My Longkang

Deco pic courtesy of abc.net.au

I met her in a clinic. Benghui needed to see the doctor for some minor ailment. As we waited for our turn, an old lady started to talk to me. Her voice was very soft and I almost had to strain to hear what she had to say.

Old woman : I am eighty four years old. I have two sons. My children were afraid I would die and made me divide up my property before I die. I was afraid of being left alone so I delayed as long as I could. Sigh.Sigh. Finally I divided up my lands, shop houses and houses. I still had about RM250 000 cash. My eldest son kept pleading with me to hand over the sum to him for safe keeping just in case I fell ill and needed money for medical expenses.

I told myself I would still have the rental from my own shop house inherited from my father. I let him keep my money. When I needed the money for some medical expenses he told me he had used it as a down payment for a shop house. Now I need to use my own money for medical treatment. Now this is a public polyclinic. I can still afford the RM1.00.

I sent my sister’s grandson to help me collect the rental from my shop house but was told my son had collected it and had told them from henceforth to pay only to him. I still have my big house to maintain, feed children and grandchildren who visit and sometimes stay over. I wonder whether I should have had children. I have pawned some jewelry to feed myself and maintain the house and pay my maid to take care of me. I live all alone in the big house now.

Even now they are fighting over the one remaining shophouse and this big house. Everybody is waiting for me to die. The only time the house the will experience joy is when I die and they sell the house and collect the money. Sigh. Sigh. I am still healthy. What can I do? I have only enough money left for another six months. If I sell this house, I will be homeless. I can’t sell the shop house because I only own 50% share. My children are killing me.

What have I done wrong to deserve this? What have I done wrong to deserve this? Tears.

I felt bewildered to be a party to this conversation. I don’t think she has done anything wrong to deserve this. Did it just happen? What caused this unhealthy competition between her two sons to take as much from her as possible as soon as possible.

She has many daughters but according to Foochow tradition, only the sons inherit. So, the daughters expect the sons to take care of her as they have received everything and they have received nothing.