The smiling faces at Telok Sengat riverside

　On 26.11.1966, I walked out from Queenstown Prison of Singapore. Night had fallen, the grey sky with drizzling; I was holding a free train ticket heading to Tangjong Pakar railway station. The night train delivered me back to my home town Kluang.

　Expulsion from university, put me in jail, served a banishment order; I was treated as a terrorist. I hardly had chance to get job in Kluang. I confined myself in my village home for several weeks. Later I was given a job as a temporary teacher in Nan Ya primary school Telok Sengat, Johore. My salary was only Rm141.00, but I was happy with the children and the people in Telok Sengat. Besides teaching, I studied hard hopefully one day I could be a qualified teacher.

　One day in 1968, I received a call from a stranger. He described himself as Mr. Chan. And he told me if I wished to teach permanently, I had to meet him within two days at the coffee shop in Johore Bahru; otherwise my teaching permit would be revoked. Thinking of being a qualified teacher, I decided to see him to avoid revocation of my teaching permit.

　From Telok Sengat to Kong Kong village by boat, from Kong Kong village to Johore Bahru by pirate taxi, it took me 4 hours to reach the coffee house at the railway station.

　I stood at the door, glancing with my weary eyes, I saw a man with sunglass sitting near the window, a book was put on the table; that was Mr. Chan as described in the phone.

　I walked in and sat down in front of him.

　"Are you William Choo?" he asked.

　 "Are you Mr. Chan?" I asked.

　We shook hand and exchange a few sentences, then I asked:

　"Mr. Chan, what's the matter for you to call me here?"

　"Oh, like this…" Mr. Chan ceased for a minute, he looked around, and he noticed no one stood near us and he continued with feeble voice: "my superior learnt that you were banished from Singapore and you are employed as teacher, he is worry about you…"

　"Worry of what?" I asked in despair.

　"worry of your revolting thinking may poison the students' minds; that's why he delivered me here to meet you." he stopped for a while, looked at me fully, then he said: "you don't worry, I have assured my superior, you would co-operate with us."

　"What do you mean of co-operation?" I asked in a weary voice.

　"Oh, it's simple." Mr. Chan paused for a few second and then he continued: "You have merely been sincere and honor to us; whenever you see any one opposing our plan, revolting us, report to us; to prove that you are a obedient teacher; if not…"

　"If not?" I asked in anguish.

　"If not," he looked at me from head to foot and he hammering out his verdict:"you must leave our education department and your teaching permit will be revoked immediately!"

　"If so, I have to leave." I said with an attempt at a smile and walked out the coffee house.

　Back to the school, I intended to finish whatever I had to teach, then I resigned and left the school within a week. Unexpected, within 3 days, my head master passed a letter of expulsion from the education department. Board of directors of the Nan Ya school were very curious: why my friend Mr. Lee(director of the school board) introduced a banished man to be teacher in the school. In order not to spoil Mr. Lee's image, I packed and intended to leave Telok Sengat immediately. Due to low tide, the motor boat could not depart. I waited for 3 hours, after school over, some students saw me sitting at the harbor with my language; they walked to-ward me and held my hand and said: Teacher, please stay back, why should you leave us alone?"

　When I saw their faces, their glances, they gave me held a message of hope. I kept my eyes fixed upon them, I held a drop of tear and hammering out my decision: "I must leave Telok Sengat." I intended to open my arms and hug the children, but I did not; when I thought of the warning by Mr. Chan: "You may poison the student's mind".

　"Why have to leave us?" a student murmured with a sob: "never come back again?"

　"I’ll come back!"

　Some student gave me their paintings, pencil and coin as souvenir. I was holding a tear as I walked in the motor boat; the boat started to move, I stood at a corner, looking at the grey sky and I promised in my deep heart, I must come back again.

　On 12.4.2014, after 47 years, I drove my car from Kuala Lumpur to Telok Sengat. Nan Ya school disappeared, the students had grown up and left Telok Sengat. I stood at the seaside and looking at the grey sky, the students' smiling faces illuminating in the sky and their reading sound, mingled with the setting sunlight, floating above the river side of Telok Sengat.