Childhood 1952 - 1957

These were my primary school years. Trishaw to school and trishaw home. Mother walking to school each day with my home cooked food. School hours were from 7.30 am to around 1.30 pm. We would return to school in the afternoon for sports or other school activities. Those were happy days.

Life at home was comfortable. I was well cared for. Paternal grandfather was around, maternal grandmother was affectionate and I felt safe. By then there were three of us me and my two younger brothers. My mother and one of her sisters decided that they would become seamstresses. For that they had to attend a 6 months course in Singapore. While my mother was away in Singapore I was left in the charge of my grandmother. I can still remember those days. Grandmother would persuade me to wake up each morning for school. I can still recall the days when I would refuse to get up or refused to attend school. My grandmother would patiently coax and bribed me to go to school. I remember there were occasions when I failed to attend school. My father would find out sooner or later and I would end up being caned. After the thrashings my grandmother, with tears in her eyes would apply ointment to the cane marks. That was the way my life was in those days, loved by some and disciplined harshly by others.

I must briefly describe our living accommodation which will help explain the way of life. Although grandmother spent considerable amount of time with us during the day, she did not live with us, as she had her own home not too far away. Above each of the two grocery shops were living quarters, one for each of the partners of the business. In ours the total living area must have been approximately 45 ft x 25 ft. there were 2 rooms one for my parents and the other used for storage. There was a small dining area and there was another small area where we slept, studied or played. At this point in time there was me and my two younger brothers and my sister. In addition, we had one of our girl cousins living with us supposedly to keep my only sister company. We all grew up sleeping on the floor of the play-study room on straw mats that we spread out each night and rolled up during the day. There was a communal cupboard where we kept our clothes with a drawer each for our bits and pieces. As the family grew, we had to squeeze tighter because we never did move to larger accommodation. In fact until I left home at the age of 17, I never did possess a space to call my own in that home of mine. I slept on a mat on the floor with all the other siblings all the time I lived there. Anyway, between the ages of 7 and 12, I guess I did not really need any privacy. Life was simple and undemanding.

Mother and her sister had started sewing dresses for the English ladies in Segamat. They would bring to mother cloth from England and mother would sew them whatever dresses they desired. Grandmother would come over to help with the buttons and that is how I remember our home each day I returned from school – mother at the sewing machine and grandmother nearby helping with the buttons. My father’s sister, my aunt would occasionally come over to our home and help with the sewing and for the family gossip.

Sometime during these blissful years my paternal grandfather returned to China. According to my mother he was feeling unwell and he knew that his life was coming to an end. Being very “Chinese” my grandfather did not wish to spend his last days in Malaya. He wanted to be buried in his home country. He left Malaya knowing that he was never going to see us again. Must have been very heartbreaking for him to part with me. I was too young to realise how hard it must have been for him. Very soon after he arrived in China, we received news that he had passed away peacefully. I can still remember the moment when my mother broke the sad news to me. It was night; I was out playing with neighbours when I was summoned home. When I got home I saw mother weeping at the meal table. She told me that grandfather had passed away. I remember I did not feel any sadness then. I did not even realise that I would never see my grandfather ever again. Guess I was too young to appreciate and to feel my loss.