Goodbye Granny

As I cup my palm over her hands covered by the white bed sheet and touched her cold cheek, I cried…. 6th April 8.30am – The phone rang and we were aroused from our lazing on our comfy bed. Grandma had passed away…….. Within minutes, we were out of the door and as I drove along the highway, the rain drizzled on the windscreen as flashes of the past drifted through my mind; memories of how she had assisted my parents & us in so many ways. I considered that life was hard for our family back in the 60s and 70s. For Granny, it was even tougher; poor and widowed at age 33 and with 5 little mouths to feed plus a baby in her womb, it was beyond my imagination how she managed to remain sane. Staying in a rented wooden room at 71/2miles Beauty World area, she ran a puny 8ft X 5ft clothing stall nearby. It was all that she had to bring in the bread, there was no butter. Other than the name ‘Beauty World’, there was nothing really beautiful about that place. About 10 families stayed sharing different rooms under one huge zinc roof. The entire neighbourhood was a complicated maze; there were opium dens, drug addicts, gambling addicts, drunkards, etc…..but there also some very kind souls. <……Granny, it’s weird how some memories stuck with us forever and one of the lighter moments was when I saw you trying to scare a fat cat away with a broom. The cat, whose rounded fierce looking face that resembled a tiger, turned around and started chasing you! To see a grown woman running away from a cat with a broom in hand was just so comical and hilarious!....> <…..Oh! Have I told you that I like to share with your great grand children about your pronunciation of the word “L”? You would called out to your daughter “R-ler!” when your customer need a larger size clothing : )…> In those days, some people would bully the widows. So she fought hard and made her stand as some unscrupulous neighbours were heaping more miseries on her. They would take away her stall if they could. But she held her ground and staked her claim. They had underestimated her strength. And her indomitable fighting spirit lives on as her daughters narrate to us during our occasional gatherings. In those days, I simply love the Chinese New Year because we would troop down to my granny’s place on the first day of CNY with great excitement. After greeting all our seniors, we would glue ourselves to the table and stare at all the incredible assortment of colourful drinks & sweets. Courtesy of my Granny of course. Never once did I remember that she was unkind to us. She was the pillar of strength. She united not only her own immediate family but also extended her wings to my eldest aunt’s & my mother’s family. Without her financial aid and supply of clothes, we would not be where we are today and as a small boy, I would have been running around naked in the kampong. <……Thank you Granny, for sheltering my sister into your home for years when my mother cannot cope. With so many mouths to feed, yet you never said ‘No’……..> She had never been to school. Zero certificate to her name. The few English alphabets that she can identify can be counted on one hand; XS, S, M, L, XL. Yet, she out witted the Japanese soldiers when they came. She was a wise counselor. When she spoke, the men in our house listened and my dad frequently sorted her counsel when he faced problems. We were/are simply in awe of her. In her presence, we felt secure. <….Thank you Granny, for your wise counsel. Without which, dad & mum could have split up long ago and I don’t know where we would have ended up. I thank God for great soul like you whom I have the honour to walk along side. If ever we had to live life all over again, I would want to be your grandson again. You are AWESOME!......and I finally have the courage to stroke your white hairs after you are gone. It is my pride to have your blood flowing in me and my children. And I hope that when great crisis come, your fighting spirit in us would help us to bash our way through. Yesterday we united your remains with Grandpa’s after 60 long years. 93yrs is a long time and it’s time for you to take a good rest. The day when you left, I suddenly felt that I needed some fresh air & look at some greeneries, so I walked to the hospital corridor and peered at the trees. It has yellow followers at the top and I saw a butterfly dancing above it. As your body was wrapped up in sheets of white like a cocoon on the bed, your spirit is like the beautiful butterfly; your beautiful soul has moved on to the Beauty World…… I look forward to meeting you again : ) Finally, Grandma, ………we would like to say the words that were like a taboo in your era……..that ”We Love You!”………see you on that beautiful shore…..: ) > P.S – Hi Granny, I know u have never touched a computer, neither do you know what a Facebook is. I have now uploaded u onto the internet, welcome to the digital world and your legacy lives on.