Page 53 of The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties

Fourth Aunt hesitates for just a split second, her gaze darting to me. Like me, she’s probably suffering from whiplash—thinking we’re about to get killed one second, realizing she’s run into a fan the next. But she recovers far better than I do. In the next moment, the unsure expression on her face is quickly replaced by her usual feline confidence. She raises her chin ever so slightly, and the corners of her pursed, plump lips quiver into the hint of a smile. Coolly, she places one hand on Kristofer’s outreached ones as though she were offering him a priceless jewel.

Kristofer Kolumbes laps it all up, his eyes never leaving Fourth Aunt’s face as he eagerly jerks her hand up and down in an enthusiastic handshake. “I can’t believe it. I still can’t.What are you doing here? I thought you’d moved away from Jakarta.”

“Oh, I came back for Chinese New Year,” Fourth Aunt says airily, pulling her hand back and sparing him another cool smile.

Kristofer gasps. “Oh my goodness, are you—” He lowers his voice and steps closer to Fourth Aunt. “Are you here to give a private performance? That Robert, he is truly the best friend I could ever ask for. I can’t believe he invited you here to perform for me.”

“Yes, he’s a good friend indeed,” Fourth Aunt agrees. “But listen, I’m not actually here to—”

“You know, this is perfect timing because I’ve just had a whole new Bang & Olufsen sound system installed in my house, including...” He pauses for effect. “A vintage Neumann microphone.”

You could practically see the sun rising behind Fourth Aunt’s eyes. In one moment, her face goes from mild disinterest to delighted shock. It’s as though there are tiny, invisible hands pulling up her face. Her eyebrows go up, her eyes open wide, her cheeks defy gravity. “Bang & Olufsen? Vintage Neumann microphone?”

“Yep. My family’s very into karaoke. I even had an electric stage built into the center of the living room. It’s hidden in the floor, all I have to do is hit a button, and it’ll rise slowly and majestically up.” He raises his palms to illustrate, and Fourth Aunt’s expression turns from bright to blinding. She’s probably already seeing herself on this stage, grabbing the vintage Neumann microphone and belting into it.

“That’s really nice,” I pipe up, “but we kind of have other engagements?” I grin at Fourth Aunt and try to signal to herwith my eyes that we really should get going. Who knows how long our luck is going to last?

But I’m too late. Fourth Aunt is already caught in the promise of the kind of performance she’s dreamed about forever. For as long as I’ve known her, she’s complained about the lack of a budget for proper equipment. Even after the family wedding business picked up, Fourth Aunt is still unable to fit the costs of the high-end equipment she wants into the budget that she’s given. To be fair, if Fourth Aunt had her way, she would blow everything on ridiculously expensive equipment, and as Ma pointed out, “She sing at wedding, not at rock concert. No need the best equipment.” And now, here it is, finally. Her chance to sing and hear her voice being amplified into the most exquisite sound.

“Excuse me, Kris,” Fourth Aunt says, “I need a word with my assistant.” With a small nod at Kristofer, she links her arm through mine and pulls me to one side. “I’m doing it.”

I sigh. I knew it. “I don’t know...”

“It’ll be a great distraction. You need to use that time wisely.” She speaks louder. “You need to make sure my social media is kept up to date, okay?”

I don’t feel great about this, but to be fair, it’s not the worst idea. Fourth Aunt is right that it would be a fantastic distraction. And she’ll sing enough songs to give me time to get Second Aunt, reconvene with Nathan and Ma, and get the heck out of here. It just might work. So against all my better judgment, I nod. Fourth Aunt closes her eyes and takes a deep, gratified breath. It’s as though the lines on her face melt away and I’m seeing Fourth Aunt at her peak, as a young woman with a world of promise. Then she opens her eyes and turns back to Kristofer.

“Come! I am ready to sing.”

“Wonderful!” Kristofer holds out his arm, which Fourth Aunt takes with confidence, and the two of them stride down the hallway.

I’m about to slip away, but just then, Kristofer glances back at me and frowns. “Come, you must record the famous Mimi Chan performing at my house. I have many friends who are fans of Mimi, and I won’t pass on this chance to really rub it in!” He throws his head back and laughs, and Fourth Aunt does this fakeHohoholaugh.

“I’m sure your guests will record it,” Fourth Aunt says when they’re done laughing.

“Pfft!” Kristofer snorts. “My guests? Trust me, they’ll be too busy gawking at you to record you. No, I don’t want to leave it to them.” He snaps his fingers at me without even bothering to look at me. “Follow us, and keep your camera trained on her.”

I shoot Fourth Aunt a panicked look, and she shrugs. This is fine. Things are still very much under control. I can wait until everyone is entranced by Fourth Aunt’s singing before sneaking out of there and finding Second Aunt. Yep, this is totally okay.

It feels as though half of Jakarta’s population arrived while Fourth Aunt and I were down in the basement. Even before we reach the living room, the noise spills out, and it’s overwhelming. Laughter and shouts of “Gong xi fa cai!” fill the air. Names being boomed out with overly joyous proclamations.

“Harun! Wah, it’s been so long. How are you?”

“Waduh, Herman, you look so healthy. How have you been?”

And so on and so forth. My mouth cracks open when weget to the living room. The party is in full swing, with throngs of people milling about and greeting one another and drinking champagne. The decor team has done an amazing job; the cherry blossom trees and the red lanterns transform the living room into something completely magical. Big Aunt has evidently been hard at work, because on one side is a long table filled with platters of delicious-looking dishes. There are plates of golden-fried seafood noodles that signify longevity, braised abalones swimming in rich sauce, black pepper beef in lettuce cups, and a dozen other dishes that I can’t believe Big Aunt has whipped up in such a short time. She’s even prepared eight huge plates of nian nian you yu—Chinese salad that everyone will mix together using their chopsticks as they chant a rhyme for a good year ahead. Big Aunt is clearly in her element. That makes one of us, at least.

In one corner of the room, a live band is playing a contemporary version of traditional Chinese New Year songs, the beat fast and catchy and nearly impossible not to dance to. Kristofer leads Fourth Aunt through the crowd, pausing now and again to greet his guests. When they get to the center of the room, he says something to Fourth Aunt, who nods. Then Kristofer leaves her and approaches the live band. He gets to them, climbs up onto the stage, and pats one of the musicians on the shoulder. The man, who was playing a violin, starts and, recognizing Kristofer, quickly stops playing. The music comes to a standstill, and Kristofer smiles and nods at the band as he takes their mic. The chatter in the room disappears, leaving an expectant hush.

“Hello, everyone!” He’s so comfortable on stage. Even from my vantage point deep in the crowd, I can see the lively gleam in his eyes. He’s a natural; he adores the limelight. Andeverybody is reacting to his energy, smiling up at him. “I’m so honored to have all of you here, my closest friends. Every year, I throw this party to honor our friendship, and to let all of you know that you are practically my family.”

A murmur of agreement goes through the crowd, and a few people cheer and call out, “Love you, Dage!”

Laughing, Kristofer raises his hands and nods. “Love all of you too. We’ve all had a great year, haven’t we?”

They all cheer and whoop.

“And we’re about to have an even better year ahead. Xin nian kuai le!”

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