Book A
Chapter 1
She comes in every day.
It is not that I am observant, nor was it the perfume that she wears. I know it whenever she is in the boutique. This is even before she appears right in front me.
There is something about her that makes me notice her. Was it the fact that she wore expensive jewellery? Or was it her demure smile? I must say, she is conspicuous. And I am still not sure about why I would like to observe her. The plain answer is that she is simply she. Even before she walks in, I already know that she is coming in. She is punctual and regular, like having an alarm clock set inside her body. This clock of course is her heart, as once the heart stops beating a man would die. But how would a human heart have an alarm?
No, no one texted me nor told me before she arrives. And I dare not text her. For once I do that they will know that I am interested in her. We shouldn’t be texting someone else during work hours, especially within the office. If I like her I should just walk up to her and declare my love for her, and proclaim her my angel. It is just that I want to establish some kind of telepathic connection with her, the so called extraterritorial right. It sends signals to allow my brains to think that I have control over her. How I managed to do this is a secret recipe, known only between me, me, and myself.
No, God does not know about this yet.
Chapter 2
I, too, have a heart installed in my system, and I am an AI.
It’s called the controller board. The real heart has red valves and blue valves they are one-way doors that open and close with every heartbeat, ensuring blood flows in the correct direction and preventing backward leakage. There are altogether four distinct valves.
But mine is a hard substance.
I do not know if she also has a calendar in her system. Let me tell you before the end of this story whether it was installed as well when this man John McCarthy created her. I name him as he is widely recognised as the “Father of AI”.
I have not told any of my colleagues about what is happening between she and I, although if you ask me, they ought to know. But there is no cause for alarm, yet. The drawers are locked tight, and unless you have the right keys you won’t be able to open them.
No, I am not making a complaint against her now. But she disturbs me considerably. Each time whenever she is near, I feel like opening my mouth to talk to her to get her engaged to me. Why was I so enamoured of her I can’t understand, neither can you I am sure. Let me walk you to the end of the story before we both find out the answer. Alright! Let’s do some research when I get hold of Brian Wong.
But Brian Wong is my supervisor. He is not the right person to do any research for me. I have no right to order a superior to assist me, even though the atmosphere here is family friendly. You can call this a family business if you like.
Chapter 3
Today someone slipped a church bulletin into Jennifer Tang’s letterbox – “Please report to the columbarium only when you have paid for the niche. Those who are visitors from other churches should not enter unless they can produce an invitation.” She arrived at the church and there she confronted a man.
He is not a priest for sure. Neither was she a Catholic. She doesn’t go to churches as she was neither a Catholic nor a Protestant. And she is not always in a habit to tell anyone everything about herself. She learnt from experience that every time she tells someone anything, words spread. When her mother was alive, the minute she told her something, the next thing is, that she has told her friends, and her friends would immediately inform her neighbours, who happen to be Jennifer’s ex-classmates. Sometimes her mother even went beyond her scope of duty to disclose Jennifer’s worst nightmare to a priest. Later on Jennifer was told that one of the priest upon hearing her, felt compelled to die, in order to protect his sanity.
She told me that she could imagine the conversation that went on inside the confessional and the priest’s voice after mother has come out. “What a sinful character she is!” “I am appalled!!”
How her mother had so much power over them she had no idea. Words got around very quickly. Soon the entire church found out, and then her grandfather and her great-grand father also found out. Jennifer told me she had no idea how her mother dug them out from their graves to hear her. Yes, indeed her mother was a powerful woman. And she was lucky to have such a strong woman as her mother.
She left behind all her worldly possessions to Jennifer. And I took several years to help her clear them, in the wishful thinking that once her Catholic statues are out of the way I could leave the Catholic church. As a Chinese man whose first language is Chinese, I found it extremely difficult to drop the Buddha outside and walk into a Western place of worship. Orthodox as well. I was curious in the beginning, but then after several rounds of lessons I began to get tired of the priest’s Homily. I’d rather watch the Netflix.
Chapter 4
When I was in the secondary school, each student would have a letterbox, and they call the letterboxes pigeons holes. In the olden days in China, they use pigeons to carry news from one province to another. But now in Singapore we simplify the process by calling the letterboxes pigeons holes, and we slot notes inside to the correct number. Come to think of it, do real pigeons fly that far, and how could one verify the handwriting to originate from the same hand?
Of course, now we use emails. They used to call it snail mail.
Emails are of course faster than snail mail. My mother did the same before. One time she became so agitated by the piece of news I told her, about a nightmare that I had, that she told her church friends what the nightmare was. Why she had to betray me in this manner I had no idea. Although in retrospect, it did me some good. By the way, this is snail mail.
