Happier Times

A Story by AltonTan

A 13-year old Singaporean boy, after enduring countless abuse by the hands of his parents, decides to run away from home one day in search of his former childhood home in Pasir Ris.

One Sunday night, 13-year old Adrian Tay is resting in his bedroom. He is deep in thought pondering about his life and how it turns out. He looked over to a photo frame of his younger self in front of his childhood home, but he doesn’t quite see the significance.

Then, an argument broke out between his parents in the next room. His father had one of his usual mental episodes that he lashed out at his mom and beat his mom in a rage of fury that he had since he was retrenched some time back.

When the argument ended, his mom came over to his room. Adrian braced for it, knowing what is bound to happen again.

3 years ago, Adrian was a happy and cheerful 10 year old child. He lived a normal life in a Pasir Ris HDB flat having loving parents who would care for him and shower their love to him. He was happy living there, visiting the beach and playing at Downtown East.

One day, his parents decided to move house due to increased rent. he reluctantly agreed. So they moved to Ang Mo Kio. A few days later after that move, his mom became pregnant with what would be his younger brother. But it wasn’t meant to be as she suffers a miscarriage shortly after.

His mother sank into depression as a result of her loss and both his parents’ marriage starts breaking down. Adrian wasn’t showered with love anymore because both of his parents always argued daily. His studies soon suffered and he barely scraped through his Primary School Leaving Examinations (PSLE). He got enrolled in the Normal (Technical) stream of Northeast Secondary School but still never quite improved academically as he frequently play truant. He additionally doesn't have friends in school and there are no teachers or counselors to guide him or offer him support.

He became more depressed as his once happy family fell apart continuously as his dad got retrenched from his administrative job and suffered a nervous breakdown. His breakdown is at times so severe that he have to be sent to the Institute of Mental Health to receive treatment. His mom's depression also gets worse that she started blaming and abusing Adrian for her own troubles she suffered in the past. Almost daily, he was beaten for miscellaneous reasons or after she and his dad finished arguing.

In short, Adrian's own life is in turmoil.

Mrs Tay started venting her emotions out to him as before. Adrian still maintained his bracing position knowing this kind of routine he faces everyday.

Then, his mum said, “I wished I hadn’t given birth to you”.

This makes him shocked for once. A mother who disavows giving birth to her own child? What kind of mother would say these offensive words?

That is when Adrian decides to retaliate for once. He told her in response, “You’re not a good mother”.

A furious Mrs Tay immediately slapped Adrian hard. But Adrian saw a vision when he was slapped: him in happier times back in his former Pasir Ris home. Slap after slap subsequently rained down on his face but he saw more memories of him being happy and blessed in that childhood place. Finally, the mom gave him one last hard slap, ending Adrian's torment.

His mom stomps off his room and slammed the door on him, leaving him to reel from the massive pain the hard slaps had given him.

When he come to a few hours later, his mind is set to run away from home and go to Pasir Ris where he will see his childhood home again, the source of his only happiness. He decided to break into that very house and stay there for the remainder of his life.

Adrian quickly packed a few clothing in his school bag and took the photo of his childhood home as well as his wallet. He choose to not bring along his other belongings such as his phone. He checked if his parents are sleeping. Then, he put on his school bag and quickly left his house without ever thinking of his actions, feeling determined to get to his childhood home.

The next day, the school informed Adrian’s parents that he failed to turn up at school. However, his parents didn’t give much thought because of the fact that he frequently plays truant and is absently quite occasionally. They expected him to return in the afternoon. But he didn't.

Evening came without any sign of Adrian and his parents grew increasingly worried.

By the next morning, the school still have no information on Adrian's whereabouts. They decided to contact the authorities to inform them that one of their pupils have gone missing. The police immediately launched a missing persons case and informed the public to notify them of any signs of Adrian as well as stepping up regular patrols.

Meanwhile, a few hours after he first ran away from home, Adrian reached Ang Mo Kio station by daybreak. Going to the ticket booth, he discovered that he only has about $5 in his wallet and that he had previously forgotten to insert his concession card into his wallet.

He tried to purchase a ticket but found out that the furthest stop he could only travel to is Toa Payoh. So he decided to take a chance and blow away all his $5 on that ticket as he is unwilling to return home and retrieve his concession card. He took the escalator to the platform and hopped on the westbound train. As he watched the neighborhood skyline disappear as he enter the tunnel, he still doesn't feel a single tinge of regret over his decision.

When he got to Toa Payoh, he attempted to take a bus, but was not allowed in because he doesn’t have the money to pay for the trip.

With no other options, he decides to stay at the Toa Payoh station for the whole day. He had to bear the stomach grumbles and dehydration as he doesn't have the money to purchase food and drinks. At night, when the rush-hour crowds are gone, he rested himself on an empty bench, using his school bag as a makeshift pillow. But at the back of his mind, he still believes he will still reach Pasir Ris in the end.

