When the first rays of sunlight pierced through the darkness behind the coconut leaves, a local vessel called tongkang was cruising noisily along the river of Batu Pahat. In the old and simple vessel, there were a strong stench of cargos of sago, mixed with the sweet odour of the group of thirty soldiers from Australia. After a few days of travelling from Singapore, they disliked the small vessel and were eager to jump on land to see this little town previously called Pulau Kundur.
"Where the hell is this place?" exclaimed someone whose voice was able to mask the murmurs and grunts of the Australian soldiers who had yet to acclimatize to the hot and humid air of tropics. The voice came from a young soldier who stood up and gazed at the wooden, broken jetty jutted out from the small, blackish, dirty and broken wooden jetty. He had sharp and starry eyes. Amongst the group of soldiers, he had good look, 6 feet tall and cropped a small mustache. His mouth carried a teasing smile.
Seeing no answer, he exclaimed again: "Well, Mr Yuan, can you please enlighten us?"
A chinese middle aged man of 5 feet 4 inch statue, emerged from the pack and crossed the disorderly group trying not to step onto their hands or head. While attempting to cross his multiple hurdles, he answered in thick Hokkien slang: "Lieutenant Ben, this is my home town called Bandar penggaram." His golden teeth shone in the early sunlight. He was a chinese scholar educated in this town and went to further his studies in Singapore. When the war broke out, he was employed as the interpreter for the Australian Army.
"Why Bandar Penggaram?" The Australian soldier was struggling with the pronounciation.
Mr Yuan replies:" This is because the town is famous for making salt. Bandar means City and Penggaram means the making of salts. We also are famous for making salted fish."
Autralian soldier asked further:" But I was told this is also called Pulau Kundur?"
Mr Yuan thought for a while and answered:"Oh, that must be the old name we no longer used after this town was developed in 1884."
"But this is not a pulau!"
"In old Malay, pulau means a concreggation of people. Kundur was because the local folks planted kundur."
Then some noises from the back of the pack, Mr Yuan understood well after he spent sometimes with the Australian Army. He knew the youngsters recruited into the Army in short notice were a group of direct and short tempered men of 17 to 22 years of age. He was so used to the obscene words the young men used as adjectives that he only responded by saying: Ha. The hotels are near by. My home is near too. They have clean water and good bed. Food is a bit spicy though."
The young soldiers picked up their heat exhausted bodies from the deck and scrambled down the wooden jetty. The latter was unable to bear the 80 to 100 kg of bodies walking on it and so part of it became to dive into the dirty muddy water. Those soldiers fell into the river cursed and crawled onto the bank. They made such big noise that even the hungry crocodiles lying on the opposite bank of the river decided to hold on and observed the unruly crowd.
During the havor, a female, sweet and clear voice rang in the moist air of the morning. The noise of the soldiers was subdued temporarily when they noticed a young Chinese girl in her early twenty and wrapped in white cotton shirt and white skirt that covered her knees but exposed the slender long legs. The girl had two long plaits hanging from the sides of the pretty face. She was riding a bicycle and yelled: Dad, welcome home."
The young soldiers picked up their heat exhausted bodies from the deck and scrambled down the wooden jetty. The latter was unable to bear the 80 to 100 kg of bodies walking on it and so part of it became to dive into the dirty muddy water. Those soldiers fell into the river cursed and crawled onto the bank. They made such big noise that even the hungry crocodiles lying on the opposite bank of the river decided to hold on and observed the unruly crowd.
During the havor, a female, sweet and clear voice rang in the moist air of the morning. The noise of the soldiers was subdued temporarily when they noticed a young Chinese girl in her early twenty and wrapped in white cotton shirt and white skirt that covered her knees but exposed the slender long legs. The girl had two long plaits hanging from the sides of the pretty face. She was riding a bicycle and yelled: Dad, welcome home."
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Lieutenant Ben was the first one to land onto the coast, accompanied by his interpretor Mr Yuan. When they heard the young lady was yelling, they both looked up and saw a bicycle charging at them. The young lady lost control of the brake of her bicycle and rumped into the front of the pack of people.
Lt Ben was quick in action and used both of his hands to stop the bicycle at the horizontal bar of the handles of bicycle. The lady was stopped abruptly and her feet shuffled heavily on the red earth road and stirred up some red dust.
The local folk and the soldiers roared into laughter. Some began to whistle, some jeered, some passed sleazy remarks.
The lady was blushing and shy away from Lieutenant Ben's gaze. Lieutenant Ben was gauging the young lady who had just captured his attention. Suddenly with a gush of blood, he felt naughty and so he used his left hand to grab the lady's right hand and kissed onto his own left hand.
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Lt Ben was quick in action and used both of his hands to stop the bicycle at the horizontal bar of the handles of bicycle. The lady was stopped abruptly and her feet shuffled heavily on the red earth road and stirred up some red dust.
The local folk and the soldiers roared into laughter. Some began to whistle, some jeered, some passed sleazy remarks.
The lady was blushing and shy away from Lieutenant Ben's gaze. Lieutenant Ben was gauging the young lady who had just captured his attention. Suddenly with a gush of blood, he felt naughty and so he used his left hand to grab the lady's right hand and kissed onto his own left hand.
The young lady screamed and pulled back her right hand. She instantly gave him a thick slap onto his left cheek.
She shouted:" Ham Shap Kwai."
Mr Yuan rushed to the position separating the two. He said in a hurry making his sentences joined up like the rope on the old vessel: "Ah Gal, Don't fight this white man. He is my boss."
With his left hand soothing the hot burning left cheek, he asked: " What did she say?"
Mr Yuan was embarrassed and shaking in head and replied:" Sir, it is nothing important."
Lieutenant Ben jibed in: "No, Mr Yuan, I insist on knowing what she just uttered."
The young girl answer for her father: " I said you are a cheeky man. Uncouth person. You are a bad guy!"
On seeing the situation, Mr Yuan stepped in to intervene:" Stop it, Margaret! You cant be rude to this gentleman. He is my boss. Go home now and cook me a good meal." He turned to Lieutenant Ben and started to bow as though there was a spring installed onto his waist. Margaret Yuan was furious and pushed back her bicycle and went off.
Lieutenant Ben murmured to himself:" Margaret? Margaret Yuan? What a lady." He had stopped soothing his left cheek and his gaze followed her till she vanished into the crowd.
"Make way! Make way!" Mr Yuan ushered the group of soldiers to the local hotel. The group sang and made fun of Lieutenant Ben on the way to a small hotel near the jetty. Lieutenant Ben was strangely silent and minded his own steps in his own thoughts.
Lieutenant Ben murmured to himself:" Margaret? Margaret Yuan? What a lady." He had stopped soothing his left cheek and his gaze followed her till she vanished into the crowd.
"Make way! Make way!" Mr Yuan ushered the group of soldiers to the local hotel. The group sang and made fun of Lieutenant Ben on the way to a small hotel near the jetty. Lieutenant Ben was strangely silent and minded his own steps in his own thoughts.
