Chocolate and Biscuit Hospital The strong smell of the anti-bacterial solution suffocated Hoi Ting as she stepped out of the lift. Hoi Ting had always hated hospitals, in particular, Queen Mary Hospital. She was brought into this world in this hospital. It was also the place where her mother left the world on the same day she was born. Her grandfather also passed away in this hospital when she was nine, due to lung cancer. The scene of nurses and doctors donning protective protective gear did not make her feel better at all. But no one could blame them. The SARS epidemic was only 6 months ago.
Block K, intensive care unit-She could not be wrong. That was the exact room where her grandfather died. Today, however, she came to visit her father who just underwent surgery to remove a tumor.
She once asked her Auntie Yan Shueng,” Is cancer contagious?’ ‘That, you will have to worry until you are old.’ Was her reply. 'Maybe when you're Yan Ming's age.' (Yan Ming is Hoi Ting's father. Auntie Yan Shueng is his elder sister)
This was the routine Hoi Ting took daily after school for the past two weeks. She would come alone and her hands would be empty because the day at school was so busy. Usually, she would study in the ward until the visiting hours were up. And it seemed that this routine would continue for a long time to come. Her father’s condition was not improving. However, her father was not complaining. The few hours of conversation with his only child was warm enough.
‘Hoi Ting, your mid year examinations are coming soon. Stop visiting me and spend more time studying at Auntie Yan Sheung’s place.’ ‘Why? I’m doing fine in school. And… And the hospital is still along the way to her place. It’s convenient for me right?” ( Hoi Ting is lying. Both Auntie Yan Shueng and Hoi Ting stay in the same block at Wong Chuk Hang estate. Hoi Ting studies at Rosaryhill school in Wanchai. A visit to the hospital is a major detour.)
‘Just do as I say…’
Tears started to roll down her face.
“Come on…don’t cry…’ he patted her head gently and passed her a box of Lotte Koala Biscuits (樂天熊仔餅) ‘ You like them don’t you. Remember not to eat them in one go! If not you’ll get a fat and you won’t be pretty!’ he joked
Hoi Ting wiped the tears off her face and broke into a bitter smile.
‘mm!’ she nodded.
This box of Koala biscuits would last her a long time. Auntie Yan Shueng had been working hard to foot her brother’s hospital bills. Despite the government subsidies she still struggled to make ends meet.
‘Auntie Yan Shueng!! Do you want some Koala Biscuit?” Hoi Ting said cheerfully as she entered the door of their apartment. ‘Keep them for yourself. It’s been some time since you last ate them.=)’ ‘Yes Auntie!’
Hoi Ting popped the first biscuit into her mouth. The biscuit layer cracked open as soon as they came into contact with her teeth and the chocolate oozed out, spilling out all over her mouth. Within a few milliseconds, the sweetness filled her mouth and all her senses. She had never felt this good for a long time. Images started to flash back into her mind as she stared out of the window.
Imperfection
Hoi Ting never knew how it felt to have maternal love. She never had it in the first place. The only love she knew was from her father. He used to work as an administrative officer at the immigration department. Life was not so bitter. Everyday, her father would pick her up from school and take the bus home together. Ever so often, he would buy her a box of Koala biscuits from the store below their apartment block. She also made it a habit to pop a few biscuits into her mouth before she started studying. She believed the sugar helped in her concentration. Most importantly, it made her happy. That was when she was in primary school. Even at the age of fourteen, her father still loves her. But life became more bitter ever since he was diagnosed with colorectal cancer and heart disease. His cancer made it impossible to work and he was forced to retire. The cost of his medical bills started to pile up and soon their wealth started to dwindle quickly. His sister, Yan Shueng saw their plight and offered to look after Hoi Ting while he received treatment. (Yan Shueng is single) However, Yan Shueng was not rich either. She worked as a journalist for a magazine and her pay was not sufficient to carry the burden
The Sin
The stress of examinations was taking its toll on her. Hoi Ting’s performance dropped partly due to her routine. She used to be the top ten in her level. She dropped to the top twenty-fifth. She had finished her box of Koala biscuits faster than expected. The desire for comfort was irresistible. Unfortunately she had run out of cash.
After school, she passed by the store again. Knowing she did not have money, she still went to the shelf, and took a box of Koala biscuits. She cheekily walked up to the store owner, Ming Suk (Uncle Ming).
