Void Deck Incident

By SY
“Checkmate!” The old man announced with pride.

It was the first time after so many rounds that he had managed to beat his friend, Mr Wong. Mr Lim and Mr Wong were seated at the void deck, playing a traditional game—chess. Mr Lim, dressed in a black shirt and a pair of trousers with a head of wavy hair, was in a good mood. A string of happy events was happening to him unexpectedly. Firstly, he had picked up a two-dollar note on the floor earlier that day. Then, he had won the game. He whistled cheerfully as he picked his cup of orange juice and wanted to quench his roaring thirst. Unfortunately, all these good events were about to come to an end……

“Hey! Let’s see if you can catch it!” A loud, mischievous voice boomed across void deck. Two boys were playing a game of football despite the fact that a big sign plastered on the wall indicated that no playing of football at the void deck was allowed. One of the boys raised his left foot, aimed at the ball and kicked it high up into the air with all his might. The other boy flung his arms up and tried to reach for the ball, but it seems to be miles away. The ball, like moving in slow motion, flew across their play area, and was about to hit Mr Lim right on the head.

“Beware!” A policeman in neat and crisp uniform appeared from behind the pillar and shouted out to Mr Lim.

Mr Lim was taken aback. He dropped his cup of orange juice and took a step back from his seat. Unfortunately, he did not look where he was going and almost crashed into a plump lady who was carrying a cake box. She was also carrying a basket of apples and some of them dropped onto the ground. However, she was too pre-occupied in carrying the cake and maintaining her balance to notice the apples that had dropped.

The ball landed on the chair Mr Lim had been sitting on and bounced away, hitting Mr Wong on the arm, before dropping onto the floor.

“Ouch!” He winced and turned to look at the boy. Mr Wong turned as red as beetroot as he stared at the boys with feisty eyes, as if he was going to punch the boys.

“Aiyoh! Ah Boy ah, quick go and say sorry to the two uncles!” A grandmother, seated at the bench some distance away, ordered in broken English.

The boys turned white with guilt and immediately rushed over to pick up their ball. Looking at the two men’s bewildered and angry expressions, they knew they were in hot soup. Seething with rage, Mr Lim and Mr Wong approached them menacingly. After letting out a mighty bellow, Mr Wong glared at them with displeasure. Mr Lim seemed to have grown an inch taller; while on the other hand, the two boys seemed to have shrunk to ant-size.

At this juncture, the policeman walked over and decided to step in. He stared a long lecture on being considerate to other people and about abiding by the rules. He pointed to the sign and questioned the two boys sarcastically, “Are you blind? Can’t you see the sign?”

The two boys nodded their heads in embarrassment. The two boys then offered an apology to Mr Lim and Mr Wong which they accepted. The boys also helped to pick up the lady’s apples and apologised again. She had been fuming about their inconsiderate way but she contained her anger. Moreover, the boys had to clean up the orange juice that had spilled onto the ground.

Shortly after everyone had regained their composure, the policeman and the lady left the void deck. The two old men started a new game of chess, while the boys followed their grandmother home in shame and with a lesson learnt the hard way.