100

100 (百)
image by J in flickr

Sometimes I think about Ma J. I'm not particularly close to her, but at those times, I guess I miss her. I can remember her speaking to us, seated at the rosewood dining room table in her flat, before getting distracted by a string of long distance calls to some relative in her hometown in China or a relative working (always illegally) somewhere in the UK or Japan. I think how nice it would be that she could still be there when we visit. Or harder still to forget the image of Ma J when she was ill. That stare, or the droop of her head - always anger or despair. The whole year she suffered the indignity of her illness.

Today is the 100th day anniversary of Ma J's death.

I was at work but J managed to drop by Pa J's flat to be with him. J pointed out to me the irony that of all his siblings, only his sis and himself - the only Christians in the family - were with his father as he performed the taoist rituals of offering up food, incence and loads of "hellmoney" for Ma J.

J: Wah, such giant notes! [J referring to the large 60cm by 30cm sheets of "hellmoney" in denominations of 1 million!]
Pa J: ...
J: You burn so much money for Ma, you better also burn a bigger paper wallet for her.

Pa J smiled, used to the nonsense from his youngest child. But that afternoon, alone in his flat, I think there were tears.

Comments

Anonymous said…
come on, whenever there's life, there's death. Same goes for smile and tears, so what's there to miss?
And irony you're talking about? It's the up bringing of the children, i think the parent should be blame for all this outcome. Whatever goes around comes around. I've seen too many of this type of family and i'm not saying it's right or wrong, just that is one part of the society in life that you hardly sees. And all this makes this world so perfectly balance. THe more i observed the world around me, the more i think that nature is such a perfect acounting system.
12:26 am
tcn afen said…
patpat
why the disappointment?
2:28 am
ampulets said…
just me - nah, I've no intention to judge (parent or child)! But every intention to miss and think of the folks who have come and gone :>

. - general lament on your comment page has nothing to do with this post. Dinner our treat next time!
12:32 pm
Anonymous said…
Come and gone, what a phase. Sometime i wonder what are we here for? To survive or simply just be.
8:55 pm
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