‘Ming Suk! How much does one box cost?’ She smiled. ‘Six fifty.’ “ Oh no.. I think I did not bring enough cash. I’ll put it back then..’ ‘Alright..’
She walked back to the shelf. But instead of putting it back on the shelf, she placed it into her bag. Ming Suk did not spot her because his vision of the shelf was blocked by the refrigerator.
Back in her room, Hoi Ting popped the biscuit into her mouth. The taste was the same but there was one more additional flavour to it- guilt.
Forgiveness
Six months have passed and Hoi Ting’s father was finally discharged from the hospital. He was still weak but he could at least perform most of his daily functions. This also boosted Hoi Ting’s morale and her grades improved. Her level position went back to the top ten in her promotional examinations to Form 3.
On the last day of school for the school year, Hoi Ting saw a silhouette she had not seen for a long time at the school gate. Her father stood there, no longer as strong as he used to be, but still the same person that brought her up.
‘Daddy!’ she shouted. She did not care about how other people thought she looked. Her childhood sprang back on her and she jumped on him and hugged him. It was embarrassing but that was the warmest feeling she ever had.
The pair, father and daughter walked pass the store again. On the front of the store hung a sign which said: Last Sale-Closing Down on 16 Jul 2004.
This moment in time brought back a flavour she did not want to taste again- guilt. The two walked into the store and her father headed for the shelf and handed a box of Koala Biscuits into her hand. Upon reaching the counter, Hoi Ting promptly handed fifty dollars to Ming Suk.
Ming Suk stared at her puzzled. ‘One box is only six dollars. Why fifty?’
Silence…
‘Ming Suk… sorry….did you remember the other day I asked you how much one box cost? I did not put it back on the shelf…I took it…so…here’s my compensation for you’
Her eyes turned red.
‘If you want to report me…please do so…’
Hoi Ting closed her eyes and stretched out her arms as if they were to be hand-cuffed. Tears started trolling down her cheeks.
Ming Suk broke the silence and laughed, ‘Ah….silly girl…actually the last time I knew what you were up to. But all the while you have not been troubling me like the other kids so I took it as a treat for you.’
Ming Suk handed Hoi Ting a tissue..
‘Good that you have the strength to admit your mistakes! Here, take back $38 change as a reward for admitting your wrong-doing.’
‘Just make sure you don’t commit this sin again. You were really brave.’ Her father patted her head. ‘You are really like your mother.’
Back in their apartment, Hoi Ting popped the biscuit into her mouth. This time, the chocolate was pure and untainted.
Simple pleasures can be an indulgence if your mind is free.
Yan Ming looked at his daughter indulging in her snack. Her determination reminised that of his wife. He wondered how life would be if she was still alive. However he did not blame his daughter. She had the right to come to this world. His wife's spirit lived in her.
Three uneventful years have passed since Hoi Ting’s father was discharged. His cancer had stabilized but he was still relying on medications to maintain his condition. Hoi Ting did well for her HKCEE and continued to do her F5 and F6 (Junior College in Singapore) at Rosaryhill School. Their family also moved from Wong Chuk Hang to Shek Pai Wan in early 2008 because the estate was going to be demolished for a new MTR line. In May 2008 came Hoi Ting’s HKALE(equivalent to GCE A levels) exams. After the exams, she worked in school doing administrative duty to earn more money to support her father’s medical bills.
Tenth July
Tenth July 2008 began like any other Thursday. Hoi Ting was turning nineteen. That day, she took a day off her duty to pay her respects to her mother, a regular routine she had been doing every year.
Wo Hup Shek cemetery was peaceful as usual. The summer breeze ruffled the grass around the grave. Hoi Ting laid the flowers and joss sticks she brought to rest and started cutting away the excess grass that had grown onto the grave. The mid-day sun started to warm up the ground.
The serenity was rudely disturbed with her hand phone vibration.
‘What?! Ok…I’ll come to the hospital right now.’
Hoi Ting rushed down the concrete path and hailed a taxi.
‘Queen Mary Hospital. I want it fast,’
Her father had just suffered a heart attack and Auntie Yan Shueng had called for an ambulance. From the urgency of her voice, his condition was not promising.
