Aunty Josephina and I made it inside the house, and I led the way to the same washroom I had taken refuge in earlier. There was a small end table on the wall opposite the bathroom door, and I stood next to it while I waited for her.

She took her sweet time, and I pinched my inner arms as hard as I could and prepared myself, hoping no one would notice me shaking like a leaf. The air conditioner was turned on inside, and the cool air that was an immediate relief from the balmy outdoors turned cruel and icy very quickly.

Finally, I heard the toilet flush, the sink run, and she emerged.

“Here, Aunty,” I said, offering my arm.

She had just wrapped her talons around me again when I bumped my hip on the end table, causing the small knickknacks on it to slip off onto the floor. I jumped back, pulling Aunty Josephina off-kilter and causing her to drop her handbag.

The small Louis Vuitton tote slid onto the ground, right next to the envelope I had left out there.

“Oh no, Aunty, I’m so sorry,” I huffed. “Are you okay?”

Aunty Josephina clutched her chest, closed her eyes, and took a few deep breaths.

“It’s quite all right, darling. I just had a bit of a fright,” she said finally.

“Aney, Aunty. I’m so clumsy. I didn’t see that table at all. Haiyyo, I’ve knocked everything off as well. Let me get your handbag.”

I got onto my knees and started picking up the fallen ornaments. Luckily, nothing had broken.

“Here! You! Is there no one here to help this lady?” Aunty Josephina called out haughtily for the help, making no effort to assist me herself. But we were alone. All the waitstaff were outside where the party was, of course.

I picked up her handbag and passed it up to her. Then I handed her the envelope.

“Is this yours, Aunty?” I asked, my heart feeling like it would explode.

Aunty Josephina took the envelope and eyed it genially. There was a large Private and Confidential stamped on the front, with a boldly printed Dryland and Deck Investigative Services branded in the corner.

“Maybe it fell off the table instead?” I offered, reaching for the bundle of papers, but she snatched it back out of my reach.

“No, no, darling. It must have fallen from my bag,” she said, hastily stuffing it away.

I was afraid she would hear me release the breath I had been holding.

Now, I wait.

HUSNA FALEEL

Interview Transcript: Husna Faleel (abbrev. HF)

Date: January 25, 2020

Location: The Mount Lavinia Hotel