Void Deck is a happening gathering place
And i was sitting at the void deck waiting for a friend to come pick me up for a spin at 12.10am. A little old lady hobbled along and sat opposite me, scrutinizing me. Then she started talking to me.
Old Lady: "Do you feel i'm breathing too fast?"
*peers at her and observed her breathing*
Me: "I don't think so, you look okay to me, just a little tired maybe."
Old Lady: "I feel that i am breathing too fast."
Me: "Oh okay, take a rest, no need to rush."
Old Lady: "Do you live here?"
Me: "Yeah, just behind that block."
Old Lady: "Do you talk to your neighbours?"
Me: "Sometimes, not all the time. I just smile at them."
Old Lady: "That's good. If you talk less to them, the less trouble."
I nodded in agreement thinking of the Joo Chiat neighbourhood incident.
Old Lady: "Got this eurasian old lady staying next to me. She always talk to me. I don't like talking to her at all."
Me: "Maybe she is just being friendly."
Old Lady: "If i go out and eat beehoon and when i reached home, she will come over and tell me that she saw me eating beehoon. So kpo right? She keeps following what i do. When i bathe, she bathes too. When i take my umbrella to go out, she follows me out. When i went to meet my friend, she also follows us. My friend My friend said i still pretty and youthful and asked me why i bring old grandmothers out and not bring pretty young things out. I don't like bringing old grannies out."
And so, she left me gaping a little at her comment. She must have been about 60 if not more with a head of white crowning glory, oversized tshirts, huge bags but i imagine she could have been pretty when she was younger for she still has relatively good skin. Soon, she decided to go on her way and asked if i sit at the void deck often because she likes talking to me and off she went.
Five minutes later ...
Cat-feeding Uncle: "Good Morning."
Me: "Good Morning."
Cat-feeding Uncle: "Here so early?"
Me: "Yeah, i'm waiting for a friend to pick me up."
Cat-feeding Uncle: "I've been feeding cats here. I am 80 years old and i like to do good while i still can."
*Nods very agreeably again*
Cat-feeding Uncle: "Oh dear, i can see you have a pretty big problem here..."
Me: "Oh really? That sounds bad."
Cat-feeding Uncle: "Yes it is. Turn your face to the right. Yes, that's right. Now turn your face to the left. Yes, it is a big problem. The problem is that you are too pretty. That's a pretty big problem don't you think?"
*I guffawed in laughter and disbelief over the apparent corniness.*
Cat-feeding Uncle: "Not bad for a 80 years old uncle huh? I can still pick up girls."
And so he sat down and shared with me stories of the neighbourhood, how that particular block he is staying has 15 ex-mental patients living in it and it's not suitable for me to be running around that area at night and how his children and his friends like to give him wallets and he'll display them on the walls. He then brought out his huge wallet kept in place by at least 5 rubber bands to show me. The reason why he doesn't change his wallet, he says, is so that he doesn't have to worry whose wallet he is using and cause discontent amongst those who gave him a wallet. Just then my friend came and i had to go.
It's weird how sitting at the void deck at 12.30am in the morning attracts people talking to me.
Old Lady: "Do you feel i'm breathing too fast?"
*peers at her and observed her breathing*
Me: "I don't think so, you look okay to me, just a little tired maybe."
Old Lady: "I feel that i am breathing too fast."
Me: "Oh okay, take a rest, no need to rush."
Old Lady: "Do you live here?"
Me: "Yeah, just behind that block."
Old Lady: "Do you talk to your neighbours?"
Me: "Sometimes, not all the time. I just smile at them."
Old Lady: "That's good. If you talk less to them, the less trouble."
I nodded in agreement thinking of the Joo Chiat neighbourhood incident.
Old Lady: "Got this eurasian old lady staying next to me. She always talk to me. I don't like talking to her at all."
Me: "Maybe she is just being friendly."
Old Lady: "If i go out and eat beehoon and when i reached home, she will come over and tell me that she saw me eating beehoon. So kpo right? She keeps following what i do. When i bathe, she bathes too. When i take my umbrella to go out, she follows me out. When i went to meet my friend, she also follows us. My friend My friend said i still pretty and youthful and asked me why i bring old grandmothers out and not bring pretty young things out. I don't like bringing old grannies out."
And so, she left me gaping a little at her comment. She must have been about 60 if not more with a head of white crowning glory, oversized tshirts, huge bags but i imagine she could have been pretty when she was younger for she still has relatively good skin. Soon, she decided to go on her way and asked if i sit at the void deck often because she likes talking to me and off she went.
Five minutes later ...
Cat-feeding Uncle: "Good Morning."
Me: "Good Morning."
Cat-feeding Uncle: "Here so early?"
Me: "Yeah, i'm waiting for a friend to pick me up."
Cat-feeding Uncle: "I've been feeding cats here. I am 80 years old and i like to do good while i still can."
*Nods very agreeably again*
Cat-feeding Uncle: "Oh dear, i can see you have a pretty big problem here..."
Me: "Oh really? That sounds bad."
Cat-feeding Uncle: "Yes it is. Turn your face to the right. Yes, that's right. Now turn your face to the left. Yes, it is a big problem. The problem is that you are too pretty. That's a pretty big problem don't you think?"
*I guffawed in laughter and disbelief over the apparent corniness.*
Cat-feeding Uncle: "Not bad for a 80 years old uncle huh? I can still pick up girls."
And so he sat down and shared with me stories of the neighbourhood, how that particular block he is staying has 15 ex-mental patients living in it and it's not suitable for me to be running around that area at night and how his children and his friends like to give him wallets and he'll display them on the walls. He then brought out his huge wallet kept in place by at least 5 rubber bands to show me. The reason why he doesn't change his wallet, he says, is so that he doesn't have to worry whose wallet he is using and cause discontent amongst those who gave him a wallet. Just then my friend came and i had to go.
It's weird how sitting at the void deck at 12.30am in the morning attracts people talking to me.
posted by Alphabet Moppet at 10:12 AM
4 Comments:
I guess these old people are feeling lonely. Heck, the one back in my house is not even that old, but talks non-stop, I am serious!
Uncle 80 years old and still got it.
There is a fine line between a cheeky ah pek and a chee ko pek.
This uncle has pulled it off well.
My idol!!
eh........ i like. i want to sit there at 12.30 so i can talk to them too. I think they are quite fun. i want.......
miurella.
A bit like Haruki Murakmai's bizarre short stories you have there...extraordinary they are about not so ordinary people..:-D
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