Hoi Ting dashed to the lift as soon as she reached the hospital, pushing aside everyone in her way. Auntie Yan Shueng was standing outside the ward when she reached.
The solemn expression on her face explained everything. There was no need for conversation for Hoi Ting to understand. Tears rushed down her face as she dived into her aunt’s arms. Chocolate and Biscuit
Tenth July 2009. The summer sun scorched the HKU (University of Hong Kong) campus. Hoi Ting strolled dreamily down the steps outside HKU student’s Union. Her bag was full of presents from her friends and her face was oily after all the whipped cream that went on her face during her birthday bashing inside. She had done exceptionally well in her HKALE and was given a scholarship at HKU. Preparations for O-Camp were underway and her duties as an OGL were just beginning. But the afternoon of her birthdays are always reserved for something more personal. This year had a double amount of importance. The vibration from her hand phone woke her from her daze.
“Hello? I’m leaving school already. Fanling MTR? Ok..’
The joss sticks and flowers were laid to rest next to the two graves. Hoi Ting muttered a prayer as she placed the joss sticks. A teardrop slowly oozed out of her closed eyes. When she opened her eyes, she saw a hexagonal box right in front of her face.
‘Hey! Take one! =)’ Auntie Yan Shueng smiled as she tore open the box.
The aroma of chocolate filled Hoi Ting’s mouth again. Every bite on each biscuit was like one explosion of goodness after another. This cycle suddenly stopped when she bit open a biscuit with a manufacturing defect- there was no chocolate inside. The taste was blend and tasteless.
‘Hey, this biscuit has no chocolate in it,’ She muttered randomly. ‘Have you ever wondered why Koala Biscuits need to have chocolate inside?’ asked her aunt.
It did not take long for Hoi Ting to figure out.
The biscuit is an imperfect comfort food. Biscuits smell nice when freshly baked but once they cool, the attractiveness of their aroma dwindles quickly. They are also blend and tasteless when compared to chocolate. Chocolate on the other hand has the opposite of biscuits. It has a strong aroma and the sweetness in it fills the person who eats it happiness. The combination of these two opposing ingredients created the popular snack that many children (and people with a child’s heart) enjoy.
‘Hoi Ting, your life is imperfect. So is mine. But have you noticed that there are also perfections in your life?’
Hoi Ting thought for a while. It was true, no doubt her family was imperfect, but she at least had a loving and responsible father who once nurtured her into the person she came to be. Even though he was no longer with her, she still had an aunt and her friends to turn to. Furthermore she had an intelligent brain which made her academic life much smoother than people her age. These were the little perfections in her life that made her life colourful.
Today
The evening of fifth September 2009 was peaceful as usual at HKU Starr Hall. The term for year two had just started and the sun was setting over the distant silhouette of Lantau Island. Hoi Ting lay on her bed in her hall room, munching away on a box of Koala Biscuits.
‘Tseng Hoi Ting, why do you always eat Koala biscuits?’ asked her hall-mate curiously ‘Want one?’ Hoi Ting laughed
Her 20 years of existence could be briefly summarized into the little Koala shaped biscuit.
End =)
Postscript: This story contains 2 themes-Forgiveness (represented by Yan Ming, Hoi Ting’s father) and imperfection (Auntie Yan Shueng). The story on Sins was inspired by a Chinese book I came across quite long ago. In 2006 I think. All of us commit sins throughout our daily lives knowingly or unknowingly. But many of us fail to face them bravely to seek of forgiveness. Without this bravery, we will never be forgiven and never be able to change for the better. The imperfection and Koala Bears are an original creation from me =D All of us are born with imperfections and perfections. These opposing factors complement each other to make each of us beautiful. How we see them depends on our perspective. But no matter what, the chocolate and biscuit in our lives makes it colourful. So hope this story brightens your day and brings a bit of warmth to our hectic lives. =)
And for those of you who were speculating….the drawings were for this story =D haha! Sorry…no scandal !!! =D
Weather infornmation is provided by the Hong Kong observatory.
This story was concepted in Chinese. So sorryif the phrasing sounds wierd.
Here’s some irrelevent information Hoi Ting was born on 10/07/1989 Her mother died during her delivery due to a complication She was 28 Yan Ming was born on 26/03/1960 and passed away on 10/07/2008. Auntie Yan Shueng was born on 03/04/1958. She decided to stay a spinster all her life.
