Her eyes flashed defiantly, then moisted over as she sobbed, “Men are really very suay (hokkien for “incorrigible and horrible”). My laoya (Hokkien for “lousy and base”) husband has sold away our precious child!”
The Mistress of the House looked at the crying Amah infront of her and said sympathetically, “If you need to cry and tell me your story to feel better – then go ahead...”
The sobs grew louder and more heartbreaking......
“I am a strong woman—I no flinch even when bullet winged past me as I go to the well to collect our water.....” Ah Yoke, the Amah began her sad story. Her mind went back to her village during World War 2. “But our only son—my husband sold him away to feed his gambling and opium habit! He is so ma fan (Cantonese for “troublesome”) and suay (Hokkien for “horrible”)! I really miss our son!”
They had met in the Malaysian rubber plantations. Yoke saw in the handsome and strong Ah Teck good husband material. When he first arrived in the plantation, Yoke had already worked there for two years. Their eyes had met—his was a frank and disconcertingly direct stare and hers was a shy downward gaze. Ah Yoke was young then – only eighteen and blossoming into a young pretty woman. They married and had a son, whom both doted on.
For a while, life was good on the plantations. Then the Japanese War started and life was never the same again. Yoke recounted the atrocities that the Japanese perpetrated.....they used bayonets to pierce babies thrown in the air and thought nothing of raping girls and killing the men in their rampages. Yoke was stoic. The loud airplanes flying in the air did not stop her from doing her duties. She still went to the well to get water and took care of her family.
Then, Ah Teck succumbed to a strange malady and came down with bone-aching fever and chills. They were too poor to see the doctor, so Yoke did the next best thing – she cleaned cockroaches and boiled them in hot water. Her grandmother had used the same remedy on her grandfather when he had fallen ill too. Cockroaches were believed to heal all kinds of illnesses and to have medicinal properties.
But Ah Teck never fully recovered. The war and his illness made him a shadow of his former self. While his wife remained stoic and strong, his mental and physical health declined with each passing day. He took to gambling and opium smoking. He neglected his duties as father, husband and worker. The little money that Yoke had scrounged and skimped for was soon used up for his gambling and smoking addictions. When funds ran dry, he took to beating his wife and child. Ah Yoke pined for her former strong and handsome husband. But to no avail. He was incorrigible and had changed into a selfish and irresponsible man.
When his addictions took over, Ah Teck not only stole from his wife but also stole from fellow plantation workers to feed his habits. The final straw that broke the camel’s back was when he abducted their little boy to sell him to the rich gentleman and his wife who lived in town.
Ah Yoke was distraught when she realised what had happened. She ran the length and breadth of their village/plantation to find their son. She wept inconsolably for four nights and days. She begged her husband to tell her where their boy was. But Teck was unrepentant—he needed the funds for his addictions and this was how he would get the money to fuel his obsessions. They could always have another child in the future.....
But Yoke had seen the light. Her husband of yore was forever gone. The man infront of her—who refused to even comfort her in her deep distress—was a stranger, no longer the strong and virile man she had originally married......she took matters in her own hands. Packing up the little clothing and food she had, she left the man for good.
Her next step? She vowed that she would become a Ma Jie or Amah in Singapore. She would be sworn of all men who were suay and laoya like her husband. She would work and not depend on untrustworthy and ma fan (Cantonese for troublesome and difficult) men anymore. She tied her hair into a pigtail and entered into the Sisterhood of Amah or Ma Jies—where the women chose to be single and dedicate their time and skills to work hard for the Mistress and Master of the House.
Yoke’s heartfelt and sincere pledge to loyally serve her Mistress in Singapore and her story of her sad plight moved the Mistress of the House very much. At the end of her narration, the Mistress also pledged,” I am also a mother—and I know how precious your son must be to you. I share your pain and sorrow. As long as you serve my family faithfully and well, you will always have a place in this family and a place in our hearts. WELCOME to your new family in Singapore!”
Both the Mistress of the House and the Amah were crying at the end of Yoke’s tale. Eyes moist, both looked at each other and smiled through their tears.
