怜悯之母的生日惊喜和阿月 Mother Mercy’s birthday surprise and Ah Guek
那天是怜悯母的生日，我们跟住她家的阿月商量好，说教会祷告会结束后，趁骆驼小姐还有另一个会议时，我们先买好食物，带去她家，然后我们全部躲起来，等她回来，给她一个惊喜。。。
本来说好整群人躲在怜悯母的房间里的，但阿月说骆驼很抗拒别人看到她的房间，原因为何，我们虽然好奇也不敢乱问，只好胡乱猜测。。。
没办法，只好拿着蛋糕，躲在厨房外面的后院。。。来吧，任凭吸血蚊子来攻击我们也没有半句怨言，这就是我们伟大的爱，只为了带一点快乐给慈祥妈妈。。。
但我们面对一个大挑战，因为祷告会过后不去吃东西就回家对骆驼来说是绝对不能接受的。。。所以我们得想个好主意把她骗回家。。。
就编造故事说大家都去我家吃宵夜，但因阿月人不舒服就先回家了，然后阿月打电话告诉怜悯母，说她买了一些食物，但因人不舒服，只好麻烦怜悯母回家一趟把食物带去我家。。。
果然如我们所料，开了那么长的会议，怜悯母肚子已经很饿了，不能马上去吃，还要回来拿这阿月什么食物的！真的把她气疯了！怜悯母就在电话里以极度不怜悯的语气一路从教会不停骂可怜的阿月骂到家里去，也不顾及这样子开车有多危险。。。但这真的不能怪怜悯母，因为肚子饿的骆驼也是脾气坏的骆驼，再加上阿月又长了一副很需要被秋霖骂的脸。。。
一般上阿月被怜悯母骂，阿月都会哭得像水坝决堤，洪水泛滥不可收拾。。。可是今晚她一直告诉自己说“不能哭，不能哭，我一定要背起我的十字架，再被误解也要把快乐带给怜悯母”。。。一直这样说着、说着，就越发觉得自己很伟大，阿月就不哭了，甚至还被骂的超开心，有点殉道者的心理。。。从没看过阿月这么喜乐过。。。
安静！安静！怜悯母到门口了！我们憋住呼吸，躲在后院黑暗里。。。从阿月一开前门开始就听到怜悯母很不怜悯的又在骂阿月了。。。人家已经饿昏了，还要麻烦人家回来拿什么东西，怎么那么多事、那么麻烦？。。。一边骂，一边走进厨房。。。
我们突然间打开后门，拿着蛋糕唱“Happy birthday to you…”,骆驼整个人实实在在的跳起来，吓了一跳！是真的跳起来哦！
从刚才骂阿月的播道要转去惊喜快乐播道也不太容易，但她做到了！。。。只看到阿月偷偷拭去眼角的泪，嘴角喃喃自语说“一切都值得，一切都值得。。。”伟大牺牲的精神尽在不言中，有人注意到吗？没有，这感人一幕只有感性的我注意到，其他的人包括怜悯母在乎的只是“可以吃了！可以吃了！”。。。唉，真苦了阿月啊。。。
（ 以上的故事很多成分都是真的，但有一些部分只是为了戏剧效果，尤其是“感人”的成分，还有所谓怜悯母骂阿月也是夸大其词，搞笑罢了。谢谢！）
It was Mother Mercy’s birthday, we conspired with Ah Guek who lives in her house, that after the prayer meeting, while Miss Camel had another meeting, we would go buy the food first, bring to her place, then we would all hide till she came home to give her a surprise…
Our initial plan was to all hide in Mother Mercy’s bedroom, but Ah Guek said Camel is very resistant about people seeing her bedroom, for whatever reasons, though we were curious, we dared not simply ask, we could only make wild guesses…
No choice, we had to carry the cake and hide in the backtard outside the kitchen… oh come, blood-sucking mosquitoes, just come and attack us and there was not a single word of complaint, such is our great love, just to bring a little happiness to the kind mummy…
But we were faced with a great challenge, because it is something most unacceptable to Camel to go home straight without eating anything after the prayer meeting each time… so we have to come up with a good idea to trick her into coming home…
We came up with this story that everyone was going to my house for supper but Ah Guek had gone home first because she was not feeling well, then Guek called Merciful Mum to say she had bought some food for us all, but because she was not feeling well, she had to trouble Mercy to come home to get the food…
As expected, after such a long meeting, Mother Mercy was already very hungry, and yet she could not go and eat straight but to come home to take whatever food this Ah Guek had bought! Boy, was she angry! So Mother Mercy with her most merciless voice scolded Ah Guek over the phone all the way from church till home, not thinking how dangerous it was to drive like that… But we can’t totally blame her for that because a hungry camel is an angry camel indeed, plus Guek does have the asking-to-be-scolded-by-CL look…
