Spider Boys: Singapore Classics

1

Mother’s Rule

THE WRESTLING SPIDER is a nomadic hunter that lives between closely sandwiched leaves. Its body, which is the shape and size of a grain of rice, is black and covered with iridescent spots and stripes—dark green, turquoise, blue, red, even purple. Its head is about half the length of a grain of rice and broader. The female spider has a black face; the male has a white face and a slimmer body, as well as longer legs and ‘arms’, as well as a needly point at its rear end, which makes it look like a scorpion. The male spider is like a jealous sex maniac that cannot resist the sight of a female. It gets mad at its fellow males and does a war dance before it fights. It jumps as quickly as a ping-pong ball when caught fresh. ‘Spider boys’ all over Singapore called these fighting spiders ‘Panther Tigers’, and caught them to keep as pets or for betting on and selling.

Kwang had been fascinated by wrestling spiders since he could walk and talk. He and Kim had grown up like sweethearts in the house with the bamboo balcony, which their fathers had built together.

Kim—Ah Hock’s daughter—watched as Kwang blew gently at a female spider inside a flat tin box while tapping its butt gently with his thumb, his other four fingers spread out underneath for support. It was to make the spider stay still. Then he let a male spider from another box hop in. At the sight of the female, the male spider raised its arms in a desperate effort to approach, which made the female wriggle hard under Kwang’s thumb, as if pleading with the other creature, Help me! Help me!

Hey, Kim said, pointing at the male spider, can you see, the needle on the spider tail is getting longer. You know why?

Of course! That one is the male, white face. The needle is like my thing, here! Kwang pulled down his elastic shorts and flipped his penis up and down until it grew larger. Same like mine, a male part can expand!

Kim touched his thing and giggled. He jerked with a shiver.

Sometimes, Kwang and Kim pretended to be spiders and wrestled together. Sometimes he would ride on top of her, like a male spider. Just before he turned seven, his mother, Yee, gave him his first big whacking for penetrating Kim. Yee told Ah Hock that Kim was also caned by her mother. Ah Hock, a tall and strong coolie, was furious at seeing the cane marks on his daughter’s body and nearly beat his wife, who loved her son, Tain Seng, more. From then on, Kim was free to do whatever she liked.

Even after his father, Pau Shen the kung fu man, died when he was ten years old, Kwang’s love for wrestling spiders did not die. When his mother was at home, he would pretend to be studying hard, staring into a book and saying any English word that came to mind: A—boy, C—dog, B—orange! His mother, who could not read or write, would then look pleased and leave him alone.

Tain Seng, Kim’s brother, was a year younger and nicknamed Ah Seow (something wrong in the head) by all the spider boys in the village, for he would go into fits of psychic hallucinations when he got very nervous. Otherwise, he was brilliant at school and good at the spider business. Tall and handsome, Ah Seow was also Kwang’s spider agent and safeguarded the knowledge of Kwang’s hobby from the fierce Yee.

Kwang went to school in the morning and Ah Seow attended the afternoon session. When Kim was twelve, her mother went to work as a live-in servant, coming home twice a month. So Kim ran the housekeeping. Their mothers quarrelled frequently. For the children, the spider business went on as usual.

One night, through a gap in the rough plank walls dividing their bedrooms, Kwang passed a box to Ah Seow and whispered, Ah Seow, Ah Seow, keep this one for me.

Only one? Ah Seow took the spider box. He reported, There are only two of your other spiders left, the rest all sold.

Don’t talk so loud and so much lah! Kwang growled. My mother’s in a bad mood. I wait for you at the usual place before cock crows. Can you wake up earlier? Kwang was lying underneath a mosquito net on a raised plank floor, which was the bed he shared with his two younger brothers. You climb over and wake me up lah, said Ah Seow in the submissive voice he used when Kwang demanded something from him. He had relied on Kwang for protection against the village bullies since he was growing up.

The next morning, the boys crawled out of their mosquito nets and jumped out of their bedroom windows into the narrow alley between the back of their houses and their neighbour’s wall. Ah Seow clapped away the dust from his clothes and moaned. So early...! He rubbed his sleepy eyes on the sleeves of his shirt. He had the spider boxes inside a canvas bag over his shoulder.

Don’t talk cock! Kwang elbowed him. I tell you something when we get there, run! He pushed him into a race. They took shortcuts and ran up slopes and passed the backyard of a farmhouse on their way to a small plot of big yam leaves. The morning dew had pooled on the waxy surfaces of the leaves.

Ah Seow asked breathlessly, What is the big news?

