into now? "He sighed in regret. Getting caught employing an illegal imigrant with his pants down was the last thing he needed, especially when he's there on duty.
“Sini banyak kompeni servis GRO? [Are there many Guest Relations Officer service companies here?] Jim asked.
“Ada juga [There are some ]”
“Macam mana bisnes? [How’s business? ]” Jim was curious.
“Ok…”
“Kamu kerja sini atau sama ejen? [You’re employed by this place or an agent? ]” he continued.
“Saya GRO sini. [I’m the GRO here ]” she explained.

By this time Jim was well under the influence of alcohol. He needed to get out of there quick but his glass was three quarters full, talk about optimism! The thought of quickly gulping his drink came like radio waves to a reluctant listener. He needed to finish his drink and get out of there before she makes use of the advantage. But the Long Island Ice Tea was really hard! He was in dilema. Her glass was almost empty and soon she will want another drink. ‘Quick, stall her’ he thought.

“Kamu diberi gaji bulanan atau komisyen? [Do you get monthly salary or commission? ]” he asked her.
“Saya kerja sini. Kalau macam minum tadi, 14 ringgit kan, saya ambil 8 ringgit. Saya minum, client pun minum. [I work here. Like the drink I ordered earlier, I take 8 bucks out of the 14 bucks glass of beer ]” She explained.
“Kamu cari client ya? [You’re looking for client tonight aren’t you? ]” Jim asked naively.
“Ya”

“Saya ada girlfriend di bilik hotel tapi dia sakit kepala, maka tidak ada sama saya sekarang. Jadi saya tidak dapat bawa kamu balik bilik. [My girlfriend is back in our hotel room with a headache, so can’t take you to my room (to subscribe to your services)]” Jim lied.

She nodded, understood and replied “Saya tahu. Bukan semestinya saya mau balik bilik sama client. Yang pentingnya saya di sini order minum dan temankan customer. Order mereka minum. Kalau mereka bawa balik, boleh juga. [I understand. I don’t necessarily want to go home with the client. What’s important is that I order them drinks and accompany them. If they want to take me home, I am available as well. ]” She explained.

“Kalau mereka bawa kamu balik, itu kamu punya sendiri ya? [If they take you home, it’s all yours isn’t it? ]” asked Jim.

“Tidak, bayar di sini juga. [No they pay here first ]” she answered.
“O, hmmmm. Jadi mereka di sini uruskan semua la…[Oh, so they take care of everything right here… ]” Jim indicated his comprehension.

Once again they quietly watched the band play. The situation was increasingly awkward.