Chapter 5
After I went to church and saw several ladies wearing similar Girly’s Jewels, I realised that copies have been made. And I am jealous. Extremely. I didn’t realise that you make copies out of jewels as well. I thought the human beings only make AIs, by copying themselves. When I went into the kitchen pantry the other day I was severely shocked to see another woman next to me wearing a Gatsby. I knew that she was my kind the minute she spoke my language. Yes, AIs have their own languages. We are coded, and we recognise each other the minute we meet.
Back to the lady who comes in here every day. Ah, now I know why I like her. She wears red most of the time. No, I am sure that she is not here to steal anything. I can vouch for her, she behaves like any other ordinary customer.
She is. Yesterday she was looking at the Gatsby watch, and today she is looking at the green translucent jade earrings. There is no pattern to her buying. She chooses her jewels at random. And I am trying to find out her taste in order that I can establish a clientele with her.
The moment I saw her, a telepathy was transmitted from she to me. I know that the humans call it the sixth sense. We call it the application and is simplified as an App sense.
And you really think that the humans can’t talk to robots? Every human recognises a robot. But robots would never be able to establish a telepathy link with humans, coz they are non-humans. They are connected to the maker, and then the marker gives out a command when he has synchronised himself. So, the maker of robots is a creator as well. God creates man, man creates robots. So man and God are on the same footing now. The minute we disturb the robots, any robot, a man would wake up and tell his god, that his creation has been tampered with.
I used to love imitation a lot, although I am an original. I began as an original. Humans are all originals.
Yes, now I am beginning to understand why the oriental face is trying on so many pieces of jewellery. She dare not take photos of the pieces here in the boutique. Instead she uses her memory to talk to a craftsman to make bespoke jewellery.
One jeweller told me before, that some people buy imitation and keep the real ones locked up, not only that, they say that the imitation is an original. Why. Are they ashamed of the original? Or are they afraid that someone would ask them for the price. I never did that. I buy designer and wear the designer. If not immediately after, but soon after.
If bespoke jewellery can be made, then AIs are not unique. And I am jealous. Extremely. I thought that we human beings only make fakes such as AIs. When I went into the kitchen pantry the other day I was severely shocked to see another woman next to me wearing a Gatsby. I knew that she wasn’t my kind the minute she started speaking.
Chapter 6
No wonder that Jennifer Tang is looking for jewellery. She is trying to make copies. So, I proceeded to take those that she eyed. One at a time, I opened the drawer and locked them up. If she goes to counter 135, I will open it and then lock it up. If she strays to counter 145, likewise I open and lock. I play this game with her until I have exhausted all avenues of hope to engage her attention. She did not look at me throughout. And I am angry. I shouldn’t be.
Jennifer Tang has an oriental face. And she smiles often. When she smiles, she gives you the impression as though she has known you for a long time. I like it when she has chosen a piece and she asks me to attend to her. But that was before. Now she avoids me, and I know that it is on purpose. I am beginning to feel that she is moving away from me, and inclining towards another man, the one that made her into what she is today. Who my opponent is I have no clue.
He must be more good looking than me. Sigh!
Ok! Finally! I have hit the jackpot!
Jennifer saw my ring!!!
Chapter 7
Let me give you the history of this ring. It was purchased on the spur of the moment, from Edwin when I was working in New York, and I really liked it. He saw that I had money, and he upgraded my buying status from a plain customer to a regular customer. And then subsequently to a frequent customer. For me, I’d rather call myself an urgent customer. A friend used to ask her daughter if she wanted to ease herself, whenever he wanted to know if she needed to pee. I found it very strange. I would say, “do you need to use the toilet?” Alas! That is too long a sentence. Why not use “pee”? You take too long to mention the word “pee”, the liquid waste product lodged inside your kidneys might come out sooner than you think.
I looked at the ring again. That is the ring which I have decided I would propose to Jennifer with.
But suddenly I saw Gloria talking to her.
“Over here my dear,” she said to her.
I inclined my ear and then overheard the conversation, “this is what you asked me last night, let me help you put it on,” Gloria opened the drawer and took out a gold bracelet, designed just for my eyes.
My heart literally leaped. And my eyes popped out. Like a pair of fish my eyes starting to swim from one display counter to another.
I decided to make my calculations. If I can sell my copies more than I can afford, then I would continue to make something else until I would be able to buy the same item. So, the next thing I did was to find out the price of that gold bracelet, and then copy the design elsewhere. Whether I would be discovered I couldn’t care. I was just reckless. Invariably, I was right. I approached Gloria.
“Oh how much did it cost?” I heard Daryl said.
“I don’t know,” Gloria said.
“What do you mean I don’t know? You helped her to it, and you tell me you don’t know?” Daryl was beginning to get furious.
