The Last Laugh?

Although I live in Sydney, Australia, I returned to my birthplace, Hong Kong, for a visit in April 2010 to celebrate my Aunty’s 80th birthday. Relatives from Hong Kong and around the world converged for a dinner celebration. Included there was my 96 year old uncle.

In his younger days he was an outgoing, vigorous and vivacious man. Now age had taken its toll and he was taciturn and kept apart, preferring to sit by himself whilst the rest of the gang were buzy catching up after many years.

I went over to keep him company. At first he gave me terse replies,  so I shifted my questions to his interesting past. How he came to Hong Kong in 1936 from the British Raj in India, how he had escaped Hong Kong after the Japanese invasion, fleeing to India via an overland trek to China. Of his days in the Royal Hong Kong Police Force after the war. He opened up more to me as I listened with interest.

And then I hit jackpot. I found out he was once in the “Special Branch” of the police, the secret undercover organzation dealing with counter espionage. He wouldn’t divulge anythng about this sensitive job he had.  I tried to prize him open with details of what he did, asking imaginary specifics… what do you know about file SB434/101? And he began to crack up. My humorous interrogation of him made us laugh.

And then he had to leave and I saw him, perhaps for the final time as his cab drove off. He’s 96. I visit Hong Kong every 5- 10 years… I did the maths. Hopefully we will see each other again. But if the time either of us have on planet earth ends, I’m comforted that we had a very good last laugh.