A Father's Tale

MWO Phillip Oh
1948 - 2006

Master Warrant Officer(MWO) Phillip's war decorations painted one side of his office wall a riot of colours. On the opposite wall hung his family portrait. MWO Phillip in his ceremonial attire, his wife in a pretty red cheongsam and his only son Dominic.

Though he often barks like a bull dog and terrorizes the soldiers under him, you can never miss his forlorn look whenever he is alone. Like as if he is deep in thought. The way he smoked his cigarette...the way he stares into the open sky...and the way he blinks his eyes. Something bothered him but like a statue of a war hero, his thoughts remained embedded in stone.

His much anticipated retirement commenced as soon as my batch of soldiers completed our national service and with the test of time, images and memories of MWO Phillip banished itself from our minds.

Some of my camp mates became lawyers, doctors and salesmen. Some went back to becoming secret society members. Others got married but nevertheless whenever we happen to chance upon one another, we still laughed and discussed about the days when MWO Phillip striked fear into all of us.

I took over my father's business and my marriage bore me a son and everyday was a dream. I was rushing home one Friday evening for I missed my son a little bit more than usual. My wife did not cook that day and so I sighed when she called to say I had to buy dinner from the coffee shop nearby.

After getting dinner, I was scurrying out of the coffee shop when an all too familiar voice filled the space around my ears. "Private Han! Where are you darting off to. Only 6 o clock man. Come here and sit down drink one 'kopi' with me la", the unmistakable commanding voice of MWO Phillip barked in a somewhat friendly tone this time.

"Sir...Waa you still remember my name hah?," I tried to reply in a coyish manner. Somehow I obliged to his wishes like the old days and I summarised to MWO Phillip the details of my life since I left the army.

"Well son..you better take care of your family while you still have them", MWO relayed to me in between puffs. "Unlike you, my wife stopped cooking for me 25 years ago. She ran away with my gangster friend when my son was 5. I take it as retribution. You know when I was younger, I messed up many people's life. Being in the secret society was my way of life. I even took people's lives in fights before. Till today, I still thank god that I'm still alive. Do you know how it feels like to sleep with a parang by your bedside? Everyday I close my eyes could have been my last", MWO Phillip shaked his head and blinked his eye slowly.

"Well at least the army gave me an opportunity. An opportunity to send my son to school and some simple luxuries like toys and football boots," MWO Phillip tried hard to fake a smile. "My son...a very smart boy. Ten years ago, I sent him overseas for further studies. All my savings was spent for his University fees, hoping that one day, I would get to see the returns of my investment. But my son, he fell in love with an 'ang moh' and his university thought him how to slang. Ka ni na!! He adopted the western way of life and is now too shy to return home to his father. He is scared his 'ang moh' wife would laugh at me," MWO Phillip cackled like an evil man.

"He should have been back by now. Never write me a letter. Never call. No address for me to visit. What am I supposed to do? I thought I would live to see the day that he gets married. Be among grandchildren. But now..I'll never know. Life works in mysterious ways huh Pvt Han?" MWO Phillip asked me a question I can't answer.

"Secretly I'm still praying for the day that my son will walk into my house. I want to see how he's aged..whether or not he still looks the same. Will he be eager to see his old room? I never touch a thing you know since the day he left because he never liked anyone to mess his room. He says wait he can't find his things." MWO Phillips paused for a while...deep in thought.

"Im not much of an English educated person. But I know of this nursery rhyme which I always read to my son Dominic. It goes like this,

Two Little Dicky Birds Sitting On A Wall,
One Named Peter, One Named Paul.
Fly Away Peter, Fly Away Paul,
Come Back Peter, Come Back Paul!

I think it is easier to be a son than to be a father sometimes. But somehow I still failed to be a father let alone a dad", MWO Phillip lamented. MWO Phillip's story stripped my mind of other worldly issues and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't affected.

2 years have passed since the day I saw him at the coffee shop. His face appeared in the obituary. Loneliness, Depression and ill health has finally caught up with him. He looked sad in the photo as always. I still wonder if his little dicky bird ever found its way back to its nest. It appears...I shall never know.