Chapter 20 Our Grandmother Finally Left Us

During the first term holiday we were also whisked away to Kuala Lumpur to be with our grandmother who was longing to see us.As usual we had quite nice holiday of about two weks,then again back to school.

Our grandmother was quite alright.Within the next few months she was taken ill.We were rushed down to Kuala Lumpur to see.In fact this time the whole family went down.

On arrival we were taken to the General Hospital where our dear grandmother was being treated.Everything were not so fine as our grandmother was diagnosed as having cancer of the throat.That surely was bad news to us.

We saw her and she was very pleased to see us,smiling a little bit but she could not consume any food.That worried us but there was nothing we could do us accept looking on.Our Auntie seem very worried.Having seen her we rushed back home to Teluk Anson.

Only to return a week or so later as our grandmother was dying.It was very sad as we did not see her face before she passed away.Funeral was arranged at my Auntie's house which should not have been the case.What can we do for we do not had the means to perform those last rituals.

Before I left with our parents for Kuala Lumpur I wrote a leave letter to my teacher giving my reason for taking the emergency leave.I wrote it in good faith but sad to write this.I was ridiculed at, when I return to school after the funeral.

It was read out by the teacher in front of the class Well Nothing wrong in pointing out my English mistakes but some class mates took it as a joke.They created a big fuss out of it..

All her friends and relatives in Kuala Lumpur turned up for the occasion helping around.The coffin was sent down to Teluk Anson where she was buried at the 9th.mile Cemetery Changkat Jong Road.The whole funeral were properly arranged by our Auntie...

Though our grand mother had left us for so long, one thing very uncanny always happened to our younger brother whenever we went to pay our respects to her every Cheng Beng.She apparently was always playing "hide and seek" with him.  

Everytime we sent him in front of us the grandmother's grave with the cleaners.,He can never find her grave  with ease.He always had to take sometime to locate it.There were many incidences similar like that - even he was standing directly in front of her grave he still cannot see it,until we go near to show it to him.

Surely there was something very funny,uncanny.Our belief were that our dear grand mother although gone for so many years still returned to play hide and seek with her favourite grandson.It never happened to me.No jokes it is true,Strange?

Very soon after her demised our sister was accepted to be trained at Brinsford Lodge,U.K.,as a teacher.So once again we had to travel to Kuala Lumpur to sent our sister off.WE passed a night at our Auntis's place before sending her off to England at the Subang Airport.

Our dear sister had been employed as a temporary teacher at the Convent School after her school certificate examination.When the results finally came she was name the best candidate for lower Perak.Scores of friends from other school came our house to congratulate her.

Our mother was relief slightly when she was employed by the school.Now that she was leaving us temporary our mother would be deprieved of some cash.She need to return to work harder.Only consolation to her was that she had now only two school going boys to support.

Our father remained jobless but continued writing some articles contributing to some unkown newspaper earning a merger income insufficient to substain even himself.Nevertheless we get by.

We continued our usual life style here playing around the plantation Now that I was getting older I developed a little attracted to girls though I had no affectionate connection with any of them.We just moved around the line site teasing them,that was all,nothing more.That plantation had quite  few beauties around but non really thrilled me. 

Then in 1959 I was promoted to Form 5 - General.What a shame? Promoted to the worst class of the form 5s.Well, I took it easy anyway.We maybe the worst class and had all the cronies ever around.Very funny characters loomed within us.What a bloody laugh we had those days.

We thought our days of going to Kuala Lumour were no more after  our grandmother passed away.How wrong we were?. Our dear Auntie still send for us to spend our holidays there.Perhaps the memory of her dearest mother still lingered on within her. That could be the sole reason she sent for us.Maybe our presence could eased her mind.