Gemsicuted

Written by Julian Robov

Eleven

Lam quietly walked along the sidewalk. Tuna’s Club and Restaurant on Sukhumvit Road, was a convenient hub for the old- timers and newcomers to Bangkok, to meet and digest where information on food, gems, jewelry, and travel of any sort were available through a wide network of agents at a cost. Her place became an attractive choice for the bankers, architects, engineers, and real estate magnates to unwind their worries along with their pet mia noi’s (mistresses) who frequented discreetly for fun and business.

Pamella Chen, nicknamed Tuna, a native of Singapore, cruising in her late thirties got hooked to the vibrant lifestyle and colorful characters of Bangkok by choice. She quit her families commodities business and decided to venture on something new and untried. A place where young men and women felt liberated to express their personal views in their own way contradicting the so-called ‘Asian’ values. Bangkok became her final destination where she felt free and independent to live her own life. She collected a lot of friends, and Jay Lam was one among them.
“Give me one regular, Tuna.” Lam mumbled, as he took his seat opposite her.
“What’s up?” Tuna quipped.
“The usual build up,” Lam said, slumping in his chair.
“Come on! That bad,” she added.
He looked around to see if anyone was watching them. The club wasn’t yet crowded. He had arrived a bit early to talk to her.
“Do I look sexy?” She wanted an opinion from him.
“Sure, you do. Sexy and terrific!” His answer satisfied her.
“You look so uptight,” Tuna sensed a degree of uneasiness in him. “Yeah!” Lam complained.
“Why don’t you bring him here? I can take care of him.” She said humorously. Lam had described Rubyhall to her in such a way, she kept on insisting that he bring him to her club for some physical testing.
He shrugged off.
“Tell me, what stone is this? Given to me by someone. You haven’t bothered giving me one,” she said jokingly, approaching him with a pad in hand.
“It looks red,” he replied, after an initial observation.
“I know that. What is it?” She asked curiously.
“Possibly ruby, spinel, garnet, tourmaline, glass, or even an assembled gem. This is very light and looks deceptive,” he answered like a gem expert.
“Not a diamond? He said this was a red diamond,” she said looking unhappy.
“It can’t be. It’s so bloody rare, there are only a few on this planet. It would cost millions for this size. Again, since it is in a ring, it would be quite difficult. But the cut and shape is very unusual for this stone to be a diamond. I will have to check it more carefully,” he answered, without making any further comment.
“You can take it and tell me when you come here next time,” she
interrupted. “Someone else might feel like giving me another ring. Next time, I will be more careful. Maybe, you should try a different bottle today. I’ve a very special one, Chateau de Loei!” She took out a new bottle of wine from the cupboard changing the topic.
“Where the hell is this from?” he asked curiously.
“You won’t believe this. Thailand! A friend of mine, when she returned from a trip to Loei province, someone gave her this, and that’s how it took its residence here. Not for sale, just for special friends. Taste it, how is it?” she asked.
“Tastes good. Very much Australian, its aroma pungent like the French,” Lam replied.
“Very close, isn’t it?” She opined.
“Thanks, Tuna. It’s very nice of you. I appreciate that,” he
quipped. “So, back to your work. What’s bugging you at the office? Did you lose some deal for the old man?” She got to the real topic. BUSINESS!
“Something very close. It’s these two guys, Miko and Tito. They have a 37carat ruby from Burma, and the old man wants it at any cost. As I had told you earlier, all big ones have a tradition showing up first on his table, and from there it goes elsewhere in this country. But this time they have it, and the funny side of the story is that they don’t have the money to buy it.”
“So then how do they own it?” she asked.
“That’s the twist. One of Rubyhall’s buddies wants to teach him a lesson. So he is using them as proxies to bring him down. It’s now an all out war between friends. That’s the dark side of this business. It takes only a split-second to become enemies. Tango is over,” he said seriously.
“It’s in every business,” she replied, regretfully.
“So I’m caught in between. This is the first time, I thought I was going to lose my job for this bloody oversight. But later, when I dug up the truth behind this funny and serious scenario, when I told him, he knew it was beyond my control, but he want me to get the ruby for him. His best friend now wants to play a kind of ruby game on him. I was relieved when he told me that he would personally take over, but I don’t trust that statement. It’s not over. It’s the beginning. My nightmares are just beginning. That’s why I had to come here to cool down. I can’t tell this to Marla. She would faint, and the kids, they are just too young,” he answered.
“So what are you going to do now? What do they look like? If they ever come here for a gulp, I will keep an eye on them,” she said plainly.
“Like those MTV tattoo stars. Miko and Tito have tattoos on their ten fingers. Tabular hexagonal prism, terraced / stepped-like pattern. Guess what?” He grinned.
“What?” she asked.
“Crystal habits of rubies from Burma,” Lam said.
“Oh God,” said Tuna with a feeling. “Is that the way to identify them?”
“Yeah. Very much so,” he replied.
“Tito is a bit tough. But Miko, on the other hand, is a fractured genius,” said Lam. “Both are shrewd and intelligent. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be in this business.”
“In that case, he must be the right guy for me. Target shooting!” Tuna replied quickly.
“You bet,” Lam quipped.
“Look over there, I’ve some guests, listen, take it easy. Something will work out. If you want to stay for a while, do stay. But look, it’s already late for you. Marla will be anxious.” Her face relaxed, as customers started to walk in with their friends.
“Thanks for reminding me. I think, I better go.” Lam announced.
“Good night, Tuna.”
“Night, Jay.”