Kwang ignored him and tilted a big leaf back and forth, dreamily watching the larger dewdrops merge with the smaller ones. He was in his own world for a while. Bring out the spiders, he ordered. Bring out the Panther Tigers. Kwang scratched his lean, shirtless body, which was scarred by mosquito bites and by cane marks from beatings by his mother, who wanted him to stay at home and study hard.

Ah Seow squatted to take out two metal cigarette cases from his bag. Sold at six for one-dollar-fifty, only the best two are left, he reported and passed him one box.

Kwang pursed his lips. Not this one! The one from last night.

Ah Seow, who knew Kwang ‘inside out’, realised he was in a boastful mood. Oh! he slapped his forehead. Forgot to bring that box!

Real or not? Kwang frowned, looking hard at Seow from under his thick eyebrows. Kwang had an odd look. Other than his bulging forehead, flat nose and small, mean eyes, he had a strange haircut. His mother had cropped his thick black hair straight across, two inches above his ears. It made him look as if she had put a half coconut shell over his head and cut his hair roughly around it, so as to save money from going to the barber. When water was poured over his head at bath, it looked as if a mini waterfall were cascading before his eyes—and his nose would stay quite dry.

Ah Seow gave up the tease. Smiling broadly, he took out a box that he had hidden in the back of his elastic shorts, under his shirt. Nah! He held it out.

Don’t talk cock and waste time lah! Kwang snatched the box from Ah Seow and asked proudly, Did you see it?

Ah Seow jerked his shoulder upwards, palms opened to indicate innocence. Dare not see, wait for you!

Kwang opened the spider box. It had two box-size pandan leaves fitted inside, one upon the other, and the leaf on top had a hole in the centre. Kwang tapped on the leaf with a finger. A white-face spider crawled out from the hole, looking like it was yawning; its arms moved up and down, as if it was readying itself for the morning world.

Come on, jump, jump. Kwang urged, his brows moving up and down in anticipation. It didn’t take long for his spider to respond and jump onto his palm. Kwang held out his other hand to encourage the spider to jump again. He did this test repeatedly, each time increasing the distance between his two hands to see how far his new pet could manage in a single leap. After a few minutes, he allowed the thirsty creature to jump onto a big leaf to walk about and drink the morning dew. Kwang’s absorption in his observation was so complete, as it always was; his focus still puzzled Ah Seow.

Kwang snapped his fingers and held out his palm. Ah Seow, Ah Seow, pass me my bedbugs.

Ah Seow put a small Tiger Balm tin case on Kwang’s palm and stooped closer. Rare purple! he commented. Did you try it out yet?

No need to lah! Kwang said confidently. Block the spider in your palm and see how heavy it is.

While Ah Seow felt the new spider jumping between his hands, Kwang nipped out the fattest bedbug from the Tiger Balm case, which had been caught underneath the straw mats on his bed and fed on his own blood.

Heavy? Kwang asked. I feed it first. Swiftly scooping the spider back, he blew at it so that it would remain motionless on its box while he dropped the bedbug onto the same surface. He stopped blowing and the spider pounced. Breakfast now in its mouth, it looked up at Kwang as if to say: I want a dark place to enjoy my meal. Kwang guided his new pet into the box and snapped the lid shut. He beamed at Ah Seow. The snapping bite on the bug’s neck is so fast and accurate. See anything about the head?

Yah, yah, Ah Seow nodded. The head is much broader than usual. Where did you catch it?

At the end of Number Ten STC bus terminal, behind the row of hawker stalls at the large rubbish pit, said Kwang, his piercing black eyes growing larger from the recollection. Those eyes showed anger and fear, from crying for freedom, Freedom from mother’s rule! Ah Seow stood back, a little confused, But that place... that place was burnt down by a big fire two years ago?

It is green again! Different leaves, too. Pandan and lallang now cover up the whole place. There’re a lot of mosquitoes and flying red fleas, bred from the wet rubbish dump. Talking faster, Kwang scratched his body again. They like the red fleas, that’s why their colour is so dark purple. Ah Seow suddenly caught on. There must be a lot more!

I spent nearly one hour, then I caught this one, but another one escaped! Remember? Remember what the Blind Man always says in his story? After a fire, if anything lives again, it’s very strong. I can tell by the look of this Panther Tiger.

Ah Seow asked quickly, Do you want to fight with Chai?

This time I will win back all the money I lost to Chai, Kwang proclaimed, the yellow spider box in his hand. He squatted. Ah Seow, how much money all together?

Ah Seow squatted in front of Kwang and took out two spider boxes and the money from his bag. Nah! he said. One dollar sixty—if I sell the two best ones at forty cents each, all together two-forty. Nah, one-sixty. Ah Seow threw the coins onto the ground, which was bare of vegetation on account of their regular visits.

