When Mum Came To Visit

I’m in my husband’s vintage Mercedes, beige with round protruding headlamps. Brown leather seats. Mum is driving, and I’m talking on my phone. We’re driving on a cobblestone street, like under a bridge or maybe long building, the sidewalks are open. She’s driving too close to the side, not fast but a pillar’s approaching on the left (my side). I warned mum “Tai ji geh tung, tai ji geh tung.”(watch the light, watch the light). She hit it anyways. I think we scraped just the side of the headlight. I hope we scraped it only. Mum doesn’t stop, she drives on. Next moment, the whole left headlight with the attached protruding part fell off. Emergency stop, with a bit of skidding, and the car’s askew. I’m thinking, “ Aiya, I’m gonna have to get down. Not dressed la. In my sleep clothes.” I opened the door, got out, debating if I should take my phone. “Leave it la”(which I later regret). It all happened very quickly. I noticed a van’s stopped near us too. Rundown, grey, rusty. People are milling around, taking pictures. They’re probably doing the Malaysian thing, taking note of the number plates to buy 4-D. I take a peek at the van’s number plate. (Can’t remember now. I think it’s something like W5476 Y). Then I realized, Mum, whom I thought would’ve gotten down from the car, is missing, and so’s that van! I’m telling people around me, “They took my mother” and I’m trying to explain what happened, but people around just don’t seem to want to get involved. They move away. One guy comes up to me, saying discreetly, “Afters I tell you”.

I’m desperately trying to get help. I look around. It’s like a wet market. Very vintage Hong Kong. By the pier. There’s a room by the side and inside, 3 gwailos in white uniforms are sitting at individual desks. 2 other Chinese guys. I tell the gwailos, “Don’t you know what just happened outside? A rusty old van hit us, and they took my mum!”The Chinese guy who spoke with me earlier is trying to get me to shut up. He says “No no, you don’t want to get them involved!” Apparently, they took her away because she has a white ic (identity card). That’s illegal. I said “ No No No, she has a blue ic. I’ve seen it!” They insisted it’s a white ic and she has to go back to “Tai Look”(mainland).

Next thing I remember, Mum comes to visit at my house, but she says she cannot stay. She says she has to go back to “Tai Look”. She’s put on a bit of weight since I last dreamt of her. She has on a white dress. There’re flowers on that dress. I miss her.

**My mother passed away in 2003. It’s been quite a while since she visited.
I get very vivid dreams off and on. Over the years, with practice, I learnt to notice details in them.