Uncle Song
“More trouble from you, Patrick? I just saw Ms. Fernandez booking you,” she says, placing herself between them. She calls for the boys at the end of the row to move down so she can sit between Simon and Patrick. Simon feels Patrick’s glare burning into his skin. He knows it was wrong to insult Patrick but he can’t tolerate anybody disrespecting Uncle Song, who never harmed anybody, who has suffered enough for his one mistake. Uncle Song taught him how to hold his breath underwater and how to stay balanced on a bicycle while holding his arms out like airplane wings. He knew secret shortcuts to almost any place and if you named a street, any street in Singapore, he could tell you which bus went there without consulting a guidebook. After Uncle Song went to jail, Simon caught a dragonfly and tied thread to its tail and led it around the house like a kite, the way Uncle Song taught him. Ma sprang from her seat and ordered Simon to bring it outside before she screamed.
Everybody rises as Principal Chock steps up to the podium. “Good afternoon, Sir,” they say in unison.
“Good afternoon. Teachers may sit.” And then after a moment, “Boys may sit.” There is the sound of two thousand bottoms making contact with the plastic chairs.
Principal Chock surveys the room before beginning his introduction. The chatter quickly subsides. “This week has been about renewing faith for those of you who are Christians and want to know more about the Lord. It is also an invitation for those of you who have not accepted Jesus Christ as your saviour. Today our guest speaker is a man who credits Him with saving his life. “Last year, Lee Ghim Song was caught and jailed for leading an indecent lifestyle. Some of you boys who are tempted to engage in unnatural acts should consider what Mr. Lee went through. Not only did he lose his job and serve a prison term but he was also caned. Behind bars Mr. Lee realized that he was missing Christ all along. Since his release, he has joined the Christian Ministry and the Methodist Association of Singapore and he gives talks at schools, churches and seminars. We are fortunate to have him here today. Boys, please welcome Mr. Lee Ghim Song.”
Everybody claps as Uncle Song emerges from back stage. He steps up onto the podium and looks out into the sea of students. Simon wants to wave. Is Uncle Song searching for him? It has been only two months since they last spoke but Simon wonders Uncle Song will be able to tell him apart from the other boys. After greeting the boys and thanking Principal Chock for the opportunity, Uncle Song begins.
Simon knows the entire speech by heart because Uncle Song used to rehearse it for him before speaking at his first few events. He was nervous in those days. His hands trembled and his voice went high and low at the wrong places. He spent all his time practicing something called the art of persuasion.
But he is confident now. Shoulders thrown back, his voice steady and gentle, he tells the school that as a teenager, he knew there was something wrong with liking other boys, with wanting to hold hands and kiss them. “I didn’t think I was harming anybody or that I could be seen but of course God’s eyes were always upon me,” he says. He describes how he started going to nightclubs that were frequented by homosexuals and how some men dressed and behaved like women. “I was one of them,” he admits. “I did not understand yet that God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.” Laughter rips through the auditorium. Simon remembers to laugh along as if it’s his first time hearing the joke.
Everyone is quiet when Uncle Song becomes serious again. Even from his row, Simon can see how his eyes dim at the memory of his arrest. He does not go into details about what happened but everybody who read the newspapers knows that he was caught by an undercover policeman who posed as a homosexual. In jail, the other prisoners taunted him and called him names. He feared his punishment so much that he could not eat or sleep. He describes the cane used in prisons. “It is a long whip that splits the flesh and if you are given multiple strokes, they land in the same spot. The scars are meant to last a lifetime. The pain can make even the strongest man break into tears and beg for forgiveness.” The students begin to shift and whisper. They are all thinking about Patrick’s caning. Simon does not dare to turn his head but from the corner of his eye, he sees Patrick shrinking into his seat.