Chapter 3 Our Growing Years

When residing in 792,Anson road our family was living on a very simple life style,all financed by my grandmothers shares of the remaining fortune.She had held them firmly refusing to venture into any business deal with any one - because she trusted not a single one of them.

While as a toddler I had seen some uncles talking to my grandmother which ended with the other party walking away grimly and my grand mother at the end looked extremely annoyed..As a child of three or four I do not understand what transpired then?,but to-day after much pondering I now realized that all those people were begging my grandmother to loan out her share to them to venture into business.Knowing them she flatly told them off,that was why they left solemnly without a smile.

Those relatives had wasted their shares away and having no other resources for money they turned on my grandmother as a final resort but by now she had known them well enough to give the a ticking off without mercy..All these were happening just directly in front of us, small children.Well it certainly took us sometime to realize that.
I have no grudge against any of them but here am writing out the truth to justify my grandmother stand.

These days as matured person we suddenly acknowledge the fact that our paternal mother indeed was a very smart woman,although she was brought in from Canton.It was therefore admirable that only a short stinct in the country a bundle of responsibilities were bestowed upon her.A responsibility she never thought could have happened within so short a tine for a country pumpkin from China.

Having achieved to secure her immediate family together was her greatest achievement.Yes,she had put her heart into protecting all of us.Had she been ignorant and acted otherwise we would be on the street at a tender age.We have a photograph of her carrying my sister at the age about two to three at our residence along Anson road.

This picture depicted to us a long story,a story of a happy family staying together.Unlike most others we had a roof over our heads,the others had nothing .Well.they cannot blamed my grandmother she was doing what she dimmed fitting during those difficult times,It was a sad picture for the rest as they squandered away their shares of the final fortune.

My father was then jobless but then jobs were difficult to come by.My grandmother kept her cool and patient held on to whatever she had in hand,refusing to hand any to any one else even her son our father.My father those days had a host of friends whom my grandmother called"piggy friends doggie charms".All they know were enjoy drinking tea and coffee with my father,without any concerned for the bill to come.Yes,they were in fact relying on my father thinking that he was still a rich man's son.

A fact he was never - he was relying on the old lady to finance him his daily expenses.He made various attempts to induce her mother to part with her money for business which she never agreed to,knowing that my father was ill equipped to do it.Many of those ideas he bore in his mind were actually suggested by his so called friends.

We should know because those were the days my father tagged my brother and I for breakfast and morning tea.Whenever he was at the restaurants the table were filled with his friends,all drinking at his expense,but alas that could not last long before the grand old lady put a stopped to his wild spending unnecessarily.However such friends do not give up easily and without the treat at the restaurants they crowd around our house drinking home brewed Chinese tea talking rubbish nothing constructive which my grandmother hated even to listen to.Oh yes,I can still recall their stupid looking faces often laughing like "jack asses".

My father did some minor trading of timber from the home but lacking in capital that was soon given up.Poor father was only trying to induce the old lady to surrender some capital to him for business.Fortunately the old lady dd not fall for it,she was too smart for such trivial natters.He even ventured into planting sugar cane with some friends which my grandmother ignored without even eying it.The project of course a total failure because all were depending on my father thumb in the capital.

There were some tall coconut palms which yielded some pocket money for my father.
However because he relied too much on the plucker to pluck and selling of those nuts.Many a times they returned with the money of nuts sold but ran away once with all the money.My father waited in vain for his return but he never did,so my father learned his bitter lesson - never trust anyone.Or did he really learned a lesson?I reserved my doubts.

My grandmother never interfered with all these minor operations but only kept an open mind over them from a distance.Well,as long as my father does request any money for unnecessary spending she just let it be,allowing him to have his ways.
However she had a new bicycle for him,a huge bic ,branded Hercules.That was for him to go about easily.

I remember that bicycle.because he always carried my brother and I on it.My brother wound always be seated on the main bar while I was always seated at the back carriage.There is an old photograph of me seated on the main bar.Funny ,those days being hyper-active I was always naked.Yes,those days I detested clothing and very often ran about the house without them.

My brother was more gentle always with at least a pant on but never me.Our house was actually built about a chain from the government drain and road.There were two mango trees near the drain bearing fruits seasonally but the red ant or "karangga: were prevent people from plucking them.On the other side of our road was a row of red hibiscus.

Our house actually initially had three room,the very front room occupied by my grandmother.The other space were devided into two halves,one half was with two roms,one for my parents and the other for us kids.The half facing the path towards the end of house was the sitting room.Further were the eating room and the kitchen.

The house flooring were slightly raised by at least a foot as the land was prone to flooding during the rainy season.That was the time we we would laid by the door way to watch the rising flood water.There much to see actually,especially those rubbish floating by.Funny those days there were small greenish worms swimming by.We just watch but never dared to touch them.

Our grandmother loved us very much and always see to that we have sufficient to eat and nothing else matters,only thing she dread was each time she saw my father who was often putting her on her heels,because he was like other always pestering her for money.He had no job and always thinking become a success in business which my grandmother knew he was never business minded.Should the pressure on her be unbearable she would take a trip to be with her daughter in Kuala Lumpur.That way she was out of reached from all.

Only thing was she was doing it reluctantly because she always wanted to be with her grand children especially the two male grand sons that us- me and my brother.We knew she was very happy with us,even though my father was an adopted son.