I saw someone on the street today who reminded me of a childhood friend called Ah Foot. Memories of him then wafted into my mind.

Ah Foot’s mom and mine were old friends from their youth, and that was how I came to know him (I’ve never really known his real name though, he was only known as ‘Ah Foot’ to me). I remember Ah Foot and his mom would frequently visit us at our home, and the ladies would have their deep talk (I was too young to understand), while Ah Foot and I would jump/run around like idiots. His mom would sometimes talk until she gets real emotional with tears, but like I said, I was too young to understand.

But all of that stopped after some time, when we grew a little big older. Ah Foot and his mom stopped visiting, and we became distant of each other. Ah Foot’s mom would still occasionally meet my mom at the marketplace somewhere (without ‘Ah Foot’) though, and as usual, would get emotional when she talks. She seemed like a very sad woman to me then (that was how I perceived her as a kid).

I only learned very much later that Ah Foot’s mom was always sad because she was a victim of domestic violence. Ah Foot’s dad was a total scumbag, a wanton philanderer and a habitual wife beater. Because Ah Foot’s mom was an Indian (yes, Ah Foot’s a half Indian biologically, but he was raised a 100% Chinese), she was also subjected to ill treatment from her racist mother-in-law. Yes, she had to contend with the 2 front of assholes at home. ‘Sad’ would be an understatement. She turned to my mom because she had no one to turn to.

Then it got worse. When Ah Foot was old enough to reason (about 8 – 9 years of age), the scumbag of a father of his started to brainwash him into despising his own mother – which he began to hate. His father told him that his mom was a prostitute (which she indeed was, way when she was young, due to some sad circumstances), aggravating the hatred even further. That was how Ah Foot’s mom got to the verge of almost killing herself. She had to face hell from 3 fronts – her scumbag husband, her MIL and her very own son. She only had 1 other younger son to cling on to, which luckily didn’t share the same rancor towards his mom like Ah Foot.

But that all changed one day when Ah Foot was 15 – 16 years old, he went to his mom to apologize for all the hatred he had given her. That bizarre turn of event came as a shock to his mom but she forgave him nevertheless. He was basically a changed person for only one day, and on the next day, he got run over by a school bus. It was as if he knew his time was up and he went around to apologize for his mistakes.

The mom, despite all the shit she had endured from Ah Foot, would still remember Ah Foot as a repented person and a good son when asked. Sad story, but true.