Rich People Problems-Kwan 2017 (WWT)

“Mummy, are you taking Nicky to—”
“Wah mai chup!” *3 Su Yi said sharply in Hokkien, turning away from her son as the
guard shut the door firmly.
As the car pulled out of the Khoo residence, he asked his grandmother in Cantonese,
“Are we going to your house?”
“Yes, I am taking you to Tyersall Park.”
“How long can I stay there?”
“For as long as you want.”
“Will Dad and Mum come to see me?”
“Only if they can learn to behave themselves,” Su Yi replied. His grandmother reached
her arm out, drawing him closer, and he remembered being surprised by the gesture, by
the softness of her body as he leaned against her while the car rocked gently back and
forth as it navigated down the dark leafy lanes.
And now in a flash Nick found himself on that same dark lane again, more than two
decades later, with Colin at the wheel of his Porsche. As the car wound along Tyersall
Avenue, Nick felt like he knew every curve and bump of the road—the sudden dip that put
them eye level with the gnarled ancient tree trunks, the dense overhang of foliage that
kept it cool even on the hottest day. He must have walked or cycled down this narrow lane
a thousand times as a kid. He realized for the first time that he was excited to be home
again, and that the hurt he had felt over the past few years was fading. Without quite
realizing it, he had already forgiven his grandmother.
The car pulled up to the familiar gates of Tyersall Park, and Colin breezily announced to
the approaching guard, “I’m delivering Nicholas Young.”
The yellow-turbaned Gurkha peered in the front window of the car at the both of them
and said, “I’m sorry, but we’re not expecting any more visitors tonight.”
“We’re not visitors. This is Nicholas Young right here. This is his grandmother’s house,”
Colin insisted.
Nick leaned toward the driver’s seat, trying to get a better look at the guard. He didn’t
recognize the man—he must have started working for Tyersall Park after his last visit.
“Hey, I don’t think we’ve met before. I’m Nick—they are expecting my arrival up at the
house.”
The guard turned around and went back into the guardhouse for a moment. He
returned with a brown paper log and began flipping through the pages. Colin turned to
Nick and snickered in disbelief. “Can you believe this?”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t see either of your names here, and we are under high alert at the
moment. I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to turn around.”
“Look, is Vikram here? Can you please call Vikram?” Nick asked, beginning to lose his
patience. Vikram, who headed the guard unit for the past two decades, would quickly put
an end to this absurdity.
“Captain Ghale is off duty right now. He returns at eight tomorrow morning.”