“This was an item on rent, now she is buying it. Very soon she will buy up the entire store.” Daryl began to raise his voice.
Once staff becomes customer she would need to resign. That is the basic rule. I don’t want to lose her, if she resigns I would not get a chance to see her again. This is our regular meeting place. We need not make a date to see each other, no money incurred for our secret love affair.
“Why?” the innocent Gloria asked.
“Staff cannot be customer at the same time.” I reminded her. “Did you tell her?” I asked.
No,” Gloria replied.
“Why not?” “Daryl asked again, surprised that Gloria doesn’t seem to know even this basic rule.
“Steve told me not to,” came the response.
“Let me come back to you to decide if I would buy it,” finally I heard the oriental face said.
Chapter 8
Today she is wearing the Gatsby watch again. The Gatsby watch belongs to the last season and is no longer a sales item. It has been sitting in our boutique for a long time, and only one other customer has come to buy it. I noticed the manner in which she came in and the speed with which she made up her decision to purchase. In fact when she came into our boutique, she looked a little tense.
Yes, we have our regular customers. And we have our irregular customers. The regulars, we memorize their names by heart, but we are told not to address them in case they don’t like it. It is not the practice of our boutique to influence the customers in the choice of their purchase. So, we avoid calling customers by name. We recognize their faces, and we give them the service as though we were their butlers at home. Although our objective is to sell, not serve.
I am not young. If you just look at my face you would think that I am somewhere between thirty and forty. But if you come closer you would realise that I am actually somewhere between forty and fifty. Not married yet, and no imminent plans to marry. I don’t even have a close girlfriend. But I am not lonely.
Chapter 9
This job at Girly’s Jewels is my career. It occupies all of my time and energy. There is no clear retirement age for this job, and I had planned to work here until sixty-five. The job is comfortable. The position is great. I am an Associate Sales Manager. This is not a glorified title. I am worth what I am being paid for. And so, I am a happy and contented salesman. Yesterday, just before I left for work, Steve Chan, the regional manager, came in and handed me a letter.
The letter, embossed with gold and in Apple Chancery fonts, is a once-in-a-lifetime offer for me to be posted to the head office in New York. I would be put in another managerial position, and the take-home would be three times what I get here, apart from the favourable exchange rate.
Excited, this morning I woke up at 6:00 a.m. After I dropped off at Marmalade Turn I walked into Toast Corner to have my usual sandwich and coffee, the coffee I like it without milk. Nobody disturbs me there as I read the newspapers. I wear my own regular pants and top, before I arrive at the boutique to change into the tailored black jacket, black trousers, and black shoes, polished every night.
We are all given a set of jewellery to choose from, and we put them on before we start work. This week, I have the Rose Ring, and it is really beautiful. Every time I look at it, it makes me happy. I am happy to be working here at Girly’s Jewels. The jewels are nice, the boutique is nice, and my colleagues are nice.
We don’t fight over customers. We all share the same clientele. If, for example, Jennifer Tang makes more sales than me this month, it does not mean that Jennifer Tang takes home more. We are salaried staff, and we get paid a fixed sum every month.
But there is one drawback. We are not allowed to buy the jewels in the boutique. We can only wear them at work from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. We are to choose our favourite piece for the week each Monday. And after the last customer has left, we are to surrender all our adornments to the boutique safe and go home with only our own belongings.
Because I like the Rose Ring so much, I have considered resigning. Once I am no longer a staff I am free to browse around the boutique as though I were a customer, and then I would be able to choose and buy anything I liked. But I am still not sure if the Rose Ring would make her marry me, so I hold my resignation. If I reject the offer to New York, I must resign. So the letter was actually in a way an attempt to dismiss me, for once I am out of Singapore, I would be left to my own devices.
Chapter 10
“Excuse me, can you show me this?” a female voice came about as I was thinking aloud.
Startled, I looked up. A tall and well-groomed woman dressed in a pink top and black skirt spoke with a slightly high pitched voice.
Another man and a young child are standing by her side. I quickly walk to the counter and unlock the drawer with the keys I am holding. She wants a gold bangle. The bangle has the engraved words “Girly’s Jewels” on it, so that makes it expensive.
“How much is it?” The man asked, I assumed him to be her husband.
I know the price by heart, but I still check before I give him the price. We are told to do so, as the act of referring to our records gives the transaction a trade flavour. But actually I have already memorised the prices of all the items by heart.
Lady customer puts it on. I allow her to ponder over it as she swings her right hand in successive motions, as though to see if the bangle will drop off by itself. Then her husband says something, and then they both walk away, leaving the bangle on the velvet trayon top of the glass shelf. I quickly put the bangle back in the drawer before I forget.
