CHAPTER 9: THE THREE BROTHERS

My grandparents had 3 boys and 2 daughters, the latter whom were all given away to malay families.

My father's name was originally called Lim Ah Bah, but he disliked the name and eventually got a teacher to change it. The teacher gave him the name Lim Kheng Siang ( meaning celebration of good fortune). The Malays used to address my father as 'Encik Tujuh', meaning 'Seven'. Well, he had 7 children, so I assumed that was why they called him that. Still the maths didn,t add up. They were already addressing him by that nickname even before my 2 younger brothers were born. So one day I asked my granny how the name came about. This was her explanation:

They had very few pieces of clothing and definitely not many changes of pants for the baby. so most of the time he was left crawling on his  bare bottom. Understandably, the baby would leave puddles of urine everywhere. Each time he made a puddle, granny would exclaim : "Oh, little pig's urine!" In Hokkian pig is pronounced "Du" and urine is "Jo". So each time he made a puddle, he would point to the puddle and said "Du Jo". Thus the name stuck .

Father in his thirties

My impression of my father was a serious man - who seldom smiled, except when he was with his friends, Sometimes I wonder why he seemed so angry with us. Was he ashamed of his children? Certainly he never showed any outward affection for any of us -  girls especially. However he was a tough man - strong and full of grit. Often I observed him carry bags of rice from the lorry to the shop storeroom. Others would carry one bag at a time but father would carry 2 bags of rice each trip. His was a life of daring exploits, danger and adventure.

Second uncle, probably in his late twenties

My second uncle was nicknamed "Roti" because when grandmother was expecting him, she just craved for bread. Thus when he was born, she said, " This is a Little Bread (Roti) ." And so he was called "Roti." He was given the name Lim Kheng Yong . He was a jovial person - the exact opposite of my father. He was quite a dandy. He had a rakish smile and was often seen laughing and joking with people. And he was very kind to us - his nephews and nieces. Sometimes when he was eating satay with his friends in a mamak restaurant, and we happened to pass by, he would wave to us  and invited us to the next table and ordered satay for us. How we treasure those moments!! He led a colourful life but that's another story.

Third uncle - Junior certificate year ( near his school_

My third uncle, Lim Kheng Boon was nicknamed "Ah Chao" meaning 'Stink Ko', That was because whenever granny changed his cloth diapers ( by then they were able to afford more clothes)  she would endearingly  lift him up and said  - "Your poo stinks.You are Ah Chao.' He was the most educated of the 3 sons - studying up to Junior certificate level ( equivalent to Form 3) and he went on to teacher training college.A gentle and soft spoken man, it was him who imparted the love for reading to us. He was instumental in setting up a mini library:  "The Happy Library - 快樂圖書館" in our home.