Old Beng Sunday Morning

lim peh ka li kong

Last Sunday morning, me and my cha-bo-lang after our routine morning stroll/walk/run/exercise at Botanic Garden (sometimes we go to Bukit Timah Hill instead), we went to Clementi Central to have our breakfast and also to do some marketing.

As usual, me headed straight for my favourite food, prawn noodle soup. My cha-bo-lang always tells me, "Ai-yo, lau beng why you always eat the same food day in day out, never change and try other type, not sian ah?"

"lau po, you are lucky me always stick to my original taste for everything, if not, then I probably will be changing in the taste of my food, my vehicle, my flat and also my cha-bo-lang.....ouch!!!!" the result for trying to be funny and humorous was being pulled at my ear again.

"You try to change me, don't know how to spell DEATH is it?" My cha-bo-lang grabbed my ear, pulled it and then turned clockwise for 180 degrees.

"Ai-ya, no la no la, just joking only. You no sense of humour one." Me quickly pulled away from her.

We then found an empty table and sat down after we both ordered our prawn noodle soup.

Then, me saw a very old couple (think the ah pek and ah ma at least 70 years old) walking towards the table we were sitting and asked to share the seats with us. Wah, these old husband and wife very lovingly leh, hold hands and the ah ma even took out her handkerchief and cleaned the seats before allowing the ah pek to sit down.

Ha, they also ordered the same prawn noodle soup like us.

Suddenly, me saw 3 young, pretty chio-bo sat down beside our table and me could not help but look at them without my eyes blinked a single time. Cannot blame me hum-sup la, the 3 young girls wore hot-pants and singlet-like t-shirt and some more faces red red after their morning exercise I think, so young so fresh so nice. I only dare to see see look look, yeah of course my cha-bo-lang still pretty and chio to me but honestly speaking hor, young girls half her age surely win at least one horse position la.

Yee? They also went to order the same prawn noodle soup, think this stall prawn noodle soup really nice.

When my poor eyes started to get tired again due to the secretly seeing cha-bo through the corner of my eyes (to avoid my cha-bo-lang from knowing I seeing girl girl), the hawker aunty brought 2 bowls of prawn noodles to our table.

But wait, she gave them to the old ah pek and ah ma instead to us. Me could see that they had ordered bee-hoon only and we ordered bee-hoon mee, so not my one.

Then hor, the hawker aunty also served the 3 young chio-bo 3 bowls of prawn noodle soup.

Wa-lau-a, my one don't have ah? Why aunty kept serving the others? Maybe she forgotten that I also got ordered.

I walked up to her and asked," Hello aunty, my 2 bowls of prawn bee-hoon mee soup not ready ah? Like very long already because I ordered before the old couple and the 3 young girls."

The aunty looked at me and said," Rush what? Now I cooked for you lor, cannot wait si bo?"

Wa-piang! Like that talked also can eh? "Oei! Aunty! Is it I eat free one ah, you forgot my order you just tell me properly, it is okay one but you talked like that si mi meaning? You should serve according to first come first serve ma, how can like that suka suka he first I last? Not right leh?"

"Er...er... sorry lor, I forget, now I cook for you." Aunty face malu malu apologised.

"Ok la, like that say at least something, how can you forget and some more so fierce?" I told her and walked back to my table.

My cha-bo-lang gave my hand a squeeze and told me never mind la, wait awhile lor.

After we finished our delicious prawn bee-hoon noodle soup, we went to the wet market to buy some vegetables and meat and fish and fruits and my cha-bo-lang almost bought the whole market. (ya ya I was a little bit exaggerate)

After that we saw an old man selling bamboo sticks and my cha-bo-lang bought 5 bamboo sticks as the ones at home were already old and the edge also picah liao.

"Lau beng, you wait for me and I need to go and buy some eggs." my cha-bo-lang told me. So me carried the 5 bamboo sticks and stood near the playground waiting for my cha-bo-lang.

Suddenly, a middle-aged uncle (just like old beng) walked up to me and said," Uncle, your bamboo sticks how to sell ah?"

"Huh? What how to sell?" Me did not understand his English and what he meant at all.

"How much one bamboo stick?" that uncle asked me again.

Wa-paing eh, he thought old beng me sell bamboo one. How can I looked like a man selling bamboo sticks?

"Hello, me no sell bamboo one hor, go there and ask that man la." Me pointed the direction where the seller had his small stall.

"Sorry, sorry, but you sure look like the bamboo man." The uncle said with a sneered tone and a grin on his face before he walked away.

Wa Kao! So what if I looked like a bamboo stick seller? Why must he showed his grin as if he looked down on people who makes a living by selling things?

What a day I had man, first I was not served for the noodle I ordered and then I was mistaken as a man selling bamboo.

lim peh kong wan liao