The fifteen days of the Chinese New Year had gone by very quickly. There had not been many visitors to the temple during the new year, apart from close devotees and friends of Head Nun. The pandemic restrictions were still on and everyone was being careful.
Even Chap Goh Meh (the 15th night of CNY) was quiet. We sat down to an early dinner of broth with pickled vegetables and braised peanuts and as usual, the nuns were talking about this and that when suddenly we heard the screeching of tyres, a car door slamming - and the kitchen door flew open to admit an angry young man.
"Alright, APK, if that's what they call you now, I want to speak to you."
Stunned, we all turned to look at APK whose face had gone as white as a sheet. In fact she looked like she had just seen a ghost.
Head Nun was the first to recover. "Young man, may we help you?"
"This is most unusual. We normally don't allow our nuns to receive visitors, least of all male visitors ....."
"Oh cut out the crap! I want to speak to my girl," he repeated angrily.
Head Nun turned to look at APK and asked, "APK, do you know this young man?"
APK hesitated, then stammered, "He ... I mean.... yes...."
"Of course she knows me!" yelled the young man impatiently. "She was engaged to me before she came to this place. Look, APK, let's talk this over. Why don't you come away with me - I have so much to offer you - a beautiful home, trips overseas - you can't be serious in wanting to stay forever in this godforsaken hole!"
"Enough, young man," interrupted Head Nun. "You obviously have a problem and although I think our temple does not deserve to be called a "godforsaken hole", I shall, out of compassion, give you a chance to thrash out your problem with APK in the living room. Please go. The rest of us want to continue with our dinner."
Head Nun shook her head, sat down and muttered, "I've been in this temple for nearly fifty years and this is the first time something like this has happened."
APK dragged her boyfriend away and we could hear some shouting and arguing. (I remember that some time ago APK had told me that this guy had been sending her messages trying to convince her to leave the temple but she had refused to listen to him. It certainly looked like he was not taking "No" for an answer). After a while, we heard the sound of a car leaving and APK came back to the kitchen, her face as red as a beetroot.
Sobbing, she fell at Head Nun's feet and wailed, "Head Nun, please forgive me, I promise you this will never happen again."
"Alright, alright," said Head Nun, looking down at her. "Please get up and tell me what happened."
"Well, I told him what I told him before, that I want to be a nun and don't want to go away with him. I also told him never to come back."
"Well, I must say that young man's behaviour was atrocious and I don't know how you got entangled with him, but you made the right choice and I am proud of you."
"You are?" gasped APK, beaming.
"Yes, yes, now if you will excuse me, my broth is getting cold."
The nuns started clapping and congratulated APK for her courage. "Well done", "Glad you kicked him out", "To hell with that bully" they said among other not so complimentary things about the guy. Head Nun finally called a halt to the "party" and said: "Mind your language, nuns. I'm hearing words that have never been spoken in this temple before. Get on with the cleaning up and go to bed!"
Two days later, an angry, middle-aged woman marched into the kitchen where we were having breakfast and demanded: "Where's that no good girl who claims to be a nun?" We hadn't the faintest idea who she was until APK told us that she was her ex's mother. The woman went into a tirade scolding APK and calling her names. We then learnt in the midst of the hullabaloo that her son had threatened to kill himself because APK had rejected him.
APK was a picture of calmness as she faced her almost-to-be mother-in-law and said, "Frankly, Aunty, I don't care if he hangs himself. I have no intention of leaving this temple or marrying him."
Shattered, the woman made a hasty retreat. The nuns cheered but Head Nun who had not said a word throughout this drama, stood up and said, "I'm going to lie down. My ears are hurting from all those crude and vulgar words from that woman. Please don't wake me until lunch time." Poor Head Nun! Ever since APK came to the temple, she had been under constant stress because of the nun's impulsive ways, and this latest incident added more fuel to the fire!
A few weeks later, we heard to our relief that APK's ex-boyfriend had left town in search of a new job. This was indeed good news and we were happy for APK.
"So all's well that ends well, APK," I said to her that evening. "You can now live your life as a nun in peace!"
She smiled but made no comment. Her silence made me wonder whether she had any regrets leaving her boyfriend......?
How come humans live such complicated and knotty lives? Why can't they be more simple, affectionate and loving like us cats ....?
With Metta,
Da
NING'S MEOW CORNER
Can humans be more like us cats? Sorry, no comment.
No comments:
Post a Comment