Perhaps I should have talked more about my relatives. My father had 10 siblings while my mum had 2 siblings. Both my father and my mum were the eldest among their siblings. Honestly, I really have nothing much to talk about my father's siblings. The negativity from them was nothing worth mentioning. So let me just say that they went missing in action after my father's death, into hiding from a poor widow and 2 single-parent boys who potentially might borrow money from them during those difficult period.
My mother's siblings, a sister and a brother, were more caring towards us. However, they themselves were struggling to manage their families. Therefore, we were really on our own.
Continue working in the factory was a struggle for my mum. She could not focus as she would remember my father every day she stepped into the factory. It came to a point when she knew she had to find another job and leave that place totally. At the same time, she wanted to take care of us while she was working.
Finally, she found a solution. She managed to rent a stall in a new primary school to sell drinks. She also transferred me to that school so that she could take care of me while she's working. So I left my primary school to join my mum's primary school as a new Primary 2 pupil.
Life as a canteen vendor was not easy in the olden days. The cordial drink my mum prepared was sold at 10-cents per cup. The bottled drinks were in glass containers and they were delivered in crates of 24 bottles each. They were heavy, extremely heavy. My mum had to transport them from the storeroom to the stall in the canteen. Every time I saw her carrying those crates of bottled drink, I could tell she was struggling with every lift.
Eventually, my maternity grandpa decided to come and help my mum at the stall. I did my part too. After school, I would help to wash the cups, break the blocks of ice with the ice-breaker, and helped my grandpa in the washing of the canteen. Life was hard, but we managed to make ends meet. Well, it's going to get much more demanding soon....
YOU ARE READING
Nothing To Lose
Non-FictionIf we realise that we came to this world with nothing, then perhaps every gain would be sweet and every loss would not be so painful.perhaps that's the secret to happiness.
