Both were pale and a little drawn, and Ah Pak had clearly dressed for the occasion by donning pants, which he wore with his signature undershirt. He asked quietly for Osman when he arrived and propelled Kit Siang into the Chief’s office. Osman smiled and tried to put them at their ease, but they both looked tense and frightened. ‘Tell me,’ Osman instructed them. ‘Whatever it is, it can’t be that bad.’ Kit Siang continued to stare at the floor, until prodded by his father.‘I just wanted to tell you … I mean, I want to confess.’ Osman sat quietly, if somewhat confused. Kit Siang gulped. ‘I had gambled in Yusuf’s place,’ he began his preamble. ‘I lost a lot. My father asked me not to, but …’ Kit Siang seemed at a loss to explain it in more detail, but Osman immediately understood. ‘So when I lost the first time, it was big, and he went to talk to my father. He told me it would be alright, my father would never let anything happen to me. I was so stupid,’ he moaned.
