I was aware that perhaps not all aspects of that esteemed gentleman’s business interests would be completely legitimate, but I felt sure I could keep an eye out for trouble and be ready to adapt to any situation if needs be.
I told Heri about what had happened and he reinforced my thinking. He said that it was a good chance for me to start making something for myself, but that I should also be careful as there was bound to be some dodgy aspects to my new-found employment.
It was agreed that I would continue staying with him until I received my first month’s salary and then I could look for somewhere on my own to stay which would afford me a bit of independence. Heri also said I should go to work with him once more just to show my gratitude to his boss for giving me the opportunity in the first place and, of course, so I could say goodbye to the guys who had been so welcoming and friendly during my brief employment there.
As on my first night in Jakarta, I once again had trouble drifting off to sleep. This time, though, there was a multitude of questions and emotions swimming through my head. I was happy, excited, nervous, worried and a little confused all at the same time, and not for the first or the last time during my life in Jakarta the face of Devi was last thing to bother my consciousness before I finally found sleep.
The next evening I set off to the Club Mexicanas and the next instalment in my life: one which I hoped would lead to the fulfilment of my hopes for a better future.
I arrived early, around five pm, and the place was not surprisingly empty. The only people around were some of the staff getting things ready for opening time, which I learnt was at seven although not much in the form of customers was really expected until at least ten.
I introduced myself to a few of the workers and wandered around aimlessly for a bit while sort of half-heartedly looking for Yusuf. I didn’t quite have the confidence to go into the back of the club into the corridor I had been the previous night, and I just hoped he would come and find me. After a few minutes this was indeed what happened.
He came out of the back corridor, saw me and then beckoned me to follow him. Without speaking he led me down into what was obviously the cellar and with the minimum of words introduced me to a guy named Endy. With that he left.
Yusuf was not, I gathered, a great conversationalist. Endy, however, turned out to be the exact opposite. He was a youngish man, perhaps in his mid-thirties, and was skinny to the point of emaciation. He was already losing his hair and had a couple of missing teeth, but despite this rather gawky looking appearance he had the most engaging smile and, as I was soon to discover, personality.
He explained the way things worked in this particular area of the club; that he was the purchasing manager and that his responsibilities included making sure the club was fully stocked and loaded and that, most importantly, the beer never ran out. He said Yusuf had told him to expect me and that I would be working with him for a week or so then I would be handed over to another area of the club’s business.
It all seemed relatively straightforward to me and I didn’t envisage that there would be any problems in picking up the job and what to do. Endy showed me how to get the barrels in place and ready for the ‘lads’ to install. That’s what he called them -‘lads’. He explained that the club hired some young chaps on a freelance basis to do all the manual work and ‘other bits and bobs’, while the permanent staff, which included us, mainly supervised them and told them what to do. He told me that the job was a pretty decent one and as long as one kept his nose clean and didn’t try anything stupid, like ripping Pak Neil off or upsetting Yusuf, then one could be set up in a very nice number indeed.
I did wonder briefly at this point exactly what he meant by the ‘lads’ doing ‘other bits and bobs’ and also just how exactly I was going to actually earn the rather large salary I was on, but I figured it wouldn’t be prudent to ask too many questions at that point, and anyway, things would probably become clearer over time.
Endy showed me a few other things that first evening, such as how to make out orders and to check invoices before they were sent to the accounting and finance department, how to ensure there was enough stock for any one particular night, and what factors to take into consideration when planning ahead. For example, early weekdays such as Mondays and Tuesdays would obviously usually be quieter than days later in the week, especially Fridays and Saturdays, while the club hardly had any customers at all on Sundays yet still opened for business. I wondered aloud why Pak Neil bothered to open on Sundays as Endy told me he probably made a loss on that day of the week, but Endy just smiled again and shrugged, so I left it.
For most of the rest of the evening, Endy and I just chatted amiably in the cellar area but a couple of times we went for a walk around the club to see what was going on. It was just as dark as I remembered from
