The Story Of My Maternal Grandfather
My maternal grandmother, already all wrinkly with age, still has traces of her youthful beauty I once saw in a picture of her when she was only 12. She had lived through the Japanese Occupation, in an underground hole dug by her family. Her life had been hard ever since she was young; even though my great-grandmother was a rich woman (she married twice), my grandmother had to work from young. She didn't fall in love, as it always is in the past, she was matchmade to my grandfather. They got married, had 8 children.
The eldest was a son, then came a daughter, followed by 4 others, 1 son, yet another daughter and lastly, another son. By the time she gave birth to the third daughter, people bagan to talk, as it was more preferable to give birth to sons. The third daughter was sent to my great-grandmother to look after, but was sent back when found that she got ill often.
I do not know when, but somehow, my grandfather found himself two other wives. My grandmother, she could not say anything. She had no right.
Now that my grandfather is old, he is being tossed about. He now lives with his second wife, whom I do not recognise or know unless told by the adults. He has diabetes, and can hardly stand up without the help of a walking stick. His family (with his second wife) called my grandmother and told her that they (my grandmother) had to take him to the polyclinic to see a doctor. They lived in the west while my grandmother lived in redhill, and obviously it is more sensible to take him to a nearer polyclinic, isn't it? The reason they gave was that because the address in his IC was the redhill one, the polyclinic he has to go to is and only is the redhill one. HUH?!? What nonsense is that right?
Anyway, this just shows the sad truth. His wife and children do not want to look after him anymore. Otherwise they wouldn't had dumped him at my grandma's place and even ask her to bring him there. They could have brought him there themselves, they have a car and the manpower too. To put it badly, they do not even want to fork out the money for his medical expenses.
As I watched him put on his clothes with tremendous difficulty, I know that I could not hate him at all. He is still my grandfather, one wife or three. I wonder if I would end up a forsaken old hag in the future, living my lonely life with my miserable loveless self.
My maternal grandmother, already all wrinkly with age, still has traces of her youthful beauty I once saw in a picture of her when she was only 12. She had lived through the Japanese Occupation, in an underground hole dug by her family. Her life had been hard ever since she was young; even though my great-grandmother was a rich woman (she married twice), my grandmother had to work from young. She didn't fall in love, as it always is in the past, she was matchmade to my grandfather. They got married, had 8 children.
The eldest was a son, then came a daughter, followed by 4 others, 1 son, yet another daughter and lastly, another son. By the time she gave birth to the third daughter, people bagan to talk, as it was more preferable to give birth to sons. The third daughter was sent to my great-grandmother to look after, but was sent back when found that she got ill often.
I do not know when, but somehow, my grandfather found himself two other wives. My grandmother, she could not say anything. She had no right.
Now that my grandfather is old, he is being tossed about. He now lives with his second wife, whom I do not recognise or know unless told by the adults. He has diabetes, and can hardly stand up without the help of a walking stick. His family (with his second wife) called my grandmother and told her that they (my grandmother) had to take him to the polyclinic to see a doctor. They lived in the west while my grandmother lived in redhill, and obviously it is more sensible to take him to a nearer polyclinic, isn't it? The reason they gave was that because the address in his IC was the redhill one, the polyclinic he has to go to is and only is the redhill one. HUH?!? What nonsense is that right?
Anyway, this just shows the sad truth. His wife and children do not want to look after him anymore. Otherwise they wouldn't had dumped him at my grandma's place and even ask her to bring him there. They could have brought him there themselves, they have a car and the manpower too. To put it badly, they do not even want to fork out the money for his medical expenses.
As I watched him put on his clothes with tremendous difficulty, I know that I could not hate him at all. He is still my grandfather, one wife or three. I wonder if I would end up a forsaken old hag in the future, living my lonely life with my miserable loveless self.
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