The Popiah Aunty (Part 1)

She rises before the sun does. Somehow, past the age of 50, you can't sleep for more than 5-6 hours. Perhaps, it was the hard life she had been through. It was more likely, a habit.

She gets herself ready. There is one additional chore that needs to be done today. She needs to get some groceries.

Carrot, white turnip, baby shrimps, garlic. She runs the list in her mind. She tries to recall what other ingredients are missing. Oh yes, a pineapple.

She locks her door, and unlocks the chain on her bicycle. The market was just downstairs. She looks at the number lock and thinks twice, maybe it would be wiser to leave the bicycle here. On second thought, it might be more convenient to do everything at one go.

As she enters the lift, she greets a familiar face. There was Uncle Tham. He suffered a stroke recently. After much therapy, he's able to walk, albeit with some help from his walking stick. She has know him for many years. It was only yesterday the government decided to take the land from them, and relocate to the HDBs. She's still pretty bitter over the meagre sum the government gave for her hut in the kampung.

The market is bustling with life. She zooms in on her usual store. It wasn't always about the cheapest deal. Freshness, quality, texture, country of import, all these mattered to her. She only trusted Lim. He too, came from the kampung. Unfortunately, only Lim, Tham and herself were relocated to Eunos. Some went to Bedok and Aljunied. They had lost all contact the moment they shifted out of the kampung.

They exchange a few words. She asks about his daughter. Lim's daughter was a scholar, and she works in the civil service. Lim was very proud of his daughter. She was the pride of his life. Everyone that knew Lim long enough would know the sacrifices and love he devoted to her ever since his wife passed on. It was a tragic accident. Lim still blames himself for the accident. He shouldn't have brought her our for supper.

Lim's face lights up the moment she mentions her name. She just got promoted. Lim tells her that he's going to a restaurant this Sunday to celebrate her achievement. He invites her to come join in the celebration. She accepts, of course. Everyone in the kampung was like family. They shared their hardships and losses together, and celebrated the successes as one big family.

She picks up a few carrots, turnips, and the pineapple and asks Lim for the total price. Lim smiles back and tells her the vegetables are on the house. He waves for her to take it. She refused, in polite oriental custom, but he insists. She finally accepts the gesture of goodwill. After all, she had been like a mother to Lim's daughter.

When Lim was holding two jobs, he would leave his daughter with her at the store. She took care of her as if she was her own. She never had her own child, much to her disappointment. Lim's daughter was like a mandate bestowed from heaven. She felt responsible for her upbringing.