PhantaceeWhen sobbing noises came from the Malay woman sitting at the table next to mine, I was so tempted to comfort her, but the thought of us wanting to be left alone when sad, stopped me from approaching her. On top of her almost-too-skinny figure, the little boy playing by himself seemed really young. I…Continue readingLonely Woman
‘SURPRISE!’ ‘Hey. Oh my god. Breakfast?’ Although I was a little grouchy in the morning, the sight of Shermaine and her plastic bag full of food did cheer me up a little. She had bought porridge for my whole family, and the both of us had ours in my room. As usual, she could only…Continue readingSurprise Surprise
‘Kak, adik lapar.. ‘ Translate: (older) Sister, I’m hungry.. ‘Tapi kita tak ade duit untuk bendu tu.’ Translate: But we don’t have money for that. The Malay girl had a packet of instant noodle in one hand and held on her little brother’s hand in the other. Looking as plain as any customers you can…Continue readingInstant Fondle
(Bernice) ‘How does it feel?’ (Me) ‘Good.. ‘ My grumpy voice was all I could manage in the weakened state, from the oral Viagra gel that Bernice slipped into the drink she bought for me. The two of us had just finished the group project over pizza and coffee, completing our last assignment for the…Continue readingDrugged Love
*Knock knock* (dialogue between mother and son) ‘Still doing your work?’ ‘Yeah mum. What’s up?’ ‘Nothing. Just wanted to check in on you.’ ‘Hey, have you been crying?’ ‘A little. I miss him.’ He couldn’t let his mum cry herself to sleep and led her back into the empty bedroom, now missing a father after…Continue readingA Widow’s Replacement