AT 11.40am last morning, I received 2 missed calls from my home. I sort of guessed the bad news.
The nurse that came weekly to do cleaning for him told granny to have some sort of preparation... she said its anytime. It really sound bad, we all gathered at granny's place that day (Thurs) and the next morning he was grasping for air, fighting to breathe til his last.
He used to be proud of me, he told others that he has all the credits that I've such academic results because he taught me not to use correction tape when doing homework, because "lao shi hui kuo fen" I guessed in his old days, teachers were particular in tidyness. He told me, he's teaching me good, and he will die when I start to work. (So, he wont be able to reap his "rewards")
Even younger days (Kindergarten?), he taught, me, stephen and pearl to write his name "shu mu" literally meaning trees.
When I was older, courting age, he said to me I shld open my eyes big and not follow my parents footsteps.
He was a brave man. He fought for his unknown illness for more than a year. Illterate and not know a single word of English, he was in and out of the hospital not knowing what had happend to his body, he just kept telling me that "jiak lao, bo eng" in hokkien. Meaning, its useless being old..
I remembered he first had flaky skin around the time where I had my wedding. Subsequently fever and in out of SGH for many times. Doctors then told us he suspect that he had cancer cells all over his body and it couldnt be operated because its all over. He was too old to fight the effects of Chemo Theraphy and there was no medication given to him for his cancer. Just some cream n tablets to ease the itch.
Then he had stroke. 2 times. And he became bed ridden. Fatimah was employed to care for him. Since then, he could only mumbler Fatimah's name and not anyone of us. He couldnt recognise n have much difficulties in hearing us.
He lost alot of weight over this one year and its really beyond recognition, without his dentures, his face was sunken into the bones. He used to have big beer belly due to his everyday dosage of STOUT. He use to have a gold tooth denture but now, even after the makeup by the undertaker, he's still very far fetched from how he looked when he was younger.
Taylor asked me at the wake yesterday, why ye-ye look so different one (from the photograph). I didnt know how to answer him. Kids, they just say the darnest thing.
Well, I guessed he had fought enough and lived up to his good old days. He had 7 children. 14 grandchildren and 4 greatgrandchildren. By the definition of the older ppl, he's lived a good life with so many children.
Rest In Peace Ah Gong.
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Wake is held at 51 Telok Blangah Drive. We will leave for cremation at Mandai at Tues, 2pm.
