....and behind every grandmother story is history

It was turbulent times when I was growing up in the 60’s in heritage Chinatown, Penang.

Not that I was a pain in the neck for mum & dad, but the world was changing – it was getting a new face, a new shape of things to come.

Twiggy, the world's top model - She introduced Anorexia to the girls in the 60's

The Korean War unofficially ended, but a new war, the Vietnam War was escalating. ...and the feared “Domino Theory” was very much alive.

At the same time, war was on in the Sinai, and political middle-east loggerheads Moshe Dayan, Golda Meir & Yasser Arafat et al were fighting it out ...and they still are 50 years on, 6 feet under. *sigh.....

And there is the Cold War between USA & the USSR.

...and Mao Zedong was deeply engrossed in his Chinese People Republic's Cultural Revolution; and his citizenry - the Little Red Book - a new religion!

Man, what a highly hung-up, strung-up, mixed-up crazy world at that time!

US President John F. Kennedy got assassinated. And his brother Robert suffered the same fate.

Anti-war protests were everywhere, in that decade called the “swinging-sixties”! Can you imagine that?

Cassius Clay became Muhammad Ali and he "floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee" to become the undisputed heavyweight boxing champion of the world. Everybody loves him! His boxing matches provided an avenue for escapism from reality.

Many escaped permanently...kekeke! They died of “heart attacks” while watching him fight his opponents in live telecasts! Too bad.

Martin Luther King, Malcolm X...they all died too, all shot dead!

“Black Power” became prominent. In the '68 Mexico Olympics, the Black Power symbol was shown to the world on national TV.

...and Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon with his giant step for mankind,  debunked Chinese beliefs about a pretty fairy and her rabbits living on the moon. She was not there when he landed. Neither were any rabbits around.

Perhaps, it was summertime (20th July 1969) when they landed, yup! on my birthdate!... not in mid-autumn.

In the music world, The Beatles and the British (music) Invasion couldn’t be stopped.... not even by Paul Revere this time!

 ...and even Elvis had to take a breather at the end of the 60’s.

Hippiedom came into existence, and new “in”-words like “psychedelic”, “groovy”, “way-out, far-out” “dig”, “pot”, “cool” became common lingo worldwide.

The word “Peace” and its V-sign (show me your 2 fingers, huh!) found their universal meaning through the hippies, John & Yoko included.

The young rebelled, anti-establishment was status quo – and it was a healthy and "groovy" trend to drop out of college or university to live in a farm or commune and get “stoned” day in, day out.

Just let your hair down.

Go concerts – Woodstock '69 @ Yasgur’s Farm, a fine example.  (How can I forget Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and so many other music legends!)

Five hundred thousand music loving, hip and “angels” were there. Man, it was cool enough for me to be able to watch it on the movie screen halfway across the globe on the silver screen, 6 months later.

“Free Love”, “Make Love Not War” were slogans not just chanted but openly practiised! No big deal.

Man, those were the days. Those were the good old days!

But it was a night-mare for parents.... especially my parents’ with 6 kids in tow.

So you see, it was tough raising kids those days with all kinds of ideology and mind boggling politically hot potatoes – you never know when your kid’s gonna “get high” on weed or tell his mum that robbing a bank is OK because Patricia Hearst did.

Or he "dig" Charles Manson, the "mother" of all crazy cult leaders.

....and racism (and perceived race supremacy) was at its height.

The KKK (Ku Klux Klan) flourished...

 

   

...and the apartheid in Rhodesia then, South Africa now, (and to football fans, WaKa-wAka Land,) and jailed Nelson Mandela.

Glad it's all over today!

...and closer to home the May 13, 1969 racial riots.

Don't forget that. No repeat, please!

...and in Bolivia, South America, politician-author-physician-revolutionist-guerilla leader Ernesto 'Che' Guevara was captured and executed with 8 bullets into his body and throat, ughh!....no thanks to traitors.

Yea, ...it was turbulent times - I can just go on and on. Those were just a little sampling of the new face the world is changing to - and they are not grandmother's stories, but history.

So to keep us on track, my mum & dad had a terrible time to keep me & my siblings sane with many, many unforgettable one- or two-liners!

