The hubs was clearing the extra room in the house planning for his father to come and live with us. We had this conversation in the household, which I captured as best I could.<\/p>\n
Me : Daddy is clearing the room so that yehyeh can live with us.<\/span>
\nAfter a moment of silence.
\nZara :\u3000Why must he stay with us? If he stayed with us, then we have to share our money with him, we’ll be poorer.<\/span>
\n(We always tell the children that we’re not rich so that we cannot fulfill all their wants for toys\/knick-knacks, stay in the best hotels when we go on holidays, or even send them to private or international school. The latter 2 are real though. But I don’t know why this came to her mind the first thing.)
\nMe : Ah Kong (Chinese: Maternal grandfather) too stays with Karen yiyi right?<\/span>
\nZara \uff1aKaren yiyi is not as poor as us. Why must yeh yeh stay with us and not his other children?<\/span>
\nMe \uff1aWe have to take care of him since no one is taking care of him. Now I’m worried, next time when I’m old, what will you do to me?<\/span>
\nZara : You are my mom, it’s different.<\/span>
\nMe : Yehyeh is daddy’s daddy too.<\/span>
\n(Both girls thought a bit.)
\nZara : When we go shopping and all, do we need to bring him?<\/span>
\nMe : Yeah.<\/span>
\nZara : He’ll slow us all down.<\/span> (FIL doesn’t walk so well)…
\nMe : I can go with you girls first to see what you want to see.<\/span> (should have told them they slowed us down too when they were younger but we still brought them shopping etc)
\nZara : He’s daddy’s responsibility so daddy will handle him.<\/span>
\n…..
\nZara (suddenly) : Who’s going to pay for his funeral?<\/span>
\nMe : o.O” …….
\nHubs : Daddy will ask everybody (his siblings) to pay.<\/span>
\nMe : I wonder what will happen when it’s my turn. Wonder who’s going to pay for my coffin?<\/span>
\nZaria : You said you wanted to do that thing… burn your body right after you are dead?<\/span>
\nZara : Yeah. You said you wanted cremation. Why do you need to get a coffin when you will burn in later anyway?<\/span>
\nZaria : Yeah. Why do you need to cut trees to make the coffin?<\/span>
\nMe : Then? I don’t even have a coffin to lay on? I’m just supposed to lie on my bed?<\/span>
\nZara : Yeah, then we’ll carry your body and put in you in the fire to burn.<\/span>
\nZaria : And I’ll pick 2 big bones later from the ashes to turn them into drum sticks.<\/span>
\no.O”<\/p>\n