MyStory :: Close Encounters of the Nice Kind :: Close @ Ang Mo Kio

Aisah Bibi Binte Nagore Meerah, 54
Proprietor
Aisah Maju Provision Shop

Tan Ai Min, 42
Proprietor
Choon Kooi Provision Shop

Aisah and Ai Min have been neigbours at Teck Ghee Court Market for the past 29 years.

She owns a small provision stall selling sundry goods.

He, on the other hand, grew up helping his father in the family provision shop on a casual basis.

In fact, she watched him grow up since he was 10.

He used to call her auntie. Now, he calls her by her name.

He used to be just the helper to his dad. Now, he runs the business.

Their history is closely tied to that the market's.

At first, they were back-to-back neighbours in the old market.

When a fire burnt it down, they remained neighbours in the temporary market.

When it was rebuilt, they found themselves opposite each other.

Communication has never been a problem between Aisah, who is an Indian Muslim, and Ai Min, a Chinese.

"His parents speak to me in Malay, and I speak English to him," said 54-year-old Aisah.

Over the years, their families have bonded and grown to know each other.

Aisah remembered Ai Min as a playful boy who would help out occasionally at his dad's stall on weekday mornings and during the weekends.

After national service, Ai Min worked in the aluminum industry for eight years before returning to help his father run the business in 2000.

"I know all his sisters from young, and I know his wife very well too," said Aisah.

"Every Saturday and Sunday, Ai Min's wife comes by to help out and we always talk to each other."

Aisah added, "We're like one family."

"I tell him what happens in my family, and he tells me about his children. We talk whenever we have problems."

In spite of selling almost similar goods, the two neighbours stress that they are not competitors.

If anything, they behave more like collaborators, often helping each other out.

"We've both been here for so long, so there's already a sense of kinship and a strong bond," said Ai Min. "Some neighbours are very calculative, but we're not."

"Sometimes, her business is not so good so we don't try to compete with her. We don't sell the Malay foodstuff that she sells."

Aisah elaborated, "Some of the things that I don't have, I'll take from him. Then I give him money."

"For the things he doesn't have, he'll also take from me."

"We refer customers to each other."

Every now and then, the two neighbours try to teach each other a little of their mother tongue.

"When I have Malay customers, I turn to her to find out what they need. I also teach her some Chinese so it's easier for her to serve customers," said Ai Min.

They would also help each other tend to customers and look after the stall when the other person went for short toilet or meal breaks.

Over time, these little acts of kindness have accumulated to build a solid foundation in friendship for the two neighbours.

Aisah recalled how Ai Min and his family would help her bring back foodstuff from the wholesaler downtown whenever they meet by chance.

And Ai Min appreciated Aisah's help in teaching him to cook Malay dishes like rendang, fish head curry and nasi lemak.

Their closeness is evident from their constant teasing and jokes.

"Sometimes I call him ‘dadiya', which is Tamil for fat," said Aisah. "Then he'll joke and say, ‘Don't call me daddy. Father's day, you don't want to buy present for me, you better call me Ah Min."

"We are so close that my mom liked to joke that she's my dad's girlfriend, so sometimes, I tease her by calling her ‘mom'," said Ai Min.

Aisah added, "He is always talking nonsense and making me laugh!"

Coincidently, Aisah's birthday falls on the same day as Ai Min's younger sister.

"During my birthday, his family surprised me with a cake. I was really happy!" she said.

"I even bought flowers for her on mother's day!" said Ai Min.

When asked if she trusted him, Aisah replied instantly, "Of course I trust him."

Interviewed by Adeline Ong/Little Red Ants
at the Teck Ghee Court market, along Ang Mo Kio Ave 1
on 29 Sept 2009.