Glorious Monday It Was Not

I woke up in a jolt early morning to sounds of screaming and shouting. My neighbours' 14 year old kid was screaming at his 80++ old grandma who I affectionately refer to as PoPo, which means grandma in chinese. I had a kinda major gastric attack yesterday, and I was feeling very tired. I think the MSG frm the vegetarian chinese fried rice I had for lunch at 3pm did me in.

I am not chinese but I hv picked up some words hear and there in Mandarin n Cantonese, so as the fuzziness cleared I got the gist of the argument as the young man screamed in Mandarin was about money. I kinda felt sorry for the silently listening PoPo who I really adore. She is an interesting character but she hardly understands a word I speak to her. Sometimes, when I see her walking slowly hunched and bent going about her gardening and cleaning, I wonder would I end up like her one day?

Well Monday had been a crazy day because I had left the water bills unpaid for months, and yesterday the water supply got cut of. I rushed to the department and paid half the sum and got running water again. The rest of the amount, I will pay monthly on time I promised. This is the 2nd time the water got cut of this year.

Then 2 am as I was doubling up in my gastric stomach pain unable to move, my cell phone rang. It was one of my crazy uncles calling. Can you imagine 2 am? I was in no mood to listen to their yellings yet and I switched the phone off. This uncle, Uncle Bas likes to drink at nights and I was in no mood to get into an argument with a drunk especially with the pain I was having.

As I said Monday had been a bad day for me. Uncle Bas had earlier sent an older gentleman living nearby to give me an earful on my supposed disrespectful behavior on dodging my relatives. The man started lecturing me loudly on the porch on how I must respect my father's brothers and how they had been very good to me. My neighbours started to come out and stare upon hearing the loud voice yesterday Monday morning surprised as I always stay quiet. I was shaken by the time the guy left as I cannot stand arguments and shoutings, and after that I come across my water supply being cut off. Glorious Monday it certainly was not.

One of these days, I wish for the strength and confidence to face my relatives and tell them off. I kept thinking of what they put me through all these years, and I wish I have the guts to question them on why they treated me so badly. I tried to last December facing but they are difficult people to talk to and make it appear as if I am being ungrateful. I think if my father had been alive, I never had to go through these crap with his brothers.

P.S. Thanks Abbagirl and Cheryl for the comments below. I had tried to answer some of Cheryl's questions below, and other questions I will try to update in another post or so.