Sai Kang had deeply regretted joining the infamous gang, "369". He did all the "dirty" work his superiors ordered him to do, without complaint or displeasure, before he was put behind bars after being caught for drug trafficking. But no more was the fiercely loyal and the unafraid-of-anything Zuo Sai Kang. Now, the new Sai Kang vowed to turn over a new leaf and start afresh with his wife after his release, promising himself that he would be reborn as a new man.
The few days before Sai Kang's freedom crawled closer and closer, but inevitably, it came.
As he stepped out of Changi Prison, Sai Kang inhaled a deep breath of the "free man's air". He gazed up upon the blue sky, as though he had never seen it for 25 years. He had seen the sky when he was in prison, but this time, he saw it like never before when he was in prison. Sai Kang was hypnotised by the beauty of the "free man's sky", and he stood rooted to the ground, oblivious to his surroundings. Until a crow soared past above him and dropped a "bomb". The bird's dropping missed him by a few inches, to his surprise.
"Wah, this is going to be a very lucky day for me." Sai Kang grinned, avoiding the dropping as he walked past it.
Sai Kang strolled leisurely to the bus stop as instructed by a kind prison officer, and boarded the bus number 174. He examined the EZ-link card reader machine with interest, until the bus captain told him that he was blocking the entrance to the bus. How times have changed, he thought quietly. They even have air-conditioning in here! Sai Kang got himself a seat on the upper deck of the bus, as he had never seen it 25 years ago. Finally, he was going to be able to see his wife and daughter, as a free man.
Follwing a crumpled piece of paper with the address to his wife's house, Sai Kang arrived at the doorstep of his destination. I am finally home, he smiled to himself, rapping his knuckles on the beautifully furnished wooden door, through a fancy metal grille.
Sai Kang was greeted by a young lady who seemed very familiar to him.
"Ah Girl?" Sai Kang uttered in disbelief.
"Daddy? Is it really you?"repiled the young lady, also finding it hard to believe that man was her father. She had only seen this man in photos her mother had shown her, being told that this man did anything to give her and her mother a good life, in exchange for his freedom and pride.
The young lady twisted open the lock and pulled open the doors to let Sai Kang in. It was a spacious condominium unit with designer furniture all over. He definitely did not know there was such luxury nowadays. His Candy was now a well-to-do businesswoman happily married to a local who work overeas frequently. Sai Kang sat on the L-shaped leather sofa with his daughter and they started chatting. But no one said a word and just looked at each other.
Sai Kang attempted to break the ice by asking, " How's your mother doing?" Candy hesitated for awhile, then replied his question so softly that he could only hear the breeze from the window.
"What is it?" Sai Kang inquired.
"She's dead. Ten years ago." Candy repeated, this time much more audible. She was looking at the marble flooring, hoping to avoid her father's gaze.
What Sai Kang hears dealt a huge and painful blow to him. Tears that was never shed for forty years fell onto Sai Kang's lap. He tried all his best to regain himself, to ask another question.
" So, what about you...?" Sai Kang asked nervously, hoping not to create another moment of painful silence. But he heaved a silent sigh of relief when he heard that things were going well for his daughter. As they started talking casually with no tension at all, a question popped into Sai Kang's head: where was he going to stay. He did not want to trouble his daughter, so he pushed that question to the back of his head.