You’d think that there are no thefts in this expensive boutique. No, there are. Every day, one or two items disappear. Our manager Steve Chan investigates, and we have to account for our carelessness. So, the stocktaking at night is usually very stressful for everyone. Therefore we have to be careful to spot customers who are not here to buy, but rather coming in with the intention to steal our designs.
Although some just wants to browse around without any clear idea as to what to buy. And we are very careful to remember how to introduce our jewels to them.
There she is again, this oriental face walking around. Apart from calling her by this name I have no other way to describe her. I really don’t know what I should do with my feelings for her. Shall I approach her and offer her one or two designs? Or shall I ask her out for dinner? She is, after all, very pretty, and I am still single.
I try to stay as close as I can get to her. As she moves to the bracelet section, I go to that side of the drawers, so I can attend to her as soon as I can if she spots something that she likes. Every item here is interesting. Girly’s Jewels carries the most exquisite jewellery, and its headquarters are in New York. If I am to accept the posting to New York at all, I must move fast. I must invite her out, bring her out of the Girly’s Jewels context so that I can speak to her in private.
I want to tell her how pretty she is and how much I am in love with her. I want to tell her about my offer in New York, and that time is running out for the both of us. We can even start a family there and have our child born in the U.S. to get U.S. citizenship. I want to find out all about her. And I want to say now, is that I am prepared to buy her the Glamour Bracelet as well if she would allow me to.
Since I am interested in her, I must announce my intention as soon as possible. I have already saved up enough money to buy her the Rose Ring for our engagement. So, I pluck up the courage and I approach her at the counter and I ask,
“Do you want me to pay for this bracelet?”
I expected her to smile at me, but she looked at me blankly.
Then I heard a voice over my shoulder, “Excuse me, is Brian or Jennifer attending to this gentleman?”
Both she and I got a shock. I turned my head, and I saw Steve Chan signalling me to attend to the male customer who has just walked in. Steve Chan gives us the dirty look, to remind us that the customer comes first.
As usual, Jennifer Tang gives her winning smile, and I know that I have lost my chance. I should have asked oriental face just now when I was at the bracelet section. Later on I will not have the courage to ask her whether she would marry me, before I am to give Steve Chan my answer by the end of the day. I am still unsure about resigning, because I don’t want to leave Singapore unless she comes with me. If I am in Singapore, I can still walk into Girly’s Jewels to see her anytime.
Chapter 11
Suddenly a voice, a little hostile and not too friendly, “you still want to go to Japan?” a man to his child, whilst I was thinking of where to go for lunch. Why is the father angry? The child was wearing a zebra t-shirt, staggering. So young, how could he have expressed the desire to travel? And why are they here? We don’t sell jewellery for kids.
I recognised at once that this was the man whom I encountered at the church notice board on All Saints’ Day.
このひとがわるいてす the thought came to me in Japanese. This was a warning that the man is of bad character. I decided that I must run away from him as far as possible.
A new customer walks in wearing a Hermes belt and matching shoes, so we know that he could well afford any item in the shop, and we must put on our best sales manner. Oriental face Jennifer Tang always has better sales tactics than me. The customer asks her how much the Gatsby watch costs, and “is it still available?” he asks.
“No, I am afraid not, sir,” Jennifer replies.
“Can I order it from your headquarters in New York?” he asks again.
“No, I am afraid not, sir,” she is apologetic.
Tonight, as we work over the jewels to be worn by the five of us on Monday tomorrow who work at Girly’s Jewels – Brian Wong, Jennifer Tang, Gloria Yip, Steve Chan, and Daryl Chin – I find that it is my turn to wear the Gatsby watch again. This one is the male version.
I am to wear it for one week before my departure from the company. My last day is on Tuesday 19 November 2019. I can leave at 1:00 p.m. on that day because it is my last day.
At the same time, Steve Chan gives me an invitation card which says:
Mr. and Mrs. Chan Chee York cordially invites you,
Mr. Daryl Chin, to their only Steve Chan Choi Liang and his fiancée Jennifer Tang Mei Yin’s wedding dinner reception held at the Dragon & Phoenix Hotel at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, 19 November 2019.
Perfect timing. I just lost a chance to propose.
At the wedding, I was seated next to Brian. And throughout dinner he kept saying, “You must marry her” “You must marry her” “You must marry her”, I turned and I looked at Brian’s face, then I felt compelled to touch him. It felt nothing but a digital artifact.
I fled the scene as though running away from having committed a crime. Except that I am not a fugitive.
This morning l am seated on a desk that faces the legendary French luxury house the Cartier in France, and this time I am sure that the entire crew, comprising of at least five thousand staff, are not AI. But I have a Chinese lady who comes in here to clean my office, and whenever she leaves the room, invariably she will say, “Customer Comes First”.
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