
Golden girls.
My mom was 5 and she was 7. Fate brought them together to Penang and saw a friendship that lasted 70 years. This golden friendship began when mom was 8. We called her “Yew Fah” aunty.
Mom was betrothed to my dad even before she was born. She left Penang for Singapore at the age of 18 to be married to my dad. That did not stop her from keeping this friendship alive.

Mom and Fah.
Not only bringing mom to Penang was a good break for me, it was also an inspirational trip that was long overdue. This was the first time ever that I had spent so much time with her. I hope this would not be the last. I was glad that my sis, Fah, came along to look after her. Thanks Fah.
I saw a fragile old lady, weathered beaten and torn. But one thing that had never and will never changed was her beautiful sincere smile and benevolent heart.

Lunch at 30,000 feet.
It was a wonderful 6 days stay and I was glad that she enjoyed this trip. She was all excited when I told her that I will be spending some time with her when I got back this time round. We had planned for this trip before I came back from Uganda. She was really looking forward for it.
No longer a lady that could shout across a football field, her weak spoken voice kept narrating her life history as we plodded along the street she once knew. She was like a walking journal unfolding in front of me. Many things and places which I heard when I was young had turned into reality as she pointed them out to me.
The first thing we did was to visit the temple where she grew up and prayed. There lied my grandmother memorial. Hanging along the walls, I could see the line of people that once contributed to the development of this temple. A very nostalgic feeling swept through me as I look at the pre war structures.

Centrel hall of "Tong Sen Tang"

Former chain of command for the temple.

Swinging back the melody.
Watching her sitting on the swing, one can feel the glow inside her, as if she was back to her younger days. The happiness I felt in her cannot be described. Her worries seem to vanish into thin air. She was herself again. She was happy.
Mom was a pious woman. Her faith has always been strong and that was what made her kept going. It was just only beginning of this year she was in a very bad state. She went to Penang all by herself and even my aunt (my mom’s younger sister who is currently staying in Penang) could not even recognize her. She was so bony, hunched and fragile. She could hardly walk, but still she wanted to go back to her friends.

Smiling cheek to cheek.....her favorite Penang laksa.
This trip I had a good, mother and son talk and I learnt a lot more about her after so many years. She wants to be free again. She wants to spend more time with her friends. She just wanted to have a simple life with all her loved ones being there to support her, not to nag at her. She just wants everyone to know that she is not useless. She wanted to grow old gracefully and with dignity. All she was asking was just to be happy. She told me she was so sad beginning of this year when she went back to see “Yew Fah” aunty. She had a fall and was having difficulty with her movements. She was so emotionally affected that she thought she had already spent 2 weeks in Penang. She came back after a week. Watching her best friend in such a state made her felt so helpless and confused. She was afraid…….. afraid of losing her best friend. From her tone, I knew she was really afraid that slowly all her friends are leaving her.

Happiness is........having your best friend by your side for 70 years.
When she saw her on this trip again, she was extremely happy. “Yew Fah” aunt had gotten back her strength and was able to walk again, though much interval were needed. More importantly, she had regained her sense of humor and that was very comforting.
I was surprised that I had two distant cousins that I never knew. The elder one, Alice was nice enough to drive us around when we were in town.

Moment by moment.....
All these years, my mom had not been on talking terms with her sister but surprisingly this time it was different. I did not see any strain on their relationship anymore. Misunderstandings were all buried and forgotten. The blossom of sibling love had emerged once more. We went to her place for meals and even went out together having a good time. I guess time heals all wound. I was really glad to see all these.
I see this trip as a trip not only walking down memory lane, it was also one that is of making peace with oneself. I knew my mom had found peace within herself.
人生有多少个十年。