Memoirs of A Kedai Runcit

"Ah gong... Ah ma... Zao an!"
Adrian wakes up sleepily
Arising from a mattress on a wooden platform
He pulls the mosquito nets apart

Ah ma, busy preparing breakfast
"Ho la, ho la, wa kim kia, lai chiak!"
Adrian steps out from the room
Walls made of wood

A white dog runs to him
Mickey!
Adrian jumps back
Slightly unnerved
Mickey licks Adrian
Enthusiastically
"Mickey!"

In front
Ah gong sits on a wheelchair
Manning the shop
Adrian goes up front
"Helping out"

He takes a ladder
and walks around the shelves
Dusting them
Re-arranging stuff
Milo cans
Luncheon Meat
Preserved fruits
Everything
The world is so vast!
Adrian was so small then

Someone walks in
A customer!
Speaks fast Teochew
Ah gong listens
He tells Adrian what to get
In English
Adrian returns

Customer pays
Adrian pulls down the milo tin
From the ceiling
(Using a stool)
And gives change
Customer smiles
Pats Adrian on head
Leaves smiling

Adrian runs upstairs
The neighbours!
They're awake!
It's playtime!
He brings his fighting fish
Ready
for another tournament

Adrian loses
He cries
The nice brother
pats him
And offer to buy him a new fish
Adrian jumps with joy
So happy!

Outside
Boys playing badminton
In the alleyways
Adrian joins
He borrows his aunt's racket
Made of wood
Boys laugh at him
He was too small
The net seems so high up
But Adrian beats them
Thanks to his doubles partner

Weird guy comes
Approaching the boys
Everyone runs away
Adrian stays rooted in
Man offers cigarette
Boy comes and grabs Adrian's hand
They both run away

Firecrackers!
Fireworks!
Fun!

Chickens that twirl around with amazing colors
Bombs that deafened Adrian's ears
Cylinders that spew out wondrous rainbows
Throwing pop-pops at each other
Laughter

It's dinnertime!
Adrian's favourite
Ah ma's pepper soup with cool looking mushrooms!
He later learns that they're pig intestines
Doesn't matter
Adrian loves them

"Ho chiak ma?"
"Ho! Ho!"
The cousins come
They watch television together
In black and white
On ah gong's bed
Smiling
Laughing

Adrian lays on the mattress
On a wooden platform
Mosquito nets closed
Telling himself
He would never
forget this day
A song pops up in his head
He drifts into deep slumber

"...rasa sayang, sayang hey."