TALE OF FOUR SISTERS

Clockwise from the top - Eldest Aunt, Mom, Third Aunt and Fourth Aunt

My family is a close knit one. None of my friends could understand how we could stay with my eldest aunt for the past 15 years. My family shifted to Kuala Lumpur when dad opted for early retirement from the army. He was a sergeant then.

Being in Taiping, there was hardly much choice for a proper job to feed five hungry mouths. (Yeah – despite being poor, miraculously or rather unfortunately, I still grow up to be BIG and FAT. Thanks for the free army rice dad got from his camp).

We decided to try our luck in KL. We landed in our aunt’s house. She welcomed us with open arms and heart.

All my three aunts except my mom, are hair dressers. They still are till today. In fact, most of my hair is cut by them throughout my life thus far. Sometimes, I go to hair salon (rarely) since their eyesight is failing due to age. I prefer my eldest aunt to cut my hair since she is the one with immaculate hair styling skill. Show her any pictures of any models, she would snip your hair according to specification effortlessly. One thing I couldn’t stand is, she prefer all of us (girls in the family) to have our hair short due to the hot weather. I remembered once, I went to school looking like an ex-convict.

Life has been rough for them. Imagine, these tiny girls started working when they were merely 6 to 7 years old, helping mom to peddle iced water and junk food. The curse about the men in my family is, most of them are lazy bastards, especially my late grandfather.

My grand dad was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. However, he opted to waste away his fortune, failing in his business of partnership with friends as being a simple man, he was always cheated. He ended up helping to build temples for a free meal, helping neighbours, sit in coffee shops and yakked away his life...failing to bring bread home to his family. In no time, all money were spent, and there was nothing left.

It was up to my late grandmother, eldest aunt, mom and third aunt to take care of the family of eight. They would peddle iced water, peel the bark of the mangrove tree to make charcoal at 20 sen per pole, rationing hard earned money and feeling helpless to choose between buying rice (to fill their stomach) or sugar (for tomorrow iced water business). Imagine being children yet having problems of an adult.

I know this may sound like some cliché soppy stories that you usually read in Amy Tan’s novels, but that was the life that the four sisters went through.

They are in their late 50s and 60s now. Life has been easier, even though not very much but at least they are happy.

I hope I will be able to repay these remarkable women my utmost gratitude and vow to bring them happiness till the end of their lives. Today is my eldest aunt’s birthday, and I wish this amazing woman a very happy 62nd birthday.