The next morning, Adrian decides to make a move to get to Pasir Ris, come high or hell water. He goes back to the MRT station entrance, thinking of a way to catch the train. However, he sighted a newsstand that displays breaking news on a slider. One of the news that was announced was the case of a 13-year old Secondary School boy living in Ang Mo Kio that have gone missing and is now a missing person. Feeling that it is too much a coincidence, he attempted to slip into the station without drawing too much attention to himself. He didn't see the policeman that is in his way.

The policeman was alerted to his presence and immediately gives chase. Adrian starts to run away from him because he feared that if he is captured by the police, he will be thrown back into his miserable home and continuously have to face his parents again. To avoid the officer from catching him, Adrian leaped over the gantry and ran down the stairs. He found a train about to shut its doors and successfully hopped into it. The train pulls away from the station filled with regular commuters. Adrian managed to breathe a sign of relief that he managed to lose the pursuer.

However, he is confused as to where he is going, as he discovered that the train is heading southbound towards Marina Bay. After a few stops, he alights with the rest of the passengers at City Hall Station. That is when he is truly lost.

There are so many platforms and stations and a sea of people in City Hall Station. It is a hectic place for a 13-year old to be in. Adrian felt unsure where exactly to go next due to his lack of familiarity with the Singapore MRT system. Also, he is unable to trust anyone due to his "wanted" status, complicating things further. Adrian decides to keep a low profile first while he thinks of a plan to get to Pasir Ris.

Suddenly, things starts to go from bad to worse. Staff were alerted to the station after the police notified them of a possible missing person in the vicinity. They found Adrian at a corridor of the station and chased after him in an attempt to detain him. Adrian ran once again, trying to shake off his pursuers. He managed to hide in a toilet stall where he changed clothes. He puts on a fresh shirt, pants as well as a hoodie. After changing his clothes, he checked if the coast is clear. No staff member within sight.

However. Adrian starts to feel that he is nowhere closer to his goal of reaching Pasir Ris. He has no money to travel or buy food, being treated as a "wanted" person as well as feeling so lost and confused in this place and having no one to talk to. There seems to be a no way out for him.

Deciding to end his suffering, he takes out his Swiss Army Knife that he took previously and aimed the saw-blade at his wrist...

All of a sudden, a man snatched away his Swiss Army Knife. Adrian immediately became fearful of this man because he thinks that it’s a vilglent member of public. He attempted to run away. But the man stopped him and told him that there is no point ending his problems by killing himself and told him to think about his own life. The man dragged him to a nearby stall, locked the door and asked him, "Who are you and what you're doing here?"

Adrian refused to say anything, refusing to trust him. But this man kept prompting him repeatedly. Eventually, he find all his problems very hard to bear and decided to tell him everything. He told him his name and followed on his life story leading to how he got here as well as his current situation. As Adrian speaks, the man listened patiently. Finally, after Adrian finished, he said, “Boy, I know how you’re feeling. I also faced this kind of situation in some way. For a long time, I’ve been away from my home due to complications. But now, I’ve realized that I feel happy at home. So I’m also finding my way back home. I hope you will also find it too. And I'll sincerely help you in finding your true home also."

When he said that, Adrian decided to trust the man.

The man brought him to have breakfast at a coffee shop. Since he changed clothing and had a jacket on, he had never raised the attention of the public. He and the man continued to chat like as if they have become good friends.

After breakfast, Adrian goes with the man to the westbound line. While they wait for the train, Adrian asked, "What is your name?"

"Actually, you don't need to know since I am actually your guardian angel," the man replies.

"Do guardian angels have names?"

"No. But I'm someone very close to you. But it's now not the time for you to know. Oh yeah, the train's here."

Throughout the journey, the two of them continue to talk.

The man asked, "So, what is your favorite hobby?"

Adrian replied, "I like drawing and cycling.

"So you do this in your freetime?"

"Yes, I do. But, I don't usually do these days because of my own complications"

"I guess your domestic problems led to you unwilling to pursue your hobbies. After you do find your true home, I hope that you will do consider resuming your hobbies as well as your studies."

Adrian nodded silently. At this point, Adrian is more trustful of this mysterious man who called him his guardian angel.

When they got to Bedok Station, the man told him that this is his stop and that they should get off. After a full day of travelling with him, Adrian is sad that his journey with him is now coming to an end. The man sees his sad expression and offers to treat him to McDonald's for dinner. A gleeful Adrian accepts his offer.

Over Big-Macs and fries, Adrian and the man talked and talked for hours. Finally, it is time for them to part company.

Before leaving, the man gave $15 dollars to Adrian. "It's for your spending should you travel or buy food," he says.

"Thank you. I'll never forget your kindness and company," Adrian replies in gratitude.

"No need to stand on ceremony. Just remember that I'm always there for you no matter where you go. So, goodbye Adrian."

