April 9th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
Hello, Auntie!
Yesterday, while my sister and I were doing some marketing at the supermarket, an old lady in her late 50s with a head full of white hair approached us.
“Auntie!”
My sister and I looked at each other and went on to choose some ginger.
“Auntie ah!”
Then we followed the sound from our back and saw the old lady.
“Auntie, can you help me to see this bread ah? When is the expiry date?”
I was already offended when she called me auntie and she had to repeat it so many times.
“Your head is full of white hair and have a wrinkly face like an old prune and you dare to call the young, vivacious ladies, Auntie???!! Where is your common sense???!!!”
Of course I didn’t say that. I respect senior citizen, irregardless how annoying they are at times.
I hesitantly pointed to the tag and told her, 12th April.
She walked away after saying thank you.
I looked at my sis and started to bitch away.
“Yao mou kao chor??? Call us auntie! She is already has 1/3 of her body in coffin and she calls us auntie!”
Of course I didn’t say such words lah. My heart cursed silently only. Actually, my aunt once told me – the coffin contains dead people and not old people. I am merely expressing contempt. Geram betul.
As we were lining up to get some freebies at the Customer Service counter, there she was again. She slowly flipped her purse open and I saw a picture of her when she was young. You know, those very nicely studio pictures like my mom’s.
I guess not everyone would grow old gracefully. Some people just cannot accept growing old.
My dad, too. Once he went to have his passport photographs taken, he scolded the photographer for taking such an old picture of him and he insisted the person in the photo is not him. He didn’t know and couldn’t accept that he had aged so much.
Seriously, I have no problem if children calling me auntie, but not by someone who is older than me by a quarter century!
And come to think of it, I did very auntie things too – shopping for groceries and comparing prices.. and buying things to get some freebies like getting bowls or glasses. Omigod! Memang Auntie! Actually, I cannot blame her entirely also. Both of us were wearing our uniform which look like pajamas.