A woman of substance 2: Mdm Leong Soong Foong

I was excited for 2 days. I finally got to meet Mdm Leong who in my head is LEONG SIN SAN aka Leong Teacher. A term the students used to refer to their teachers. SIN mean first, and SIN SAN literally means the person who walk ahead of you.

We reminisced about Mum and Dad. We both remembered Dad during his traveling duties, how he would stay at Mr. Teo's house when he was in Bintangnor. Dad was giving accommodation allowance, yet he chose to stay with Mr. Teo. When I asked Dad why? Dad replied he and Mr Teo were very good friends. Mdm Leong said when Dad was with Mr. Teo, he would call Mdm Leong to tell her Dad was with him. (Mdm Leong remained in Sibu.)

There was a lot to catch up, and I told her I would come and visit again. I gave her my book which has Dad's and Mum's photo. We promised to email.

Mdm Leong is also a teacher of ESOL in her church in Auckland. And she is a bereaved mother. One of her sons died when he was 10 years old. It makes me feel fuzzy inside. There is something special between us, even though she is over 80 years old.

I am sure it is by no coincidence that her daughter in law, Siew Lian was my colleague for a short time, and we connected via facebook and I should message her 3 days ago. The last time I saw Siew Lian was in September 1975 when I went to Canada. It is a tapestry designed by God.