My dad is a peace-loving guy, doesn’t whack his kids – only gave good advices like this one.... “Always stand up for yourself, do what is right but I can't tell you what is right. You have to decide." 

The onus was on me, I had to do the right things at the right time! ...kekeke, fortunately I decided rightly enough most of the time not to become a rightist! Lucky me.

My mum hits hard...especially with the cane. She’s quite different from dad, but she is also very philosophical like when she teaches me about humility.... “Don't look down on others, never mind if they look down on you." She believes in karma.

But there are also many other lines; some very, very funny and witty 60’s lines. You'll get to know what they are..... soon.

The Day The Crows Flew By (Part 6)

....and now, the end is near.

Two months passed and Ah Tit has been working for Hor Pek as a cleaner in his shop. It was just past mid-day that the postman hooted out Ah Tit to collect a letter addressed to Hor Pek.

Suddenly, Ah Tit remembered that when Ah Kow asked him to put the money back, Ah Kow did remind him to put the message back as well. Ah Kow had in his excitement, left the message on the altar in Ah Tit's house!

“Hor Pek, may I go back to my hut for a while?” asked Ah Tit.

“Ok, go on... but push those boxes of ulamas to the side first,” said Hor Pek with a Burmese cheroot stuck between his teeth.

It did not take much time for Ah Tit to locate the lost message for it was merely camouflaged by the newer packs of joss-sticks and other praying paraphernalia. Ah Tit hurried back to Hor Pek’s shop.

“ What’s this Hor Pek?” Ah Tit asked.

Hor Pek glanced at it and turned staring at Ah Tit.

“It’s outrageous! ...where did you get this?” Hor Pek demanded to know.

Ah Tit was too dumbfounded to say anything.

“Well, ....you tell me what it says and I’ll tell you where I got it,” Ah Tit replied.

Hor Pek looked at it again and then read it out slowly:

“My darling Kok Aun, please take the money I’ve saved and leave today. I just can’t wait to start a new life together with you and our child. (destroy after reading!). All my love, Bee Ai....”

Ah Tit, eyes glistened with tears, finally realised that he has been fooled. Worse still, Ah Kow has been fooled by his own sinister wife, Bee Ai... a liar, a devil in disguise.

She made up the Tua Thau stuff! She poisoned the medicinal soup. And she fled with somebody’s child in her body!

And Kok Aun?... that seemingly innocent young brat was nowhere to be found. He was not even around during Ah Kow’s simple burial.

After Ah Tit related what he knew to Hor Pek, Hor Pek jostled Ah Tit into his rusted Austin. Hor pek told Ah Tit that Ah Kow will never be able to rest in peace until the long arms of the law caught up with those criminals of passion.

Just on the main road, Ah Tit noticed some crows pecking at the carcass of a cat. Those words spoken by his good friend and partner when they found the money, came ringing and ringing in his ears.

“Look at those crows, so many of them nowadays. My father used to say that they bring bad luck, .......

                                                                            ....and death."

That's it folks, the END! ...and if you believe in karma, what goes around will come around.
Tell me what you think, tick in the  polling boxes to the left of this blog... I hope you've enjoyed this long "grand-mother" story cut short - kekekeke...

The Day The Crows Flew By (Part 5)

....and this the fifth dimension of the story.

That night Ah Kow complained of giddiness but went to sleep anyway. In the middle of the night, he started to sweat profusely.

Bee Ai felt his forehead – cold as ice, ...but yet Ah kow kept sweating. Before Bee Ai could fetch him a cup of warm water from the kitchen, Ah Kow was already dead.

Poor soul. Poor Ah Kow.

Poor Bee Ai, ....a young widow with a child in her tummy, and wailing like an infant.

The whole village shared her grief and loss.

Ten days after Ah Kow’s death, Bee Ai informed her neighbours that she was returning to her kampung to deliver and raise Ah Kow’s child.

It is very empty and quiet at home...

A sojourner she has to be. Staying on is meaningless as Ah Kow does not have any brothers... or sisters... or relatives... Besides, he is now buried beside his first wife. The dead will be better taken care of by the dead.

Bee Ai left with tears in her eyes.

....and life goes on in the usual drudge a small fishing village is supposed to conduct itself.

(...more to come)

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)