In the Beginning…

 My mother Ah Thiew was born in George Town, Penang during the Japanese occupation of Malaya. This is a creative reconstruction of the night of her birth, based on the stories she was told by her own mother Yew Choy.

Church Street was eerily silent, a stark contrast to the hustle bustle of barely a few hours ago. Under the dim glow of the street lamp, Thoong Foo glanced worriedly at his neighbour walking next to him as they made their way back to King Street. Catching his frown, she tried to quicken her pace but she knew she had to match the quietness of their surroundings. It wouldn’t do to get caught breaking the night curfew; just last week a man from a few streets away had been shot in the back by patrolling soldiers, no questions asked.

Recalling the incident, Thoong Foo felt a chill run through him despite the stiflingly warm night.  If they were stopped, would the Japanese soldiers give him enough time to explain why he was out so late at night? Would he be able to tell them that his pregnant wife had gone into labour just after dinner and that he needed to fetch the zap maa – midwife –  from the next street?

Thoong Foo had brought his neighbour along with him, in hopes that the soldiers wouldn’t shoot a couple without notice. Safety in numbers, he tried to reassure himself as he looked at the zap maa shuffling on his right. She was struggling to keep up with them, hampered by the large basket on her arm.

The three of them soon arrived back at King Street. Thoong Foo nodded a quick thanks to his neighbour as he ushered the midwife through his front door.  Stepping into his home, he let out his breath, feeling his shoulders relax. They had arrived just in time, as they found Yew Choy standing hunched over a chair, gripping its back and breathing hard, her face pale from advanced labour. The zap maa helped Yew Choy onto her bed before she began unpacking her basket, laying out everything she needed to deliver the baby.

In the late hours of that April evening in 1943, Yew Choy gave birth to their first daughter Ah Thiew.  She would be their third child, joining her older brothers Ah Kau Toi and Ah Swee in the family.


Photo by Janko Ferlič on Unsplash



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