Chapter 11 Our Friends Those Days (in place of Hawkers)

Most part of my early childhood days were spent growing up in that house along Anson Road. Our immediate neighbors were on our left was an Indian family.Their bungalow was only a stone's throw away from us and it was all fenced up,so we do not have any contact with them 

On our right was another bungalow similarly fenced up and more secured.It was actually a residentual house cum mini-factory where tobacco were rolled into cigars.I think we knew them casually only.Just "hello" here and there when they met our parents. The sweet aroma of tobacco leaves do come out from that place. 

So initially we had not many friends near us.Opposite us dwelt the Chong family.Their father a Hospital Assistant They lived in a Government bungalow near to  the wards.The second son of this family and us were good friends My brother I crossed over to their house to play most the times.

Their parents also knew us well My brother and I spend quite a lot of time there and a many a days invited to join them for lunch.Their mother was a very good cook and cooked fantastic Nyonya curries.I still could remember how well she prepared her "ikan perut" etc.Normally we ate till our hearts' content. Well,May God bless her..

This family had a number of children the older three another boy and two elder sisters do not play with us.Neither was the younger sister who was the same age as me.In fact we were in the same school.That time I was too shy for girls and do not know about them much.The younger brother was too young for us then.

They can be considered our first friends I remembered during younger days their second son name Suan Leng was almost my protector.This was so because whenever I was in trouble he would without question jumped out to help me.I remembered once I was surrounded by four of the school gardeners sons.My brother yelled on top of his voice to Suan Leng who was in their house was about 100 meters from that place.

The magical call of his name alone drew many nearby on lookers to run to my aid.He was in deed a popular guy around then.Of course at my brother's call Ah Leng also came sprinting in to join in.When those big size gardener's sons saw so many coming in to join in the fight they gave up and ran away home.

Those coming in to help were not only Chinese but also several Malays,so those were the days - our one Malaysia.
Ah Leng as he was known had good relationship with all the youngsters around irrespective of race. A force to reckon with those days.

We have our fair shares in kite fighting those days.Making kites and fabricating glass threads  in preparation for the kite fighting.In short we were experts in making kites and glass threads.

We had also our exciting moment in kite chasing.The thrill of of it all were beyond description and definitely unforgetable. Such things can never be experienced by kids today. Those we surely would treasured forever,Bravo Ah Leng we were the best.

Out of excitement both us went stealing sugar cane not that we were hungry or lacking of it.I remembered  we delibrately went to that spot where the sugar cane were grown,just behind our house.From there we could see its owner chatting among themselves along their verandah.

Slowly  we crept up to that spot in the darkness.They could not have seen us as we were sitting in the dried up drain well below the normal ground level.   I held on to a full grown cane while Ah Leng administered the vital cutting.Then as soon as the cane was fully cut we allowed the cane to fall flat slowly.

Although  in the darkness those from the house could viewed a cane falling.Suddenly yelled out "Hey!!! why that cane moving?".As soon as he saw us he shouted, " Woi,Curi tebu". With that we  grapped the cane and ran as fast as we could away.Well we got the cane alright,but what a laugh we had at our prank?.Yeah this was one of those naughty things we did..

In front of their house was a mango tree which bore fruits almost every season.Yes,that "machang" tree always bore a lot of fruits.When dropping time arrived we would sleep under that tree waiting for the fruits and consumed them as they felt.Eating them on the very spot surely was fantastically sweet beside fresh..From there we would teased young girls as they drift by,cycling most of the time.His youngest brother Suan Hoe would joined us.


Another friend I had was Loke Weng Cheong who stayed a short distance from the back of our land,He was also our school mates.Between us it was either very charmy or enemies which no mattered what we in the end always made up.We have fought each other many a times.

Once I playfully fought with him in the school's compound.As he was slightly stronger than myself, pinned down rendering me helpless.Seeing myself in trouble my brother knocked him on the back of his head with a piece of wood.The painful knock forced him to release me.He however was sporting to laugh that away as we were good friends.

His brothers and other friends used to use by pass our house as short cut to school.Yeah I knew all of them.In good terms or otherwise they  still by passed our house and that where quarrels began.Time and again fought and became friends again after a short lapse of time.

There was a time I took on his brother during his absence and pinned down under the "machang tree" with the Chong brothers watching and I fed him dried grass.A thing he remembers and never wanted to talk to me ever. 

 Once I walked passed that tree with a young girl my age together with her younger sister.Instead of siding me the Chong brothers teased me shouting,"Wah!!! Ah Kuen got girl friend already huh?".That made me shy,shunned away from her, walking farther from those girls.But the elder girl was sporting just smiled away.

Girls about twelve were more matured than boys of similar age.They are well versed about sex,while we,boys  that age seemingly stupid about them. I remembered that girl well, she was a niece of my uncle whose parents had just been transferred to Telauk Anson.


For a start they were temporary residing in my uncle's house.Her father was to be the Post Master and was staying put waiting for his Government quater to be vacated for him and family to move in.Anyway they need not wait long for after a month or so they moved away.

Her name was Dolly.An extremely fair girl tall and beautiful but unfortunately not my type.I think at that moment my interest in girls were blank.What a waste?.We never meet again after she shifted away.No lost because I was never in love with her.