NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH
The lads were trapped and they knew only too well that the old man would not give up easily. Highly intoxicated, they were not in any mood to compromise their freedom which meant finding a way out of the tight situation they were in. The only way out of the neighbourhood was blocked by a gutsy old man, and that man was Steven Ng Teen Cheong.
It was a classic OK Corral showdown once again, but instead of Marshal Wyatt Earp of Tombstone, Arizona, packing a six-shooter firearm, it was Steven Ng, the Sheriff of the Rukun Tetangga or citizens beat base of SS 25, PJ, armed with only a broken tree branch and packing raw guts.
The motorbike engine revved furiously like it was getting ready for a flag off in a motorcycle drag race, but instead, it was only to warn Steven Ng, that he was standing in harm’s way if he did not pack it in, make like a tree and leaf. The boys on the bike were notoriously familiar in Steven’s neighbourhood; they have been snatching handbags and committing petty crimes for some time now. On the other hand, the RT Marshall was also well known and feared because he had foiled many of their previous attempts. They knew that he was not going to allow them to pass without putting up a fight and time was not on their side because they knew that the Police were on their way, therefore they had to either vanish into thin air or ram into the persistent one man nuisance barricade.
I have seen many people in my life and have noticed that the pattern of their lives from childhood to adulthood is almost a photocopy of the other with slight variations. In a nutshell, we begin our childhood with school and as age progresses, we move on to attain an education with our boundaries of experience so tightly restricted due to the rigidity of a curriculum set by the architects of our destiny. Not to condemn the existing system that is now very rigidly in place.
I have been blessed to have witnessed different scenarios from the norm and Steven Ng’s life is an example of this shift. Steven Ng packed a six-gun (an expression) at quite an early age. He was raised as an adult while he was still a kid and from the time I have known Steven, I have only seen him work and after work, the rest of the time he was still working. Steven lived in a shophouse with his uncle’s family, other than in between the sound of the first school bell and the last one, it was mandatory he attended school. He worked as a shop assistant in his uncle’s sundry shop. He did his homework in between work. I lived in the same vicinity of Steven’s shop and residence, so this gave me great access to him and also to whatever scrounged up the time he had to himself.
We did not dream about buying toy rockets, but instead, we built them on our own, rockets miserably failing at lift-off, only to find out later in life that at the age of ten we had zero knowledge of the laws of thermodynamics or rocket propulsion, but nevertheless it did not stop us from trying.
Never have I known or seen Steven participate in any games or activities because he lived a busy ‘adult scheduled’ type of life unlike the protected child prototype one, which I lived in between the ages of seven and twelve. After the passing of many years, I was glad to meet Steven again, especially to find that I am finally on par and in equilibrium in adulthood with him, something of which he had a head start while I was still in my childhood.
A few years ago when I heard that Steven was seriously hurt in a motorbike accident, I was horrified and imagined all sorts of things that could have happened to him from the usual stories we hear about accidents that normally occur. When I visited him, I was horrified to see him shirtless, sitting in a wheelchair looking like an invalid who had thrown in the towel on life.
Then again this was the first time in my life that I have ever seen Steven resting and that too in a wheelchair. He was braced in contraptions that limited his mobility so as to heal the fractures he contracted in the accident. The accident which happened was actually a hit and run tantamount to attempted murder something that you could only see and hear about in an action drama and very seldom in real life.
I sat there listening to Steven, who reminded me of Stephen Hawking; sitting in his high-tech wheelchair mumbling Mumbo-Jumbos electronically about the Universe, but Steven Ng’s story was even more interesting.
As mentioned earlier, if we had patterns of people charted and documented, it would be certain that apart from a few variations, everything else could predictably match, and contrary to this, Steven Ng life was not a statistic of the norm. Steven did not play golf, Karaoke, throw darts, or hang out with the boys gambling, drinking beer or bird watching. His interest, that very one that got him sitting in a wheelchair with a broken body was one of his passionate hobbies, something that he would give up his life for and which he almost did.
Steven’s priceless hobby was policing the neighbourhood or also called active neighbourhood watch, which is locally known as Rukun Tetangga beat . This man, my friend, has been on active neighbourhood patrol duty for many years, a hobby that he takes seriously with great dedication and commitment. Between his work and his family, he takes the welfare of the neighbourhood and her security as his personal business so that the residents can sleep peacefully while he is awake and on watch. Now tell me how many people you know would pick a hobby like that?
The motorbike was in full throttle burning rubber while surging forward and gaining velocity with every shift of the gear. The devils on the bike had no choice but to take on the RT Sheriff because it was time to do or die. With a momentum of considerable magnitude, the evil devils ploughed into the RT Sheriff transforming their motorcycle into a two-wheeled sledgehammer and, which instantaneously brought him down with the tree branch still gripped in his hand.
The intentional collision sent the daredevils sprawling onto the tarmac, but they managed to take down the obstinate law enforcer that stood in between them and their freedom. While having sustained some injuries and upon hearing the fast approaching sirens the thieves made their getaway limping on foot leaving their motorcycle behind. After that night’s misadventure, they probably would never think to ever set foot in Sheriff Steven’s territory again.
Steven Ng was a formidable Rukun Tetangga beat foot soldier highly respected by the local police because they have been working together to prevent crime for many years. He was a very dear camaraderie of the law enforcement division because he took the burden along with its risks of sharing their job protecting the neighbourhood expecting nothing in return but only satisfaction. The boys in uniform anxiously rushed a very “busted up” Steve Ng to the University hospital and ensured that he was given immediate medical attention.
Steven received a VIP class treatment during his convalescence with many visits from the top brass of the Police force who was there to both honour him and ensure that he was well cared for.
The philosopher in him looked at this unfortunate incident, not as a misfortune, but a test of the faith of the people that he lived with and protected. He received an overwhelming show of support from the Police, the Hospital and most importantly from the neighbourhood residents who kept sending him fruits, flowers, food and presents including financing his temporary retirement to recovery.
He held nobody responsible or accountable and never expected any sympathy or gratitude from the people he watched over because the choices he made were his and his alone. He told me that he was happy to see the gratitude and care shown to him by the people through their kindness which he did not expect or would not have known if not for that historical day of the showdown between the devil and the RT Sheriff.
He struck a chord when he mentioned that he would do it all over again if it was required of him because it was all well worth it. I left the cheesecake, which I got him from the famous Secret Recipe Cafe, placing it amongst the mountain of goodies he already received from the residents and I wished Steven a fast recovery and took leave from his residence.
Many people are conferred with grand titles during birthdays of heads of States or on other similar important occasions, but no reasons or a mention of their accomplishments are published for the titles they receive. Like Steven’s there are many untold stories and more deserving people who should be rightfully the recipients of such awards and accolades.
The entire chain of events from my days in school till adulthood flashed by me as I began to realise that everyone has a story that makes them a hero at least once in their lives, which usually goes unsung, but this Sheriff did not care about receiving a medallion, he just wanted to get out of his wheelchair as quickly as his body mends and back to a hobby held close to his heart, which was to walk tall, and watch over his neighbourhood.
This is a True Story. EDit .
APRIL 28, 2016