The Day The Crows Flew By (Part 4)

...and now here comes the 4th part, all about hearts.

The villagers are very happy for this blessed couple, but a few gossip-millers have already started to churn stories about Bee Ai and Kok Aun, the cendol seller and part-time caretaker of the village shrine; just because Bee Ai has been savouring a bowl of cendol at Kok Aun's makeshift stall almost everyday.

 

Ah Kow laughed off those gossips. Bee Ai has always been loyal to him. He does not want to be, and never will be weakened by mere gossips spun by loafers who have "nothing to do".

To play safe, however, Ah Kow has forbidden his wife to pray at the shrine or eat cendol. He just told Bee Ai that walking along the gravelly path to the shrine in her condition and eating cendol is “no good” for their child.

“I’m home!” shouted Ah Kow as he walked towards the door of his hut. The door opened and behind it stood Bee Ai.

“How was your day?” she asked.

“Not bad. Ah Tit’s quite generous today,” replied Ah Kow.

Ah Kow could not wait to get into the details. He was soon whispering into Bee Ai’s ear about what happened the last hour or so. Ah Kow took the message he found from his pocket and asked Bee Ai to read it to him. She looked quite surprised.

“What’s the matter?” asked Ah Kow.

“Mmm ...it says the money is for Tua Thau, ...the district's top gangster," Bee Ai translated summarily.

“What! ...what else does it say?” enquired illiterate Ah Kow as he unbuttoned his shirt.

“Nothing... nothing else,” replied Bee Ai and she went straight to their small kitchen to transfer the ambers from the charcoal stove to a tin can.

Lunch already on the table was gruel with small plates of salted fish, dried sea-weed, and fried bean sprouts. Ah Kow sat down, had a bit of the thin porridge and then suddenly put down his chop-sticks and turned to Bee Ai, “Oh!...I think I must go now! ... I must ask Ah Tit to put the money back or Tua Thau will be after our lives!”

“You better do that, and don’t tell anybody about this!” Bee Ai said as her husband raced down to Ah Tit’s ramshackled hut 200 yards away.

Ah Tit immediately lit up six joss-sticks, passed three to Ah Kow and prayed before the Goddess of Mercy on the unkempt altar in his hut upon knowing what the message was all about.

“Let us ask Kuan Yin for mercy, forgive us....let us pray for our safety when we put the money back. The wrath of notorious Tua Thau has no limits!” quivered Ah Tit.

That evening Ah Kow came home quite relieved that the money was stashed back in place. Bee Ai prepared a medicinal soup for him, and Ah Kow took a sip.

“Aya!...too strong lah, the taste is too heavy!” complained Ah Kow.

“It’s all right, the sinseh told me that the herbs may be doubled to make it more effective. Besides, after what you have gone through today, the medicinal soup will do you a lot of good,” replied his caring wife, “...and if you drink it straight down, it wouldn’t taste that bad.”

“All right, ...all right!” Ah Kow grudgingly gave in.

A quiet Bee Ai stood and watch the projection in front of Ah Kow’s neck moving up and down as he gulped the medicinal soup.

Ah Kow laid himself down on a canvas bed and gazed at the roof. He was still wondering; trying to figure out what is behind this rather unusual episode. Who could be giving money to Tua Thau in this manner?

(...More to come)