2008

SONNY CAME FROM SINGAPORE Sonny came from Singapore, up on the equator. He brought with him a take-away tin and a bamboo calculator. He made his home in Kensington, like so many new Australians, Then worked away, both night and day, to gain his qualifications. One night he chanced upon a dance, perhaps he sought shelter from the weather And there he met a young girl, Mek, and they fell in love forever. Soon church bells rang, the choir sang and wedding vows were spoken, But something tells me by this stage, the abacus was broken, For they headed off to Terrigal, which is on the Central Coast And isn’t very far away, an hour at the most. I can just imagine Dad, sitting on his motorbike, The sidecar filled with bags and Mum. It must have been quite tight. Then halfway home, who would have known? The engine started palpitations And with a jolt, came to a halt, amid a flurry of exclamations. And in the rain, Dad trying to explain, That he had done his calculations And put the exact amount of petrol in Allowing for weight, resistance, RPM – but not evaporation! But Mum was wet and quite upset, And she said “fluctuations!” They had a daughter and three sons who were as different as could be - Handsome, clever, witty, strong – and then the other three. And Dad was quite the DIY, he loved to start a renovation And ever since the honeymoon he doubled his estimations. The kitchen: After seven years mum asked “How long can it take?” Dad said “Another 13 years, if I use every commercial break.” We now jump twenty years ahead, after 6 months in a hospital bed The life of Soo Choy / Sonny / Stephen ended, But if he could talk to us today, I’m sure that he would smile and say “It’s just as fate intended.” Robert Ngui