Indonesian Gold (32 page)

Angela shook her head, and placed her hand comfortingly on
the mother's.
‘I don't think so.'
Then, she squeezed Enny's tiny hands, and glanced at
Nani.
‘We're late. We should go. Goodbye Enny,'
she pretended to pinch the girl's tummy,
playfully, nodded knowingly at the woman, then led a confused and apprehensive Nani
outside.

****

The weather had cleared, the two undergraduates now
standing near the corner of Jalan Martadinata and Merdeka, where tempting, mouth-watering aromas
wafted towards them from the roadside,
sate
stalls. Rows of red-hot, charcoal-fired
braziers lined the footpath, offering Madurese, Javanese and an array of Sumatra's famous Padang
food. Further down the street, vendors offered
comro
to passers-by, the mashed cassava
filled with fermented soybean cake, a favorite amongst the students. The street offered a virtual
smorgasbord of national dishes, from deep-fried
Tokek,
the colorful, tropical lizards
sought after for their curative properties for those who suffered skin diseases, to fruit bats,
believed to improve sexual prowess.

Nani held a polystyrene cup filled with palm
sugar-sweetened, coconut milk in one hand, and a roasted cob of corn in the other. Although still
struggling to understand what had happened in the Plaza earlier, Nani avoided mentioning the
incident, content to wait for Angela to offer an explanation, when she was ready. During the four
years she had come to know Angela, she had learned that her friend was indeed very special, and
experience had taught her not to press.

****

That evening, as Angela sat alone on her veranda, captured
in contemplative mood, she gazed up into the early evening, equatorial sky, recalling the events
of that day. She was reminded of those first lessons her father had given, when he'd explained
the power of the shaman, and the extraordinary gift generations of Daus had enjoyed. Angela
recalled his warning, that although she, too, had been blessed with this
‘tenaga-dalam'
,
the inner force phenomenon would become more apparent and demanding as she matured, and could be
lost, forever, if not nurtured in the traditional way.

The morning's confrontation with the belligerent woman
could have been avoided, she knew – but Angela was also aware that she had inherited her father's
stubbornness, reminding herself to be more circumspect in the future, even with him looking over
her shoulder.

Angela peered up at the stars as a puff of wind caressed
her face, and she inhaled, the suggestion of jasmine in the air filling her with pleasure. Her
body relaxed, then became lethargically still as another form of energy commenced flowing through
her body. Angela willed her mind to clear, slowly drifting into an altered but blissful state of
consciousness, where she remained, until morning.

****

‘It's very professionally presented,' Baird admitted,
grudgingly, when asked for his opinion with respect to Sharon's initial drilling program.
Kremenchug had phoned from Manila, to discuss mobilization plans.

‘Any problems sourcing the rigs and other equipment?'
Kremenchug asked.

‘There's some second hand gear coming in from Western
Australia. I've already had a sniff around and there doesn't appear to be a problem, providing we
put our stamp on the equipment quickly. The rest is coming directly from the
Philippines?'

‘Yes,' Kremenchug confirmed, ‘Sharon has organized a
couple of small containers carrying laboratory sampling equipment.'

‘Tell her to make sure it's packed tight,' Baird warned,
‘the handling gets rough as hell once gear is moved along the Mahakam.'

‘I'll remind her.'

‘And she's going to ship the rest of the inventory from
Manila?'

‘Yes, Eric, she's highlighted what you have to source
locally.'

‘Yeah, I've been through the list. Don't see any problem
with most of it, but I'll still have to dig around for some of the items. I'll let you know if I
have problems there.'

‘What about the riggers?'

‘I thought Ducay was bringing her own team?' Baird had
discussed this earlier with Kremenchug.

‘No she decided that it would be best to recruit some
locally experienced hands.'

‘I can get a couple of guys I've used before,' Baird
offered.

‘Then you'll go?'

‘I didn't say that.'

‘But you will?'

‘No.'

‘I need to have you on site, Eric.'

‘I really don't want to go back into the field just yet,'
Baird resisted.

‘You need to get out there and do this drilling for the
Filipino,' Kremenchug sounded convincing. ‘Besides, it's time we all made some real money. Come
on, Eric!' he cajoled, ‘for you, this should be a walk in the park.'

Baird had anticipated Kremenchug's request to participate
in the drilling operation. Had it not been for Subroto's insistence that he respond to the
invitation to marry Pipi Suhartono, the suggestion that he might return to Longdamai would never
have been considered. Now, given the opportunity to avoid confrontation with his sponsor, Baird
was seriously considering accepting Kremenchug's offer to participate in the new project. Numbed
by the hand-rolled,
ganjah
-
kretek
combination cigarette and far too much rum the
evening before, Baird's eyes began to swim casually, the familiar marijuana effect,
soothing.

Baird was unaware of Sharon Ducay's indirect control over
P.T. Kalimantan Gold (Indonesia), the approved operator for the Contract of Work. A
Filipino-based, foreign accountancy firm operating in Jakarta had provided nominee directors
conditional, of course, that they be appointed to oversee the mining venture's financials. Baird
had pressed Kremenchug as to why Sharon had been appointed Operations Manager, but his associate
had been less than forthcoming. Having never met Sharon Ducay, Baird drew the conclusion that
Kremenchug had become involved with this woman and was now paying the price for his
indiscretions. Baird also concluded that this was the primary reason that his services were
required on site, as the Filipino obviously was incapable of overseeing the project without the
benefit of an in-country expatriate, experienced in dealing with the Indonesians. He expected
that a few days in the Kalimantan jungles would see the end of her. ‘I'll think about it, but
only if Ducay isn't placed in charge of the operation,' he said, one hand searching for the joint
inadvertently dropped somewhere amongst the cushions.

