Doctor - a zigzag journey

Part 9 - The unfailing spider

Background: end of 1979, beginning of 1980. (Age 12 - 13 years)

On a sunny afternoon, Ah Ba's burial completed in the midst of sobs and tears. My cheeks glistened with beads of perspirations and tears. When I reached our wooden house, I felt a missing pillar in the house. Sorrows pervaded the entire house. A Ma, my siblings and I were supportive of each other to keep the family going.

My eldest brother, aged 20, completed his high school and decided to work as a salesperson in order to support the family. I looked up to him as a son looked up to his father. He worked in a city but always came home to look after us, and ensured that we could afford food and education. He has the great adaptability to survive and excel in a big city. He was diligent and enthusiastic in his career as a salesman and won several "best salesperson" awards. His trophies were proudly displayed in our living room. The trophies always prompted me to work harder and aimed for greater achievements in my life.

My eldest sister, aged 17, helped in shouldering the burden. She was sitting for her high school examinations, but she continued working casual jobs, together with my second sister, such as providing laundry service. On the day of her examination, she cycled to work in the morning prior to sitting for her examination in the afternoon. She passed her examinations and managed casual jobs well. She was a role model for me in this regard.

My second eldest brother, aged 16, looked for a job straight after completing his secondary school. Initially, he worked in a press factory in the capital (Kuala Lumpur). I remembered that I visited him when he received his first wage. He asked me to take part of his wage back home to Ah Ma. Sitting in a van from Kuala Lumpur back to the rural town, I firmly held the money in my right hand inserted in my pocket throughout the journey, which took nearly five hours because the express highway was not yet available in that era. The creased money stained with my perspiration from the palm was handed to Ah Ma, who was touched by the acts of her filial children. It was not just money; it was love indeed.

My second eldest sister, aged 14, was studying in a secondary school. Together with my eldest sister, she conducted tuition class. They both did well academically. The parents in the rural town sent their kids to attend tuition class which was set up with simple furniture in our house - a wooden table and a few chairs. The lovely kids read aloud and giggled occasionally. They brought some joy to the house. Among them, Wen Jun was one of the smarter kids, and he was inquisitive.

"Whose trophies are they?" Wen Jun asked as he scanned the parade of trophies displayed in our living room.

"They belong to my brother who won them for excellent achievements in his career," I explained with pride while looking into his eyes, "you shall work harder and aim for greater achievement too."

Wen Jun nodded. So did I.

One day, my eldest brother came home with an "Oxford University - English Dictionary" in his hand. He gave it to us - the younger siblings. My first reaction was that "if I can master half of the vocabulary in the dictionary, I should do reasonably well in English!" I started using the dictionary since age 13. Living in a wooden house in a rural town, and studying using an Oxford English Dictionary in the era, was something that I could be proud of.

My "kuih-selling" day was over when I transferred to a secondary school and Ah Ma worked as a babysitter instead. I conducted tuition class as well to earn some money to help the family.

By the end of 1979, I completed six years of primary education! I said goodbye to the coconut-tree-bridge and the primary school which was situated on the top of a hill. Two lessons that deep-rooted in me were:

(1) The unfailing spider - a spider completed making its web which was destroyed by strong wind repeatedly. But the spider kept repairing the web unfailingly! I learned its perseverance;

(2) Unity is strength - a chopstick can be fractured easily; a bundle of chopsticks can hardly be fractured! Bearing this spirit, we remain united always.

*****

A notable quote:

Barbara Bush: "To us, family means putting your arms around each other and being there."

Reference: "great-inspirational-quotes" website.