Jim Rescues a Woman: Book One
Copyright© 2026 by Kim Chee
Chapter 2
Soh lit up a cigarette and went to his phone while the rest of my friends started to help with the clean up.
I kept telling them it was fine but they would not have it. They insisted on helping.
In the midst of rinsing off floor mats, wringing clothes, spraying air freshener and wiping off puke, the group updated me about their lives after we lost contact.
Eric brought over a pail of water and he started first.
He told me he was divorced and his daughter was already 5 years old.
Eric: My ex-wife, fuck ... she ... went back to her own country already.
Jim: Huh? She didn’t want the child?
Eric was not shy to admit that they married without thinking it through. They met at a Karaoke lounge and she was from Vietnam.
Eric: We had Claire, but when she got her Permanent Residence status she became difficult already.
He told me she literally walked away without even looking back before Claire turned one.
Jim: That’s fucked up bro.
Eric laughed in a bitter manner but said perhaps it was a blessing in disguise.
Eric: I’m very close with my daughter. She’s the world to me. It was tough initially juggling work and an infant. I was barely making ends meet until I met Soh and the rest is history.
As I digested Eric’s summary of his post-army life, Tommy passed me a mat he had already rinsed out.
Tommy: What about you Jim? How are you doing?
The group waited for my reply and I basically spent 5 mins telling them a condensed version of what happened.
Jim: Well, I fucked up. There’s no other way to put it and this is just me paying for my mistake.
I sighed and said I was prepared to make up in whatever way I could if I had the chance.
Tommy asked me to cheer up.
Tommy: Relax man. Things will be fine eventually.
Tommy was still single, we knew he was sort of a player back in the younger days. With his boyish good looks, Tommy was always popular with the girls. His parents were separated too and now live separately in Hong Kong and Malaysia. All that remained in Singapore were Tommy and his grandmother who was in a nursing home.
Tommy: She has dementia and sometimes she doesn’t recognise me.
I nodded as Tommy handed me another wet floor mat he rinsed.
Tommy: Well, this is life man. We all grow old.
Soh: Hurry up, hurry up. Don’t take your own sweet time.
Rizwan: Heh Soh you still talk the same way as if you’re still in the army like.
Everyone laughed as Soh gave Rizwan the middle finger.
We wrapped up the cleaning and we all went to a nearby coffee shop to grab a drink.
Over several rounds of coffee and tea, I was quickly brought up to date with what my friends were doing for Soh.
Soh operated an events company but things were not as simple as they seemed. His clientele is in a class of their own. The super rich, high nett worth individuals.
The events which they organise are not something you can just ring up any company and ask for a quote.
They’re exclusive, special, customised and needless to say, expensive.
Jim: Can you give me an example? Something to anchor to. If not, you guys look like you are going around in circles.
Eric: We offer a wide range of services from say personal protection, party planning, baby sitting. Things like that. It can be as simple as escorting some VIP wannabe from the airport to the hotel or just standing next to some businessmen that wants to impress his clients.
Jim: Oh ... ok.
Eric: Baby sitting wise, we don’t mean looking after a kid. Think something along the line of say some rich guy is going overseas and wants us to keep an eye on his wife and shit.
Jim: Oh ... Ok.
Rizwan continued after that.
Rizwan: Then there are the parties. Parties that happen in a hush hush place with activities that are not encouraged.
Jim: Don’t tell me it’s some fucking mass orgy.
Rizwan: No no ... it’s not. It’s hard to explain now but you will see once you come onboard.
I could tell the guys were enjoying their work with Soh and they were definitely looking forward to having me on board as well.
Jim: I would love to join you guys man. I mean it seems you all are doing pretty well but I can’t just stop driving like this. I have got to give my cab hirer some time to find a relief driver.
Soh: Don’t worry. Come over to the office tomorrow. We’ll get you all sorted out. I have a need for your cab anyway for a couple of events.
Jim: Really?
Soh: Don’t worry Jim, I’m here.
Soh chuckled in a low bear-like growl as he sipped his coffee.
I nodded my head and said I would be at his office on Christmas Day.
Soh: Good. We need all the help we can get for the next job.
Eric: That Australian rich kid eh?
Soh: Yes that one. Fucking crazy son of a bitch.
We parted ways about 7 pm and I continued driving, picking up an endless stream of people on their way to parties and gatherings. I ended my shift at 1 am that day.
25th December 2016
Christmas Day
2 pm
I got to the address Eric texted me the day before. It wasn’t exactly an office.
I double checked the address given along Senoko road. The gate was open and I could see the SUVs parked inside the compound. I parked beside the vehicles and walked towards the dingy looking building.
It was a low 2 story structure that had seen better days. The paint was peeling from the outside and there were a lot of stains from the algae on the walls.
The ground was uneven, with large potholes, and a little bit of water in muddy puddles. Entering the structure, I came into this large warehouse.
It looked like a hanger where you do maintenance for large vehicles, except there were no vehicles in there. Instead there were several large shipping containers that had been repurposed into an office of sorts.
3 containers were aligned side by side with windows and doors cut into their shell. It looked pretty cosy from the outside. The working areas were not restricted to just within the containers. Right outside the office were chairs, benches, movable whiteboards, large tables, crates, boxes, even a row of lockers.
I could almost imagine this to be the scene where some Hollywood war movie is being set up. Like after landing in some secret airbase and this is where you work your shit.
The door to the office opened and Eric waved me in. The cool air of the office was a stark contrast to the humid exterior of the warehouse. It was simply furnished, cubicles for each and every one and a private room for Soh.
Eric: Come come, Mohan is waiting for you. Soh is on his way over.
I went over to Mohan, also known as the man of few words.
Mohan isn’t someone to make small talk and when he speaks, he gets straight to the point. He’s 1.9 m tall and at 80 kg, his muscles are ripped and well defined. He was always the fastest runner back in our younger days.
Being the only Singaporean Indian in our group, he was also the target of our many teases and jokes. He took them in his stride, calling us ‘Chinks’ the same way we called him ‘ah neh’ which is an expression often used to get the attention of Indian shopkeepers in Singapore.
Mohan: Jim come on. Come and sign all these papers.
Soh had put Mohan in charge of HR matters and money, and Mohan asked me to look for him for matters regarding pay and stuff. He was also the one hounding clients for payment. He was perfect for that role really.
With his dark skin, chiselled face and fucking huge eyes, the scariest expression you could get from Mohan was when he had no expression. You would think he was about to fucking bite your face off.
That was the vibe he gave off. But despite his looks, Mohan had a heart of gold. He was orphaned by the age of 3 and brought up by foster parents.
Mohan: Anything to do with money, look for me ok. Claims, allowance, pay or whatever. Bank account details, all me.
Jim: Ok, can I ask why Soh put you in charge?
Mohan’s eyes widened and he gave me a look as if I had asked something stupid.
Mohan: Eh hello, I’m an Indian bro and all Indians are good with money don’t you know? Look at all the shopkeepers!
He gave me a quick flash of his middle finger before Eric and I burst out laughing at his expression. I really missed these guys so much.
Mohan sorted out my employment contract, answered any questions I had and that was it.
Mohan: We’re all drawing the same pay. This is how it works here Jim. Pay same 3.2k for all, but bonus is as per performance. This will be different. Soh will sit down with you.
Jim: Ok sure. That’s good enough for me.
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