Old Neighbour

I visited an old neighbour with my mum today.


Auntie and uncle used to stay opposite our old flat in Buangkok South Farmway 1. We shifted into that flat just before I was born, and we've been neighbours with "auntie and uncle opposite" (dhui bin auntie uncle in hokkien) eversince, until they moved out to stay with their daughter a couple of years ago. Uncle, like my mum, was involved in the Hungry Ghost Festival celebrations in our neighbourhood 2 weeks ago, although he no longer lives here. So mum mentioned to him about wanting to visit auntie, who just had an operation to remove her gallbladder.


I haven't exactly remembered how auntie has aged. Aging is a process rather than an event, but I think (can't remember too rightly) in those last years we were neighbours, I was busy with school activities and was staying in hall too, so I hadn't had much chance to see my old neighbours. If I hadn't visit today, I'll still remember her as a sprightly auntie in her early 50s, who'd whip up good meals for us once in a while, and who'd help watch out for us when my parents were at work. Auntie is a very good cook. (Except for the cantonese sweet noodles which she made for sis and me once when we were 9 or 10. We had a hard time swallowing that because we had eaten only savoury noodles.) Uncle worked in a far far away part of Singapore. I know because he had to get up early and take the first bus to work everyday at 5.30am. And he spoke English, so he did some important work. (When I was a lot older, I learned that he worked in a gas station in Boon Lay, and that was 20 years ago, before public transport became this efficient today, so he had to spend 5 hours on the roads everyday) And there was Ah Umm, uncle's mum, who used to stay with them until she passed away when I was a teen. Ah Umm would always stand at the grill gate, and she would ask me "Back from school?" and "Have you eaten?" each time I came home. (Hence, "I have eaten" and "I'm going to school" became the 2 teochew expressions which I am most fluent in.) Their house was always the first "stop" we visit for chinese new year. Eat bah kwa, drink gam zui, get my first ang pows for the year. And we played with Ben-gy (Benjamin) and Weiling (Abigail Tang Wei Ling, she'd inform me), the grandchildren, when we were young.


Some memories and impressions you have as a kid never go away, I guess.


Mum told me auntie is 68 already, and uncle's probably in his early 70s. Auntie asked me how old I am, and mum said 24, and she went, "But you still look like a kid!"


My mum always like to say, yes, the children have grown up, and we are old.


Hmm, I don't know. I am quite overwhelmed with sadness.