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| Rushes of Nostalgia |
Here are the stories.
1. Con of their Salaries
They were waiting for them. After all, it was payday at the estate and they were bound to come, as they were incorrigible gamblers. But they were suckers most of all. This was not the first time they were taken to the cleaners. Fong and his fellow conmen waited. A dim light in the distance signaled the prey had come just like clockwork.
The poker tables laid set and they started the gambling session after a flurry of greetings and backslapping. A few bouts soon and the father-and-son pair were cleaned off their monthly salaries. Operating on body language, the conmen ensured their player with the best hand took the pair down every time.
2. The Pumpkin Man
The arrival of the pumpkin man was an event. With his long pole, straddled upon his shoulders, he was a sight to behold. All the children ran helter-skelter towards the approaching figure. They were not afraid of him. Smiling at the children, he doled out sweets to them. They all ran off after getting their share. He ambled to Kok Long’s wooden house.
Putting down his pole and the two bundles it balanced, the pumpkin man swiped his forehead of the sweat that was dripping down from his eyebrows. Kok Long saw him from a distance. This chap wanted some cash again, he murmured to himself. After their usual high-spirited greetings, they squatted on the ground and traded the latest stories of their province in Hainan Island..
THe pumpkin man then unfolded the two bundles, which displayed the fruits of his labour from his garden plot. There were many types of root vegetables and some nice looking pumpkins. Kok Long gave the pumpkin man a dollar. He was indeed so pleased that he hugged Kok Long. Whistling a tune, he left Kok Long with the pumpkins and the other vegetables on the ground.
3. The Share Sale Lifeline
It was that time of year again. The rains beat down hard on the laterite tracks. Work at the plantation had to stop. Daily wage earners were hard-hit. Wages shrunk every year at this time. Nobody could go out to tap or to weed for most of the month. Whilst some sulked at home, others went to town to make a new pair of shirt or to buy new shoes and other domestic requirements. Tappers were busy sharpening their knives while others took this opportunity to catch up on much needed sleep.
It was the season that Indians who had shares in the National Land Cooperative Society hawked their shares. Some used them as deposits for quick loans to tide over their debts. Others sold them outright for a fraction of the price. It was during this rainy season that they go and look for saviours. The estate shopkeepers were oftentimes their targets. If they were lucky, the share certificates would be accepted in lieu of payment for debts. If not, then they looked toward the estate staff for loans, bearing the certificates as deposits. Kok Long has been approached many a time and as he was a soft-hearted man, he had now a collection of these certificates. What is their true worth, he did not know. He only wanted to be a caretaker of the certificates until they were redeemed. Oftentimes, they remained in his hands forever. His wife also had been nagging him to get rid of them. He has been quite unsuccessful though despite his pleas to the lenders to take them back. The shopkeepers and senior staff of the estate echelon were reluctant to take the risk of holding such certificates. To this day Kok Long still own most of them but they are now re-registered under his name or that of his children.
4. Chicken and Cakes Offerings for the Corruptibles
To the estate worker, the practice of offering gifts to their supervising boss did not amount to corruption. They were likened to appeasing the powers-to-be. A couple of days before Deepavali, the festival of the lights, tappers intending to get the favour of the supervising officer in charge of the tapping department will journey to the nearest town to buy goodies to be gift-wrapped for this estate official. They then go to the market to get a live chicken.
In the evening, they will cycle to this boss man’s home and present the gift hamper and the cackling chicken to him. That done, they prayed and hoped that this tapping supervisor will remember them when choice tapping lots became available the next time around.
5. The Cramped Pirate Taxi "School Bus"
It was normal in those days. As only few estate children attended school in the nearby town, the only way to get to school and back were by a big black car that operated as the public conveyance. Oftentimes, ten children were cramped in the car and their faces were literary push-glued to the window screens as the vehicle swing through the narrow windy road to town.
When the vehicle turned right or left, an indicator will appear magically at either side of this huge car. It flashed yellow for sometime and then retracted, to the pleasure of the children in the car. When the car stopped, the children slowly extricated themselves, breathed easy and strolled away.
6. The Weekly Cinema
The monthly cinema show is a sight to behold! It represents a singular pleasure to be had besides the toddy drink in an estate. Sitting through a cinema show at the hall is an event to behold!
By 5p.m., all colours of mats were placed on the floor of the hall. Some children were already there, running around and there were mothers feeding their babies while waiting for the show to start. By 7 p.m., the projector crew would arrive. They carried the equipment to the special projection floor built above the floor and stated running a wire to the front where two speaker boxes were placed. By this time, the hall is filled to the max.
