The Potluck

John’s parents had six children, three sons and three daughters.  The father used to talk to them during dinner time; he was a very fair and justifiable person. He gave the society six children at an equally distributed among the sexes.  Three boys and three girls, no gain and no lose, boys after married, they brought in three girls. Girls after married there went off three girls.

The Chinese community here or any other place, they are practicing the same traditions. Boys are responsible to take care of their parents.  Girls after married, they have to take care of their husbands’ parents.

Both the parents passed away, John the eldest talked to his younger brothers and sisters at one of the occasion when they were together.  John “Since our parents passed away, the last time we all met and be together, it was six months ago” Jessie the forth eldest sister “Yeah, it is truly quite some time ago, at time, I do felt that we were not so close as what we were before” John “I do share the same feeling, there are times, it just pop up in my mind, what happen to you all?  what were you all doing? What happened to all my nieces and nephews?”

A routine potluck was suggested and accepted by all the brothers and sisters, best of all, all the in laws were also subscribed to it. It was agreed that there would be once a month, one session of potluck be held. It would on a rotation basis, each month one of the house of one the families would become a host and a gathering place for all.  The hosting family would prepared main course for the dinner, other family would bring along one course for the dinner. It was to reduce the heavy burden of kitchen jobs for all six families of about thirty members of the day of gathering.

The potluck was conducted for more than ten years and never failed.  There were conversations, exchanges of each other recent situation and activities for the month, releasing information to each other, information of useful related interests, economic situation, and news of related interests and jokes of the day if any. Most of all, they would play mahjong, the traditional Chinese table game for three or members a game. It was a saying, playing the traditional Chinese table game of mahjong.  It was a good medicine of prevention of getting old and diseases of old age. Is there any truth? It may be, because they are all happy whenever they were together and happiness is medicine to all diseases.

The Living hall, they are in laws watching movies, a group of their children were playing toys game, and another group was playing electronic games.  There were groups making conversion and joking to each other, outside the front house’s garden.

There was a mahjong room, two tables of three members playing at each table. John “hold it, hold it, I have full house” he opened his set of mahjong cube cards and continued “Pay up, pay up, I have twenty doubles and self drawn cube card, it is double wins, two ringgits multiply by two, four ringgits each of you” Hanson gave four ringgit unwillingly “Something is fishing, our big brother, the whole night was wining” Jessie “You are the youngest but not necessary a sure win every time you play. The last time you had won most” Jessie was playing at another table with two sisters in laws. The second eldest brother “The whole night I was quietly to wait for the God Of Luck to come back to me and you all making noises and chased away my Good Luck God” He continued “shut up” Laughed by all

John won again; Hanson stood up “It is not possible, it is incredible, I got to go to toilet, releasing bad luck into toilet bowl” a burst of laughter by all. The second eldest brother followed and stood up “He is using black magic to usher the Lucky God, I also needed to go to toilet to do something” John joined them “You all are doing one way or another for a change, needless to say I do have to maintain the good luck charm to be with me”

The rotation continued it was Jessie’s turn; there were three tables for mahjong players.  There were two groups of players. The family members and outsiders, John was playing with family members. He never played with outsiders; he was a principled man and never changed.

One of the outsider “Your brother is very fantastic, all these years never changed, play only for the common pool” he continued “what is the fun? Wining but no bets in pocket, all belong to the common pool” John Tan, the Tan family had a common pool, all wining bets were deposited into the pool. The fund of the pool would be used for family travelling, family outing for dinners, high tea and others.

There were occasions; outsider would join them for the monthly potluck and gathering.  They would played the Mahjong with the Tan family and wining bets belong to them, Tan family or outsiders. John would never play with them, taking bets into one’s pockets. It was not a game, it was a gambling. It was John’s belief, one’s fun, happiness, and joys were needed to be tempted by money. It was not a true feeling of joys and of anything.

Next Topic (8)  Pasar Pagi (Morning Market)

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