At The Corner Shop

I'm reminded of how friendly the man is to strangers, compared to my usual wariness and anti-social inclinations. One Friday at the 'burbs, we were at the corner shop that sold kebab and fish and chips. Wanted to grab lunch to-go. A friendly-looking elderly gentleman came in after. It was a tiny bit of a wait for our orders, and he said hello to us in Mandarin. I only smiled. The man said an enthusiastic hello back. Of course the elderly gentleman followed up with the next question of "Where are you from?" and we answered, "Singapore."

A real smile that lit up the gentleman's already twinkly eyes. He uttered a word that seemed familiar on the tongue, yet long never mentioned, "Malaya". The man's interest was piqued. Then began a conversation between both men for the next 15 minutes. I stood aside, nodded and smiled occasionally to indicate that I was listening, but not keen to participate in an exchange. The man talked enough for both of us. But mainly, we listened. The gentleman had plenty to chat about, and we understood immediately that for one living alone, the opportunity to speak, would be precious.

The gentleman was part of the British peacekeeping corps in Malaya after World War II. He was there for two years, and was one of the lucky ones who didn't perish in that painful period. He had good memories of the place, of satay and Southeast Asian spices. I grinned. How food connects humans! Not going to talk about the devastation of the war, colonialism, social development and the independence efforts of the region. Some topics needn't be broached, especially in this set of circumstances. Did a quick count. It's been 67 years since 1945. He must be at least 82 years old!

Our orders were packed and ready. We wished each other well and went our separate ways. Random-ness. No matter how, we're glad that this one gentleman returned home safely, retired, and has retained positive memories of Malaya. He's going away for a Christmas vacation, and when he returns, may he keep up with his regular Friday takeaways at this shop for many more years.