‘What does it matter who's in charge?' Kremenchug's voice
rose in pitch. ‘If you don't go, Eric, then I'll just have to find someone else.'

‘Yeah, sure, Alex – we both know there's no one else you
could trust to get the job done,' came the response. Then, after second thoughts Baird added,
‘You could hire some of the local geos from the Mines Department.'

‘Come on, Eric,' he appealed again, ‘do this and I'll take
care of you. Okay?'

Having successfully retrieved what was left of the joint,
Baird could now smell smoke. He stuck his hand down the narrow gap, cursing loudly when the tip
of his fingers came into contact with the burning seat. He dropped the phone, yelled for Mardidi
then retrieved the handset. ‘You still there, Alex?'

Kremenchug
shook his head in
dismay. ‘Yes, Eric, I'm still here. Will you go back out to Longdamai and help Sharon oversee the
drilling? If it all works out, we'll be able to recover what we've lost on the BGC shares,' and
without hesitation added, ‘plus some.'

Baird looked over at his companion, Mardidi, the
suggestion that Pipi Suhartono might be lying in his place, and he reluctantly agreed.

‘Okay,' Baird's voice echoed down the line. ‘I'll get the
drillers and do the work. But,' he added, ‘we'll need to throw them some dollars.'

Kremenchug
did not hesitate.
‘What do you need?'

Baird thought for several minutes – Kremenchug could hear
the man wheezing.

‘It's a six months project. Let's see; three expats, plus
local support crews, around two hundred grand should see them right.' Sharon Ducay's budget had
allowed for more, but Baird knew that her costs were still to come out of that.

‘Two hundred thousand?' Kremenchug was stung. ‘Isn't that
a little over the top?'

Baird was prepared. ‘Not unless you want to bring in a
team from offshore – and you know what that will cost. You'll have to pick up airfares, hotel
accommodations, get the drillers work permits and make allowance for a much longer lead time to
mobilize. As it is, I'll really have to scratch around to find drillers with all the work that's
going on. With the number of survey teams stomping around over in Kalimantan, we're lucky that
there are rigs and men available right now. Even two hundred thousand might be a bit light on,'
he suggested.

‘Okay,' Kremenchug capitulated, although not entirely
convinced that Baird was not sticking it to him, ‘get started and I'll transfer the
funds.'

Baird was having none of that. ‘I'll need it all up front,
Alex, or there'll be no start.' He waited, a marijuana-induced smile crossing his face as he
imagined Kremenchug worrying whether the amount was enough to tempt him to take it all and
disappear.

‘What about mobilization costs?'

Baird again referred to Sharon's budget. ‘We'll need to
set up something with the rig owners so that we hire their equipment and make monthly payments
into their account. I'll nut something out over the next days and let you know what we're up for.
Ducay's budget seems about right, so best you make arrangements to send a another hundred grand
to cover mobilization costs as well.'

‘I'll have the company transfer fifty thou for you and the
drilling teams, and another fifty to cover mobilization.'

‘No, I'll want at least half of both budgets,
now.'

‘Okay, Eric,' the voice in Manila responded, ‘you'll have
a hundred grand in your account by the end of the week, another hundred when you've mobilized.
The balance will be paid at the end of six months. Fax me a copy of the rig rental agreement and
I'll set up regular transfers to cover that and other budgetary items. Sharon will bring
additional funds for contingencies.'

‘Fine,' Baird was smiling, ‘I'll get back to you in a
couple of days.'

****

Eric Baird sighed and accepted that although the
commitment he had just made which would take him out of Pipi Suhartono's way for at least six
months, it would also place him in a most indelicate position with General Subroto. He decided
not to visit the office unless it was absolutely necessary, terrified of the arrangements Pipi's
uncle was so determined to put into place.

Encouraged by an imminent change in fortunes, Baird
finished the remaining joint, rolled over onto his side and nudged Mardidi, bringing him
awake.

‘Ada apa, sih?'
the
slim-framed Javanese appeared groggy, rising on one elbow, asking what was happening. Baird
assumed that he would have been eavesdropping on their end of the conversation.

‘We're going back to Kalimantan,'
Baird said, slowly, losing focus as his attention slipped.

‘Why?'
Mardidi asked,
with growing concern. He had no difficulty in recalling the recurring malaria bouts suffered
during the first and fateful excursion. Eric Baird moved closer to his companion, his foul, stale
breath an offence to clean air. Mardidi's eyes looked for an escape, opting to raise a pillow to
the lower half of his face to cover his squeamishness.

‘We have a drilling contract on the Upper
Mahakam,'
Baird revealed, playfully grabbing the kapok pillow and
tossing this into the air.

Mardidi was trapped.
‘Why should you be happy with
this?'
He leaned to one side and raised his head to see how much of the Bacardi had been
consumed that afternoon.

‘I'm not.'
Half-heartedly, he threw the pillow at Mardidi, hitting him in the face.
‘But, at
least we're going on the payroll again.'

‘When?'

‘Immediately. I'll be able to give you that money for your
family by the weekend.'

‘How much?'
His
partner's foul breath no longer of consequence, Mardidi moved closer with this news and started
tickling him furiously.

‘Whatever you want!'
Baird cackled, grabbing his lover and wrestling him to the floor.

 

* * * *

August 1994