Cry Baby Cry Louder...!!
These pictures brings me back to when I was less than 5 years old..
Once an old picture, always a story to tell..
Being treat as princess since young, becoming a new mother, wasn't trained in shopping in wet market, cooking nor doing house work, was asked to go wet market, making sure to bargain for the best price on meat/fish and also not forgetting to ask for free bunches of vegetables when purchasing by mother in law.
While curious little boy, Ryan, anxiously found out that mommy was going out shopping was begging with tears to follow.. As a kid, first time stepping out from the safety zone of the apartment alone with mommy, shopping on a crowded sunday morning, at AMK wet market in the 80s (was dammed wet.. smelly and dirty) was so very excited.
The wet market was massively mess, all sorts of people with all sorts of noise, you could hardly hear each other while others were either talking so loudly, shouting for good bargain or desperately selling.. Mommy was diligently trying to buying/bargaining with the same hawker for as long as 10 mins. Little Ryan was feeling left alone and trying to get mommy's attention, but was asked to "shut up". Feeling excited and curious, the little pieces boy imagined mommy so busy talking and world stay longer at that stall, so maybe he could stroll ahead to the pet store at the corner to have a look at small chicks or fighting fish and return in few mins.
Mommy is GONE!! Innocently thinking the new mother will walk straight forward down the stalls from where they came from did not appear. Roaming endlessly in the wet market all alone with countless strangers from many cultures made the little boy sweating in fear. Shy as a puppy, he did not dare to approach anyone to confess of his missing mom. Every second seems unbearable when the little boy realized he was totally lost. Will shouting for help works? He doubted it, against the furious sound from the market, his voice will sound like a falling leave from the tree. All he could thought of was to start crying, as every kid does, to get attention from any kind soul. Later he found out that sobbing with tears does not get enough attention from the strangers, so wisely, he chosen to stand in the middle of the huge crowd, making sure he gets the attention ample enough for help. Hopefully some neighbours had seen him before and knew where he stays, as he does not know where his full address is.
He was dragged out to the walking path way beside the wet market by some shoppers bombarding him with questions that he had no answer. "Why are you alone?", "Where is your mom?", "Where do you stay?" The stress level increased as they kept repeating the same questions, the more they ask, the louder he would want to cry, and also attracting the correct crowd...
Someone even mentioned sending him to the nearby police station, but the boy refused to walk anywhere else, nor go to the police.
"I don't want to go police station, I don't want to go to the police station!!"
As the kid thought he was just merely taking a walk away from mom for a while, not trying to be naughty, why sending him to the police...?
Persistently and reluctantly staying on the very location for more than half an hour, an anxious yet familiar soothing angelic voice carried by the wind from back of his ear was calling his name. The little boy hears hope and sees light coming from the crowded. Weeping becoming tears of joy.
Joy was only momentary, while everyone around the kid was actually scolding the mother that how could she left the child alone in the witherness. She did also rush back to ask if the kid went home, and naturally getting heavy lecture from the seniors learnt about the missing child. (poor mother, sob)
In the little boy's point of view, he was still afraid the angel will send him to the police of being naughty, and kept asking her for forgiveness...
*** THE END ***
The design of the new "Wet Market" is no longer wet, clean and comfy. Chances of kids going missing like me are still vulnerable, so parents, please latch your child properly with GUCCI collar or Prada wrist band, so children will not wonder more than 1.5m away.
Have you ever drank Hot Milo or Tea like I used to do ??
Technique are passed down from generation to generations...
This was not my idea.. i was just a passerby that morning... (though I may thought of it...)
P/S: This cat is not for sale.