500gms (May26)

 

 

Young 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 usual table under the veranda. The day before the 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 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. If he was heard right, man said he couldn’t cry. Perhaps he didn’t want the children to set him off. The partner and 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 in his favour, he said. The son was indeed a chip off the old block. Carbon copy, dad said. Coming up to the table, the strong resemblance was clear. Busy texting on his phone, only a brief look was raised. He had been in before, dad said. Dad too had been in a number of times, apart from the last occasion. A second wife had been taken by dad over in Batam. Known to the sons, but not the daughters. The first wife also didn't know. The reported screaming and dragging out confirmed earlier reports. There had been pills offered for settling nerves, which had been 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. Married and fathered a child. The earlier sentence had also 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 both cases. Singapore's position on it in the current liberalisation complicated matters now. Chap had been told about Ronald Ryan in Melbourne back in the mid-60s. Five or six weeks ago the chap had 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 confidence. The quantity next time was the worry, of course, for the lad.   

 

 

 

                Geylang Serai, Singapore 2011-26