At 7.30 p.m. the show of ten began with a cartoon feature and there with whoos and waahs all round. When the main feature started- an Tamil movie-everyone would clap and soon will quieten down as they get engrossed with the movie.. When the hero won a fist fight, the audience clapped and when his nemesis appeared, they booed. It was like this most of the time.
When the show end, as if by magic, all the mats disappeared. There was silence except for the projection crew, who were left to dismantle the equipment and to switch off the lights in the silent hall.
7. The “Home Church"
Church Day for many was Sunday. People from all around would congregate in the house of the Lord for fellowship and to listen to the sermon of the week. The message was often deep and needed a great deal of reflection. The congregation then parted way until the following Sunday.
Not every one could attend church regularly. There were those who were 'most privileged' whereby the pastor would come by to their homes on another day to have fellowship with them him and their families. These sessions occur when the pastor had time to do so.
In Kok Long’s estate, there were a handful of Christians. As they found it difficult to come to church, the “church” came to them. More often than not, the pastor was ferried to the estate by one of the members who had a car. Fellow Christians will then gather in Kok Long’s house and worship the Lord. They really felt blessed to have such a kind and understanding pastor. Hallelujah!
8. The Chinese Opera
The Chinese opera was in town. The temple, which organized this event, was beautifully decorated and the scent of the burning joss filled the air. The famed opera troupe came from a village called Machap. As the performers were mostly owner-rubber tappers, they took time off to perform for the three days which they were hired for. Apparently the fee was relatively good.
The crowd milled around the stage as the temple officials gave their respective speeches. Then, one-cent coins and colored rice was thrown from the stage as part of the ceremony. Those in front, rushed to get the coins.
The musicians provided soothing classical music as the opera began. The crowd was entranced. Kids however were more tempted by the ice-cream sellers nearby. The grassland in front of the stage was all muddy after much trampling by the eager audience.
It was Chee Kiong’s first exposure to Chinese opera and the songs, movements and gestures of the actors and actresses mesmerized him. His mother had informed him that the gestures had operatic significance in telling the story. In fact, the lead actress was so beautiful that Chee Kiong stayed behind after the show.
Waiting at the backstage, he wanted to see how she actually looked minus all that gaudy opera make-up. It was worth the waiting as she came down soon. She was really lovely and Chee Kiong had a instant crush on her. He still felt this way even today whenever he recalled his education of Chinese opera .
9. The Encyclopedia Britannica
One cannot describe Kok Long as a gullible person, really. He first met Sia Kee Guan, at the office. It was certainly not because of the beautiful pictures he saw in the encyclopedia that made him to want to buy the set of ‘knowledge books’. He was thinking wishfully how much his children would enjoy these books, hoping that it will spur them towards learning.
The set of books cost a bomb but Kok Long was happy to be able to pay them in installments. He paid religiously every month by sending off a money order. He then bought a bookcase where he proudly displayed the books in the hall. Visitors to the house were, no doubt, impressed though in their hearts, they were thinking otherwise.
Sad to say, the books were hardly used. The children glanced through the pictures but gradually lost interest. Over the years, they all grew up and never did touch those books ever again. It was not really a bad investment because it gave Kok Long so much false pride in ownership. On hindsight, the money could have been used to buy an acre of good rubber land.
As the years passed by, Kok Long even used a copy to prop his flagging pillow when he slept. When he moved out from the estate on retirement, the set of books, silverfish riddled, was abandoned.
10. Grandma’s Visit
Grandma’s visit was joyfully awaited.
When news came that Grandma will be visiting, the children got all excited. They all loved Granny as she was a kind-hearted person; never a nasty word from her to anyone. She hardly visits and every visit was an occasion to celebrate.
The children saw a silhouette of a distant figure on the horizon. Granny, in the distance, appeared strong for her age and her walk was steady and firm. She carried a heavy basket in her right hand. The children screamed at the top of their voices and ran toward Granny. Mother came out of the kitchen and beamed a smile of happiness, as she has not seen her natural mother for some time.
The guest room was well made and Seng Koi led Granny to her room. Granny gave each child a present of sweets and a tee shirt. They loved their presents and kissed Granny on her cheeks. That night they had chicken for dinner and gathered around Granny to hear of her tales that pleased them no end.
Granny’s short stay was memorable.
Up to this day, even as Granny is no longer with them, the children still remembered her with quiet fondness in their hearts. They loved her and were sad to hear of her passing. She was such a dear, kind and wonderful soul; a paragon they would like to emulate.
