Ah Keong – catch and release

A fisherman, Ah Keong, and his wife

Sometime last year the number of people living in cities, for the first time in the history of the world, was more than the number of people living in rural areas. As it looks now, this trend will continue indefinitely.

I’m all for progress, well-managed urbanization and all but really, there is nothing like a small town psyche.

Many people I know long to live in a small town but… ‘where got job la dei?!’

Ah Keong was a fisherman at some point in his life. For some reason about 15 years ago, he started to present generous sack-loads of lala, prawns and other fruits of the ocean to my mother-in-law who then worked as a bank officer.

And with every passing year, the sacks of seafood grew larger!!

The Teh's stand amazed at the amount of seafood Ah Keong packed

First reaction – what was this guy thinking?! Nevermind the insatiable appetites of the Teh’s, even their fridges were not large enough to contain such large volumes of seafood!

Next reaction – what motivates Ah Keong’s generosity?

I know. This is where the city dwellers mind starts working overtime. Surely he’s not just being generous for the sake of it!!

I was sitting across Ah Keong on a table with a hearty seafood meal spread out between us. Every year for Cheng Beng and Chinese New Year this guy would check with other local restaurant owners (he knew which restaurants the Teh’s frequented), call before hand, and make sure that the Teh’s didn’t leave Alor Star without him buying them a HUGE seafood meal!!

This time, we were about 2 minutes late when his phone call came through – so you guys coming?!

He’s now a big business man that owns multiple fishing boats and a diesel distribution. Plus he cares for a special child (not his own). But if you look at him, you would never guess it.

When we arrive, the table is already spread out and a couple of hot dishes await us. He had ordered so as to not waste our time with waiting.

As he puffed on his cigarette and exhaled the smoke through his large dragon-like nostrils, I couldn’t shake this niggling question out of my mind – what did Gin’s parents do to deserve such unbounded acts of generosity???

Even tried insisting that he buy us lunch the next day!!

I had heard of Gin’s parent’s many grateful customers buying them dinner, giving the children HUGE ang pows and ridiculously opulent gifts that their father insisted on sending back…

But never mind the meal. If you had only seen the styrofoam cooler JAM PACKED with a large stingray, fat and juicy prawns, garupa and other expensive fish that he wanted us to lug back to KL, perhaps then your mind will start itching too!

Did Gin’s mum save Ah Keong’s mother’s life? Put his daughter through to uni? What could possibly warrant this man hunting the Teh’s down religiously, year after year, just to shower upon them such love?

My father-in-law ends all speculation with a quiet smile – he’s just a big hearted man.

In a small town like Alor Star, maybe it really is that simple…

Yes. Maybe. It’s not that far out of the realm of possibility.

Either that OR there is a secret between them that I will never be privy to…

But for now, I like the thought that generosity needs no reason. :)