Lad in his twenties was going in later that day for 5 & 1/2 years. His father came over to indicate his presence at the far table under the veranda. The day before dad had revealed the matter during the course of detailing his own history with the justice system. In his case there had been a sentence to hang. After six months of appeals and $79k legal fees – provided by his brother – the noose was escaped. Six months on death row, how was that endured? How did he cope? Unfortunately, only blanks came back. There was little to say. Don’t think too much was one of the standbys among the Malays. Otherwise it was prayer & exercise. The man's own dad had stood by him, as had the wife and all the other siblings. The mother was dead by then. One thing was he hadn’t wanted the children brought in for visits; that was too much to bear. If he was heard right, man said he couldn’t cry. Perhaps he didn’t want the children to set him off. The partner & friend, close friend who was looked upon as an abang, elder brother, had his sentence carried out. When it came down to it, for defence the pair had blamed each other. Luck was in his favour, he said. The son was indeed a chip off the old block. Carbon copy. Coming up to the table the resemblance was clear. The lad sat busily texting on his phone, only a brief look raised. He had been in before. Dad had been in a number of times himself, apart from the last occasion. A second wife had been taken by dad over in Batam; known to the sons, but not the daughters or the first wife. The reported screaming and dragging out confirmed earlier reports. There had been pills offered for settling nerves, which he had declined. The young lad later went to his bike parked along the side fence of the market and rode off, presumably not to the prison just yet. He was married and had fathered a child. The earlier sentence had likewise been for possession & dealing. Twenty years ago when the senior had been sentenced he had been in his thirties; not much older than his boy now. Dope same. Singapore's maintained stance in the current liberalisation presented some difficulties now. The father had been told about Ronald Ryan in Melbourne back in the mid-60s. Five or six weeks ago the chap popped up out of the scrum at the market, helloes progressing to fist bumps and eventual chat. Many friends didn’t know his history, even twenty years later. Now for some unknown reason the white guy was bought into his confidence. The quantity next time was the worry of course for the lad.
Geylang Serai, Singapore 2011-26
NB. 500gm of marijuana & 15gm heroin attracts the death penalty in Singapore.
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