After I returned from the hill temple, Head Nun thought it only befitting to reciprocate Chief Nun's kindness and extended an invitation to her and her nuns to visit us any time they liked. About a month later, we heard from Chief Nun who asked whether we could accommodate Ah Moi Kor as she needed a break after having worked so hard at the temple. She would be accompanied by Lotus who would take care of her. We of course readily agreed; Head Nun was also very interested to meet Ah Moi Kor, the nun with the sullen face, whom she had heard so much about from me. So it was all arranged and one morning, Ah Ying, who seems to be the temple's Grab driver, brought the two ladies to our temple.
As soon as they arrived, an excited Lotus rushed towards me and gave me a big hug. Oh it was so good to see her again! As for Ah Moi Kor, she was, as usual, cold and indifferent. I introduced her to Head Nun who greeted her warmly and whisked her away for some refreshments. Ah Ying was all too eager to show Ah Moi Kor some of the popular sights of our city during her week's stay with us but to our surprise, the latter said she was not interested in sight seeing and preferred to remain in the temple doing her prayers and meditation. Moreover she forbade Lotus to go anywhere and instructed her to help out with the kitchen chores. I could see Lotus was rather disappointed but that didn't get her down, she was soon cheerfully bustling around helping out here and there. She in fact got on very well with the nuns who took an instant liking to her.
One evening, I took Lotus for a stroll through Head Nun's garden to view her orchids and bougainvillea which she had personally grown. I suppose it's really none of my business but when I was at the hill temple, I had noticed that Ah Moi Kor was very strict with Lotus and was always breathing down her neck. My curiosity prompted me to ask Lotus why the old nun is so harsh towards her.
Lotus smiled and said, "She's my superior and she's correcting me for my own benefit." She stopped suddenly and to my surprise wiped a tear from her eyes.
"I'm sorry for prying, Lotus," I said, regretting my nosiness. "Please forgive me for upsetting you, let's not talk about it any more."
"No, no, it's alright, Vege Cat. Let me tell you the whole story," said Lotus. "You're my good friend and I don't want to hide anything from you. You see, when I was 15, I overheard Ah Moi Kor and Chief Nun talking. You'll probably be shocked to hear this but to cut a long story short ... Ah Moi Kor was deserted by her lover many years ago when he found out that she was expecting his baby."
I was indeed shocked. I couldn't imagine Ah Moi Kor having had an affair when she was young. She certainly didn't look the type!
Lotus continued, "She had no money to take care of the baby girl, so she entrusted her to Chief Nun so that the nuns could look after her. She swore Chief Nun to secrecy and the nuns were told that the baby been abandoned near the temple. Chief Nun later gave her a job in the temple to help her out and subsequently she became a nun."
Lotus paused here, looked at me and said softly, "I was that baby."
Another shock for me! Seeing the look on my face, Lotus said, "It's a cruel world out there, Vege Cat, some of us are born lucky, others not so lucky. Sadly, all these years she has never found it in her heart to forgive her boyfriend. Every time she looks at me, I remind her of him and that's why she's so angry. I don't bear her any grudge, in fact all I want is for her to be happy and to see her smile again."
"I'm so sorry, Lotus, but does she know YOU know she's your mother?" I asked.
Lotus shook her head. "No, she doesn't. I don't want to cause any trouble for Chief Nun, so it's better I keep quiet. I can only pray for the day when she will forgive my father and recognise me as her daughter."
Before we could say any more, we heard a loud commotion coming from the chicken coop in the backyard. We hurried there and saw Bruce Lee and a number of roosters and hens gathered under one of the trees there.
"I'm alright, I'm alright, MAMA," whispered Lotus.
I heard Ah Moi Kor gasp, then she stammered, "You ... you know?"
Lotus nodded. More tears as the mother cradled her daughter in her arms and asked for forgiveness. It was a most touching scene. I left the room quietly, they would need some time together to catch up on all those years they had lost. When they later emerged from the room hand in hand, I saw for the first time a lovely smile on Ah Moi Kor's face.
A few months after mother and daughter left for home, we heard the good news that a suitor had asked for the hand of Lotus in marriage and Ah Moi Kor had given her consent as the young man was from a respectable family who had their own family business.
"So all's well that ends well," I said to Head Nun over supper one evening.
Head Nun nodded, then said, "You know, I think that sly old fox (meaning Chief Nun) purposely sent Ah Moi Kor and Lotus to us so that we could solve their problem."
"And so we did!" I exclaimed, grinning. Then I don't know what made me suddenly think of Chief Nun's "magic mirror".
"Head Nun, do you have a magic mirror?" I asked curiously, remembering how she often she seems to know about everything even though nobody has told her.
"A magic mirror?"
"Well, Chief Nun says she has one, so I thought you may have one too."
Head Nun smiled, patted my head and said, "Chief Nun may have one, but I have YOU, my own dear Vege Cat."
Well, I guess I'll never get the answer to my question.....
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