Uncle Lay Kim

This is my Uncle Lay Kim, my Mum's step-brother. He is now in an old folks home in Melaka after he fell ill and couldn't work in the quarry anymore. He doesn't remember me much and each time I visit, I would ask him who he thought I was and he can't. But it doesn't matter. What matters is that he is being properly looked after. He has long term memories like "Your mother's Mum took my jacket away" but cannot remember that my aunt took him out for a day trip the day before.

He used to bring my siblings and cousins firecrackers every Chinese New Year in Melaka. He would appear sometime in the night armed with a boxful of fireworks, to our delight. He bought us all sorts of fireworks that were available then. It was a wonder we never set fire on the coconut plantation at Taman Muhibbah in Klebang with our setting off every bit of the fireworks. But I know we terrorized the neighbourhood and even challenged a neighbour by firing crackers at their direction (I wonder now if this was the neighbour who is my church member in PJ!).

Now I try to visit him as often as I can and meet some of his needs like getting a newspaper subscription to him, looking for a sturdy magnifying glass, magazines, clothes, small change, biscuits. He still keeps his quarry work in a file and reads it now and then. I better go look for suitable magazines to pass him soon.