Beggar Aunt

*


This beggar was a novelty. A Chinese woman in her late fifties presenting the plastic cup in her hand. A few silver coins sat in the bottom. Bending herself to table level, her broad, clean face loomed close. A large gap showed between her ground front teeth. There were no teeth missing; such was her dental structure. Wordless of course before the ang moh, but not a mute, as her thanks demonstrated afterward. There would have been no English whatever in her repertoire; her social class was immediately evident. The glorious smile she offered said more than any language could. Dear lord how she radiated. The fondest, most doting aunt of the old style could not have out-done her. A treasure. Magnificent. A smile that was learned in a large, fortunate family living in an established community. There was not mere pleading in this smile. Half a century there had not been witnessed anything of the kind in that oldest of continents back home. Only on the streets of Fitzroy on the faces of the oldest inhabitants. Or of course among our own people in our little suburban quarter back then.
          Opportune on this morning of the re-election of the Kuomintang government in Taiwan, aided in no small part it seems by the leader Ma's wife, described as the "aunt next door" type for her humility, warmth and grace. In these communities up here everyone instantly knows the example. No mystery, or oddity, or rarity.
          Opposite Geylang Serai on Changi Road mid-morning in the run-up to CNY.