Chapter 9 Coffee Stall Beneath the Clock Tower

Our  school was the Anglo Chinese School (Primary) along Anson Road also just opposite the General Hospital.It was actually a stone's throw from our house.The Head master was Mr.Peirara.The Supervisor was Mr.Vengadasalem who later took over as Head Master when the former retired.Mr.Vengadasalem was a bald headed gentleman who walked around the school with teeth gashing up front even when smiling.A fearsome look of course and he can really shout.Roaring like an angry lion.

I was enrolled into Primary one when I attained the tender age of seven ion 1948.I could vividly remember my first days in school.My mother had taken the trouble to go along with me during those days.She was present when the teacher Mrs. Tai registered me as a student of her class.She was a tall slim god looking teacher.


Well,I remembered her well especially her kind and gentle smile.I remembered her so well because it was she who spelled my name wrongly from the start at registration.My name on the old registration card had that as Cheah Mun Cheng given by my uncle )mother's brother when making a report to th Police on the day I was born). It was issued during the Japanese occupation.

My father insisted that I be called Cheah Kok Kuen.But on registration day my mother gave my name as Cheah Kok Kuen,however the teacher heard that as Cheah Kok Hin so the Hin  struck to me like glue the rest of my life.A new copy of my birth certificate thus followed suit.So that Hin remained instead of kuen.In Chinese writing I would forever be kuen and never Hin.Well and that stuck on me forever.What ever that be I am still what I am.So I have two names.

When I was about eight years old our mother with a little capital she had accumulated through her years of tapping rubber ventured into a coffee stall business.The small stall was situated just outside the fence of the clock tower.It was a corner of the existing roads. The stall was operated day and night.In the evening the stall had female waitress serving.

Those days females serving at coffee tables were common .The coffee stalls were called "koki carek' or "digging coffee". Nothing sinister in it as it sounded.Those days that were the cheapest place for men to relax over a cup of coffee with tenderness of a woman around listening to their rubbish talk.

Maybe at times the customers could touched or fiddled  those woman waitresses a little with their approvals. Nothing duly wrong about that. Of course they have to  pay for those services.Those were never free under the table or otherwise.They were daily paid and survived partly on tips by customer.

We had one initially  waitress named Ah Thai,which was one too many,because with her around my mother's brother would patronized the stall most of the time.With them in love where got other customers coming to our place for a drink and chit-chat.So business was not good. at all.  We all remembered those women employed by our mother because they stayed with us in our house. 

Worst still they even made love in our house when all members of the family were away with us kids around only.We all could see him kissing the waitress.Those days they were not shameful as the thought we wefe too young to understand. Our uncle was a married man but he likes other beautiful woman,too.Of course he was tall and handsome that was why young women went after him or his types.

With no business that woman had insufficient income so was forced to leave for greener pastures.That ended their love affair,but never for long before another waitress was employed.  The next waitress was a tall,slim beauty from Kampar.With her around our dear uncle was almost immediately again linked to her but she was smarter keeping him at bay.This chap never gives up and kept staying around. All the same his presence caused others to stay away just as bad ain't it so?.

Our grand mother was sometimes back from Kuala lumpur and my uncle stayed away whenever she was around.Through her hawk eyes she knew or could sense some nonsense betwen them altouygh they stayed away most of the time.She never liked my uncle anyway. but just kept mum to avoid any heated arguement wuith our mother.When she was not pleased with any situation she would notify her daughter in Kuala Lumpur.Without hesitation our Auntie would then whisked her back to Kuala Lumpur.

During those days I wold be do my home work under the street lights near the clock tower.My brother would simply draw away under those lights.Our sister stayed at home most of this while. When tired we would dozed off in those bamboo chairs.Our father then brought us home one at a time on his bicycle.

No body visited nor allowed up the clock tower those days.To us the floors of the clock tower were actually not very safe for people to go up and down.Of course the clock worked quite accurately those days but required winding up every now and then. With those stairs rotting away the job was considered quite a risky job.I think the second floor was then pccupied by the Sea scouts movement.They often held their meetings there.

The clock tower was the reservior of Teluk Anson town for beneath the tower was also a well filled with water. Later with the population growing larger the reservior was transferred to 9th.Mile  Changkat Jong Road.Water from the Perak river were pumped into for treatment before distribution to the town and villages around.