Kwang stooped to pocket the money and tossed twenty cents back onto the ground. Nah! Your commission. With his bare foot, Kwang pushed the two spider boxes towards Ah Seow. Sell for me, I need the capital to go back and catch more before anybody finds the new place. Feed the old spiders with fly heads, save the other bedbugs for my new spider to eat.

Ah Seow put the boxes into his bag and rubbed the twenty-cent coin on his hand. How much do you think Chai has?

What about you, how much can you lend me?

One dollar the most, said Ah Seow, looking at the ground as he thought.

Not enough! I need three dollars! Kwang exploded. I want to skip school for a few more days to catch more.

Why don’t you ask my sister? She has all the marketing money from mama and papa.

Cannot! I already owe her five dollars. Kim is not talking to me anymore. If you don’t trust me just say so!

The most is two dollars, Ah Seow made his offer firmly. No more.

As Kwang walked away, he said, I want the money today.

More roosters were now crowing. As they walked down from the farming area, Ah Seow advised Kwang, The place is so far away. Bus fare and eating outside in that expensive area will cost you at least eighty cents a day even if you don’t use Tiger Balm to stop mosquito bites. Remember the last time? You won until Chai lost his temper and nearly started a fight with you again. The next day we lost everything in that big match.

Kwang punched his palm. We lost in the sixth round! He recalled something else, and punched harder into his palm. Get caught by my mother the next day too. That time my luck was really bad. Fuck! He thoughtfully examined some old, hard-to-heal cane marks.

Everybody is still talking about it at the banyan tree.

This time, this time is going to be different. He shot a look at Ah Seow and started counting with his fingers.

This Saturday and Sunday my mother is working on night shift, I cannot come out... have to wait for maybe something like ten days.

Ah Seow reminded him as they plotted, I can guarantee everybody will save up for a return match between you and Chai, but what about our capital?

I see what I can catch first. If good, I will try it out with the Chinatown shoeshine boys first, make capital first.

You mean those street boys? Ah Seow warned. Don’t touch them, too risky! They use knives. Can’t fight with them, they get in a group and throw red pepper in your face, not gentleman!

I know. I am not that stupid, I meet their chief.

You mean Chinatown Yeow? That king of street boys! Yeow was legendary even among the adult gangs in Chinatown.

Yah lah! Kwang replied modestly. I talked to him about me in his territory over a cup of coffee. He agreed everybody should be gentleman, win or lose.

Ah Seow, who hero-worshipped tough boys, got excited. How did you meet him? What do you think of him?

When we do well, I’ll introduce him to you, he jabbed his assistant’s arm and motioned with a tilt of his head. Let’s run!

•   •   •

Climbing back into his bed, Ah Seow didn’t wait long before he heard Kwang shouting to his brothers, four and five years younger than him, Wake up! Wake up! They went for a wash at the well. One! Two! Three! Kwang shouted as he threw a bucket in. One! Two! Three! his brothers sang in response, as he hauled the bucket out of the well. Using empty cans, the boys scooped up the water, threw it at each other, laughing and giggling merrily. After their bath, they raced home to eat whatever was available for breakfast. Their mother was still asleep; she had done a late shift at a labouring job on a ship. Food was usually plain rice with soy sauce; anything more than that was a feast. Kwang had said many times to Kim and Ah Seow, If my mother treats me like Chai’s father, no need to go to school. I can make more money than my mother. He had secretly been supplying extra food for his kid brothers from spider money. An average spider could fetch up to twenty cents, which could buy two bowls of rich curry laksa soup—very delicious with plain rice—or two salted eggs, or three fresh eggs.

2

Panther Tiger

KWANG SKIPPED SCHOOL and went back to the STC bus terminal. To save some money, he did not use Tiger Balm. After a few hours, he caught two spiders. Fucking mosquitoes! He cursed and scratched all the way out of the bushes and crossed the road. He sat on the bench at a cart stall that was parked by the roadside, under a tree. A burly Indian man sat behind two twenty-gallon copper drums of hot water, which were simmering over a charcoal fire.

"Teh!" He ordered a glass of tea in Malay, holding up an index finger. While waiting, Kwang helped himself to two curry buns—his favourite snack—sitting inside a glass jar on the counter. He gobbled them down quickly.

He peered at his new catch, which was jumping madly inside a flat metal box bedded with leaves, trying to escape. He kept blowing at it so that it would calm down and stay still for him to take a quick look. He snapped the lid shut quickly to prevent the agitated spider from getting executed on the edges of the box.

"Teh!" said the big Indian man, his voice deep like drum. He passed the cardamom tea to Kwang through the space between the two copper drums.

After a few quick sips of the hot tea, Kwang pointed at his wrist, Baaboo? The man winced at the nickname, but all the same he extended his hand between the drums so that Kwang could look at