The Story Behind Her Smile

The smile on this old lady's face seems very sweet doesn't it? Unfortunately, there is a story behind it.

I had a photowalk at Kenyalang last Sunday morning all by myself at one point, I just sit at the junction(dunno what you call it) waiting for subjects to enter my line of sight, becoming part of my street photograph collection. This old lady appeared with her daughter and grandson. She was left there near me while her love ones went to do their shopping. I approached her and started a conversation. At first it was pretty normal, her face was all smiles and we talked about what old people normall talk like where do I live, how old am I, what does my parents do and whatnot. She appears to be a happy go lucky person.

Her 5th youngest daughter and grandson, the boy was being naughty

She's 89 years old this year and has 6 daughters and 6 sons. However most of them never visit her anymore. Then she started to tell me that she owns shop houses at several places in Kuching. "wow..she's rich" I thought. I was told that she inherited one of them which belongs to her late father who was a gold miner. She has a younger brother. Instead of blood-related, he was adopted. Her late father left nothing to her brother, only the shop house to her. Furios the brother was, he threathen to kill her, many many times just wanting to own that particular property. Living together with him, she was soo scared to eat anything cooked by him, for the fear of poison in it. She got bashed up, ended up in the hospital several times. In the end she was saved by her neighbour, moved to her relatives. Even after that, the brother still hunts for her.

As she goes on telling me her story

All that has passed, but now she's troubled by one thing. She has no idea which children should she give her shop houses to for the fear of the same thing would repeat all over again among them.


Thanks for reading folks!