Sometimes I wonder why are there people of a lesser God? And why God would give a gift to some people and then take it back from them afterward.
Ah Leong’s death was a blow to us all. To some of us, it was only the first taste of death and the sorrows felt within us from experiencing a tragedy.
That morning was like any other Saturday mornings. I woke up bright and early, packed my bathing suit as well, and some of my lunch. I had a date with my co-workers from the sample room to go to the beach that afternoon. We planned on going to Clear Water Bay, which was adjacent to the Deep Water Bay.
We only needed to work half days on Saturdays, so that day we (Al Wing, Ah Kee, Ah Leong, Little Miss Chen, Lisa, and myself) had decided to go swimming in the Clear Water Bay for the afternoon.
When we arrived there, I spread out the blanket on the beach. We laid out all the food that we had brought along, and we all sat there to have our lunch. We talked about everything that goes on in the office, and Ah Leong mentioned that Miss Ng had told him once again that morning to go die somewhere.
“That woman is such a bitch! She's so wicked! I just don’t know what planet she has come from!” I said disgustingly.
“I wish someone would kick her ass for good! Once she gave me a package with an entertainment magazine stuck to the bottom of the box, and I didn’t know that and packed everything, including the magazine still stuck to the box, and sent that off. The client thought it was hilarious, so he sent it back to Tai Siu Che, and asked her what was it in the magazine that was for sale.” Ah Wing said.
Ah Wing was a handsome guy. Unlike other Chinese guys who had straight hair, Ah Wing’s hair was dark and curly. It made him looks like he was a child from a mixed-race marriage. I wondered what his parents were like. Ah Wing was about 20 years old. He had just recently been promoted to the clerical department. However, I don’t remember now what he was doing in his new job at the time.
“What? That bitch!! She should have been more careful! She is the one who should oversee everything first before sending it off!” Lisa was furious. She was not pleased at all. She had this mysterious “unknown hatred” towards Miss Ng. “Jeez!!! I sure hope you didn't take the blame for her mistake.”
“What happened then?” I asked.
“Miss Ng would not admit it was her fault and pointed the finger at me. Got me in trouble. Oh! Tai Siu Che was mad!!! She told me never to let that happen again. Later I said to Miss Ng she was the one that had given me the box, she should have been the one who should be more careful, and she told me to go die somewhere.”
“Sheesh! That woman is incredible! I’m just so glad to be out of there already,” I said.
“May likes her new boss,” Lisa teased me. “Oh yes, she does!”
“Oh, nonsense! The Little Pig is married. His wife came to the office last week. She brought his daughter along too.” I said.
“Oh? What’s she like? Is his wife pretty?” Lisa’s eyes widened with expectation.
“She’s quite pretty, actually,” I tried to memorize what I saw, “She has dark hair, dark blue eyes. His little girl is about 5 years old. Very cute little girl as a matter of fact!“
“They all look cute when they’re about that age,” said Little Miss Chen.
“Aaaawww!!! That sucks!!! Why can’t he just be single!!!” Lisa was now disappointed.
“How old is the Little Pig now?” Lisa asked again. Her mind seemed fixated on Mr. Jerrard Jr.
“I don’t know. Perhaps 31? ‘Cause I remember when I first started with the company 2 years ago he told me he was 29, so now perhaps he’s 31 already.” I answered.
“Really?” Ah Wing became curious. “I thought he was older than that.”
“Noooo!!! I think he looks older than that!” said both Ah Kee, and Ah Leong. - Almost simultaneously. They really took me by surprise, and I was like... Why would he want to lie to me about his age?
“Oh well, I don’t know. That was what he told me 2 years ago. I never can tell the real age of the white people.” I laughed. “Once I met a guy who had a full set of beard and mustache, and I thought he was an old man. Then when I asked him how old he was, and I was shocked to find out he was only 20 years old!! Hahaha!!!!” I laughed out from my belly. We were all having so much fun whenever we were outside of the office.
We all went into the water for a swim after lunch, and later the boys asked us if we would like to rent some boats to go further out. I hesitated. I was not one for the deep water, because, despite the fact that our family went to the beach almost every weekend when I was a small child, I have never really learned to swim well yet. I told them perhaps we should save some money, and just rent one boat and take turns in going out. I knew Ah Wing would like to go with me, because I could see that in his eyes, so I suggested that perhaps Ah Leong, Ah Kee, and Little Miss Chen to go on the first round. When they come back, then Ah Wing, Lisa, and I would go on the second round. We all had agreed on that.
So a boat was rented, and Ah Kee, Ah Leong, and Little Miss Chen rowed the boat out. We watched them as they went out and waved goodbye to them and said to see them later.
Ah Wing, Lisa and myself were left on the shore; and we took turns in between going swimming and guarding our belongings.
An hour and a half had gone by, and later I saw Ah Kee, and Little Miss Chen came back, but Ah Leong was nowhere in the boat. I asked them where Ah Leong was. They got this devastating look on their faces and told me they had lost him.
"What do you mean you have lost him?" I was totally freaked out. An immense fear had just crept up my spine.
They said when they rowed the boat out to somewhere near the middle water in between the Clear Water Bay and Deep Water Bay, Ah Leong suddenly said he needed to pass some water. They both suggested that perhaps he should just jump into the water and pass it. Ah Leong jumped into the water, but went down, and would not come back up. They waited, and called out his name, looked for him in the water, but could not find him. They both panicked and came back. My heart was racing, and I felt sick to my stomach! I suspected something must have gone wrong with Ah Leong. It didn’t seem good at all. We alerted the lifeguard and police were called in. A search was conducted. Many good swimmers had also joined in on the search; but after a few hours had gone by, they still could not find anything. Ah Leong had simply gone under, and disappeared into the water!!
