I didn’t come from a well to do family. In fact, we were quite at the other end of the spectrum. But that didn’t stop the four of us from loving one another and building the lovely family that I have.
We lived in a 2 room flat till I was 21 years old. I guess most of you, especially the younger ones, haven’t even seen a 2 room flat before! It consists of a living room, a kitchen, and only one bedroom. But sometimes when I think back, I do feel that it was because of that small space that we shared that made us very very close.
My parents worked really hard and they scrimped and save to give us the best they could. My sister and I do not have the privilege of having luxurious items but we always had self-made or simple toys and games. Our family ate simple meals but we never had to starve. There were no travels or holidays but we were happy just playing badminton and catching at the basketball court nearby.
Because we were poor, we never celebrated our birthdays. But I remember very clearly that when I was 8 years old, my dad gathered my sister and I for a discussion. We decided to buy a gold chain with a gold pendant for my mum’s birthday that year.
Both my sister and I were very excited. And the three of us, my dad, my sister and I started saving up. Little by little, we managed to come up with some money to buy a birthday present for my mum. Of course my sister and I contributed only a little, with whatever that was leftover from our daily recess money. But to the very young us, that was a significant amount already!
So on the day of my mum’s birthday, my sister, who was studying in the morning session, went to shop for a gold chain with my dad. I couldn’t go with them because I was studying in the afternoon session. I was pretty expressionless in class (as all my classmates remember… lol) but I was so excited inside. I couldn’t wait to get home.
When I reached home, my dad gathered us in the room while my mum was cooking in the kitchen. There were no fancy ballon decorations for my mum’s birthday. All we did was we took some scotch-tape and tape the gold chain to the mirror of my mum’s dressing table.
My sister and I went to lead my mum into the bedroom. She was really touched and happy when she saw her present. Thinking back, it was such a touching moment. I can’t remember if my mum shed any tears of joy. All I remembered was my dad putting on the gold chain for her.
If anyone had to ask me what is one childhood memory that left a deep impression on me, it would have to be this one. The sacrifices that my parents made just to give my sister and I the best that they could made me set my goal really clearly since I was a little girl. I wanted to study well and be able to earn enough to take good care of them.
The load of the family has since been on my sister and I since we graduated. But we were more than happy to take over the roles of the breadwinners from our parents.
Thank you for everything Papa, Mama and my darling sister. Love you all!