With that, the man turned to leave, waving him farewell.

Adrian held back his sadness over his leaving, waving him goodbye in return. But there's some detail he spotted as he leaves: the man has a particular pigmentation at the back of his neck that it's similar to Adrian, a birthmark.

That night, Adrian sleeps in a void deck. As he drifts off to sleep, his mind is renewed with a new hope that he will get to find his childhood home pretty soon. In his dream, he envisions himself reliving some of the events of his childhood: visits to Escape Theme Park, playing at Pasir Ris Park, riding that Ferris Wheel at Downtown East and him riding alone in a bicycle down a boardwalk as the sun sets. When the dream ends, he wakes up happily, for the first time in many years.

Adrian looks for a bus station so that he can get a bus to take him to his final destination. After some searching around, he successfully found one. He hops into a bus and pays the bus driver a few dollars. He relaxes in his seat.

Unfortunately, the bus got him to Pasir Ris Bus Interchange, a place that is not very familiar to him. After getting off, he feels somewhat uncertain which direction to go.

He sights a teenaged girl waiting for someone. He decides to trust her in giving directions since she isn't quite aware of her surroundings. He approached her.

"Excuse me, do you know where to go to this house in this photograph?" Adrian asked innocently.

The girl took his photograph and carefully studied it. After a while, she responded, "Yes, I know this place. It's where my grandma used to live. So you just turn right, walk straight, left and then walk straight. At the end of the road, there's that HDB block. I think."

"Thank you."

"No problem," the girl replied as she slips back into her phone.

Adrian walked down and follow the girl's instructions, feeling gradually happy to be near his goal soon. There will be no arguments, no scoldings, no pain...

But when Adrian was approaching the flat, he saw construction walls and heavy machinery surrounding the flat. Panicking, he raced to his childhood home. But he is unable to enter the flat and reach his unit number. He had to watch the death of his childhood home.

A crane holding a wrecking ball moved closer to the block of flats. Then, the crane swung the ball gradually that it gains force with every swing. The wrecking ball managed to strike the flat's support beams. However, Adrian could not do anything. He is powerless to stop the forces of change from occurring in his life.

Finally, after countless strikes, the support beams starts to give way. Adrian watched in horror as the demolition unfolds. Gradually, gravity takes over the structural integrity of the building. It collapsed into a pile of rubble, spewing dust and debris around the construction site. As Adrian watches it collapse, he imagined everything, every memory of his childhood going under that massive pile of rubble. It all gets buried and destroyed like every part of the flat. Even when the construction crews left for lunch, he just stood there, speechless.

By then, it has been about 3 days when he first ran away from home on that fateful night.

After recovering from his shock of that demolition, Adrian left the construction site. He still feels somewhat apathetic over his decision of running away from home. He has now truly nowhere to go or to turn to now that his childhood is gone. Adrian was so lost that he wandered aimlessly around the neighborhood, so deep in his thoughts.

However, after a few hours, he slowly realized the significance of his journey. He saw that there are people willing to look out for him and that he is not alone. He also comprehend the fact that he needs to accept changes and that there is no point running away from his problems. He had to just make the best of every aspect of life and live in the present.

Feeling remorseful from running away from home, he decides to go to a nearby police station and give himself up to the policeman manning the front desk. After telling the officer his details, the policeman ushered Adrian to a seat and rang his parents.

A few hours later, Mr and Mrs Tay arrived in a taxi as it started to rain. Adrian, initially hesitant, started to run to his parents. The Tays embraced each other as the drizzle turns into a downpour. All 3 of them cried with each other's presence until their voice turned completely hoarse. Then, Mrs Tay told her son, "Adrian, I'm so sorry. I am truly a bad mother. Please forgive me. Please give mommy another chance, my son..."

A few months later, things started becoming back to normal.

Adrian’s mom and dad have become more loving and caring towards him and stop abusing him.

Mr Tay managed to enroll in a lifelong-learning center, hoping to upgrade his skills to get a better chance at employment. In the process, his mental state restored back to normal. Mrs Tay, meanwhile, gives Adrian all the love and support he needs. She helps him in his studies, plays with him occasionally and even sleeps next to him at times. She has proven to be a more nurturing figure to Adrian.

As for Adrian himself, he tried to improve in his academics as this experience has made him stronger as a whole. His grades gradually improved, even winning a few bursary prizes. He also earned more friends in school and is on the fast track of going to Normal (Academic Stream). He even resumed his hobbies that he used to pursue in the past. For Adrian, the trauma he had to endure in the past is now truly in the past and behind him.

One day, Adrian was walking at the Ang Mo Kio bus interchange after school. He briefly saw the familiar man who had helped him in his journey a few months ago. But before he can go over to him, the rush hour crowd surrounded his sight, blocking the man from his view. But he concluded that some things are best kept unknown. And so, he goes home, a home where he is now truly happy living in it.