Some people told us that the water currents in that area would sometimes suck you under because it goes in swirling motion. It was an area between the Clear Water Bay and the Deep Water Bay. I was heartbroken and worried and I felt sick to my stomach! What could we tell Ah Leong’s parents? Which one of us was going to relay the bad news to them? I didn’t even know Ah Leong well, let alone his parents! Later, I was told that the police would relay the bad news to his family.
The following Monday, Ah Leong was still missing. His parents came into the office to make inquiries as to Ah Leong’s whereabouts. They demanded an answer. Our bosses re-assured the parents that the search was still ongoing, and the poor parents went home, still heart-broken.
Other employees told me that Miss Ng had a dream, she dreamed that Ah Leong had died from drowning and his whole body had become black and blue. She was haunted by his spirit, and it was the first time I had ever seen Miss Ng broken down and became a smaller person than she used to present herself. She was crying most of the time and asking Ah Leong to forgive her for telling him to go die somewhere that Saturday morning. She was totally distraught and felt guilty about his death.
A few days later, Ah Leong’s body was found, and Miss Ng’s dream had, somehow, became quite the reality. For some unknown reasons, Ah Leong’s body had become black and blue, just as the way Miss Ng had envisioned him in her dream. He was found washed ashore near the Deep Water Bay. Police escorted his parents to identify his body, and when the parents arrived, they said that Ah Leong eyes cried tears of blood, and blood also came out of his nostrils. His parents thought he was poisoned by someone; but was told that we all ate the lunch that each of us had brought along that afternoon, and Ah Leong did not eat anything else rather than his own lunch before the accident, but both parents were overcome with grief and would not believe what they were told.
I don’t understand why God would give a gift to his adoptive parents, and then would take it back from them after. It just doesn’t seem fair when you know there are some people with a lesser God.
Miss Ng was scared half to death. She had not shown up for work for a few days after Ah Leong’s body was found. She thought Ah Leong was seeking revenge because he was black and blue as she had seen him in her dream. I did not know what had happened to Ah Leong, and why was his body the way it was. I thought for someone who was drowned, the body would have been in white color, and not in black and blue.
His parents came to the office and demand to find out if he was poisoned. They had a closed-door meeting with our big bosses. Later, they came out of the room without any incidence, so I'm assuming that they must have been compensated in some ways for the loss of their son.
Ah Leong had a traditional Chinese funeral service. There were monks walking around his coffin, chanting. Some paper monies that were folded into the shapes of gold and silver ingots were burnt to offer to Ah Leong, and other papers with meaningful words written on them as well were also burnt in the offering. I did not quite understand the whole ceremony at the time, but somehow I knew all those things they had done were necessary to send Ah Leong off to let him lead a good afterlife. There was a bridge made in paper and strengthened with little bamboo or wooden sticks, and a paper doll was set to go up the bridge, and they called that the "Sky Bridge", meaning a bridge that leads to heaven. I'm assuming that paper doll was Ah Leong. There was also a little house made of paper and bamboo sticks as well for Al Leong to live in his afterlife.
When we arrived at the funeral, his mother began crying hysterically as soon as she saw us, she kept asking Ah Leong’s spirit to come forward to tell her what had happened, and who was responsible for his death.
We all sat there through the whole ceremony and then went home with a heavy heart after the funeral.
Your story is very interesting, Sandie; thank you for sharing it with us. Love and best wishes,
Regis
Reviewed by May Yu
6/13/2014
An exceptional chapter that is very interesting. I love how you have introduced each character during the conversation on the beach. No one has been left out. More dialogues added into the story would be nicer. It's truly sad to see the childless couple is now becoming "childless" once again.
Hi Ron: I feel so sorry for your good friend and his friend as well. Sometimes the best swimmer may find themselves over-confidence in water. If given the situation like the area where Ah Leong had gone under, no best swimmer would survive.
Thank you so much for your response to this story!!
Also...Thank you Roseline, Audrine, and Budd as well for taking the time to read this and comment on this. I'm so appreciative of everyone who would read my work. Thanks so much!!
That was certainly tragic. And interesting that the parents would blame the company when their adopted son was on his own after work. For some reason people fish for answers in tragedies like this. I am thinking of all the concern of loved ones from the Malaysian plane that disappeared. Love ones want answers and closure when, sometimes, none can be found.
I was also reminded of a good friend, retired, who went fishing with a friend recently out of heart surgery. My friend was a lifelong fisherman an excellent swimmer. That morning, they both went overboard and drowned. No one saw them. No explanation was found.
Yes sandie , it is catching up well, especially the dialogue part you seem to be at such ease writing it out, not hurrying about as some freshers do..!it is where most of us struiggle. Good work, keep up the tempo!See the fact that your stories are staying first in the race speaks fopr itself!1, and since I have put you in he list of my fans , your stories as well are coming into my inbox whenever you post Jk something new. Good luck to you Jk
A book for every Muslim and everyone wishing to know about their way of life. The Diary of the Camp Manager at Mundihar following the South Asian Earthquake - October 2005. An account of life after the Earthquake in one of the largest of the 161 camp
My memories as an immigrant professional woman in Ottawa, Canada 47 years ago. A new life after having survived the liberal war of a new country Bangladesh on December 16, 1971.
...continued from (Part 5)...
