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The tab.

Article Excerpt
IT HAD BEEN ONE OR perhaps two hours since Mother went away. Ling retraced her steps down Huoping Road before midnight. For a long time, Mother had threatened to leave for good whenever she had fights with Father. This was the first time she actually did.

Ling had followed with tired eyes. She had stopped to smell the red bean pastries when a passing hawker asked if she wanted to buy a fresh-baked moon cake. Her stomach grumbled like an empty can for she had not eaten enough porridge for dinner. "No, thank you," she said, knowing she had no money to pay for the treat. That was the moment she lost sight of her mother at the bus station.

Ling was mad for being tempted. She slapped her eyelids for not watching, her ears for not listening, her palm for not finishing the chores on time, and her forehead for not memorizing her multiplication tables. Her self-punishment still was not enough. Ling sat down on a curb and buried her face in her hands. Why did she leave me? Why did she do this to me? Has she forgotten about me? Tears ran down her cheeks.

Then, for a moment, Ling felt relieved for she no longer needed to endure violent fights about money between Mother and Father. No more yelling, shouting, punching, and curse words--Bitch, Whore, Prostitute. No more broken dinner plates, pots, tables, and chairs to fix or pick up. No more sticky rice thrown on the floor, wasted and waiting for Ling to wipe up. No more shredded pieces of Mother's wedding gown and cheongsam in the trash bin. No more orders on when, what, or how to do her chores. More time for staying up late, playing cards, and reading comic books at Hin-Hwa Bookstore. On Friday nights, she could watch "Little House on the Prairie" by Lily Chew's big living room window. She wiped the tears off her cheeks and slowly felt the burden lifting. A stray dog wandered up to sniff her and then growled as it moved away. Was the dog hungry or just sad? There was no time for questions. In a few hours it would be morning. Ling stood up and took quick steps under a dim street light toward her house.

"Wake up, you little pun-tua-kweil!" Father kicked Ling in her sleep. "Go to Kedai Sim and get me two bottles of beer." His belly hung over the...

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