Normally when Guek is scolded by Mercy, she would cry like a burst dam causing great floods that could not be stopped… But tonight she kept telling herself ” No, I must not cry, I must not cry, I must carry my cross, I must bring happiness to Mother Mercy even if I am greatly misunderstood”… As she repeatedly said that to herself, she started to feel how great she was and she did not feel like crying anymore, instead she was so happy to be scolded, feeling a bit like a martyr… never seen Guek so full of joy…
Silence! Silence! Mother Mercy is at the door! We all stopped breathing, hiding in the dark… Right from the point Guek opened the front door, we could hear Mother Mercy’s merciless scolding of Ah Guek again… I am already so hungry, why still trouble me to come home to get what food, why so troublesome?… she was scolding as she walked towards the kitchen…
We suddenly opened the back door, carrying the cake we sang ” Happy birthday to you…”, Camel literally jumped with fright, she really jumped!
It was not easy to quickly switch from the scolding Ah Guek channel to the happy and surprised channel, but she did it!… I noticed Ah Guek quietly wiped away the tears in the corner of her eye, mumbling to herself ” It’s worth it, it’s really worth it…” Such great sacrificial spirit was beyond words, did anyone notice that? No, such touching scene was only noticed by the very sensitive me… As for the others including Mother Mercy? They were only concerned about ” Let’s eat now! Let’s eat now!”… Sigh, poor Ah Guek…
( Many parts of the above story are true, but some are just for dramatic effects especially the “touching” moments, and also the part about Mercy scolding Guek was also exaggerated for comic effect. Thank you! )
骆驼受惊吓！。。。左边是谁的脚？
Camel shocked! … Whose leg was that on the left?
骆驼“收惊”。。。原来是阿月的脚，阿月笑的合不拢嘴。。。
Camel calming herself down… Oh, it’s Ah Guek’s leg, and Guek couldn’t stop laughing…
骆驼惊魂未定，阿月笑的合不拢嘴。。。
Camel still shocked, Guek couldn’t stop laughing…
骆驼魂不守舍，阿月笑的合不拢嘴。。。
Camel’s soul not returned yet, Guek couldn’t stop laughing…
骆驼还是失魂落魄，阿月还是笑的合不拢嘴。。。
Camel’s soul still wandering outside, Guek still couldn’t stop laughing…
看到以下食物，骆驼终于回神了。。。
Seeing the food below, Camel finally returned to normal…
大家还在祷告，骆驼已经预备要拿食物。。。
We were all still praying, Camel was getting ready to get some food…
有食物的地方就有Edwin（黄衣）。。。你看他嘴巴满满。。。
Where there is food, there is Edwin (yellow shirt)… Look at his very full mouth…
菲佣帮忙收拾。。。
Filipino maids helping out…
合家欢。。。（有没有注意到Ah Hen没有在当中？最近什么都不参与！义卖会啦，牧师生日啦，庆功宴啦。。。但我们昨晚还是去他老婆的生日。。。）
Happy family… ( Notice Ah Hen wasn’t there? Recently he just didn’t join anything! Food Fair, Pastor’s birthday, appreciation dinner,etc…but we still went to his wife’s birthday last night…)
穿青衣，帅帅的那个是笔者，右边两个例外人，左边阿月哭得红肿的眼睛。。。
The handsome guy in green shirt is the author, on the right two Remnant, left Guek’s swollen eyes from too much crying…
当然最高兴的莫过于怜悯之母，又名骆驼小姐，又名慈祥妈妈，真名郑秋霖。。。
Of course the happiest person was Mother Mercy aka Miss Camel aka Kind Mummy, real name Tay Chiew Ling…
