WAK WAJEK, THE DIAMOND LICKER
By Baba Tan Geok Koon
She was well-known for her kueh wajek, (glutinous rice steamed with gula melaka (palm sugar) and thick santan (coconut milk). Each piece is cut into a wajek (diamond shape), hence the name. Most of the kueh wajek sold in the market was soft and soggy, but hers was firm, lemak (rich) and tasty. Both children and adults always reached out for a second piece. She was proud to be called Wak Wajek instead of “Bibik” because “Wak” implied senority and expertise.
Her expertise was the result of her adopted mother’s insistence on raising her as a seronoh (refined) nyonya. A child of an unwed Cantonese woman, she was given to a Peranakan family as a baby. From a young age, she was often reminded that she was not a true nyonya by blood, and must strive to be seronoh as theirs was a respectable family.
She was taught to take great care in her appearance – to ensure that her baju panjang was always properly pinned, and not a single hair out place in her tightly knotted sanggul (chignon). She was instructed to be refined in her cooking; reminded to be filial, courteous, respectful, and above all else, virtuous and honest. She was told that these were the hallmarks of a true nyonya.
As a young bride, her neo (mother-in-law) encouraged her to chew sireh (areca nut shavings wrapped in betel leaf smeared with lime paste) because “every respectable married nyonya does so”. Before long, she was addicted to sireh. Her gums and lips were stained a deep red. Her tempat sireh (sireh set) and spittoon went everywhere she did.
One day, Wak Wajek received an invitation from her landlord to attend his daughter’s wedding. She knew that it would be a grand affair as the family was wealthy. At such weddings, nyonyas would pile on their finest berlian (brilliant-cut diamond) jewellery. Wak Wajek felt ashamed that she did not own any berlian. She had a kerosang intan (a set of three brooches set with rose-cut diamonds) but felt that it would look inferior. Not wanting to appear unrefined, she decided to borrow some berlian ear studs from a good friend. However as the date drew near, she hatched a new plan.
Dressed in her best baju panjang, with three gold hairpins atop her immaculate sanggul, Wak Wajek set off with her niece to a goldsmith shop on North Bridge Road. She made the girl carry her tempat sireh and spittoon. Her ruse was to appear as a rich nyonya who wanted to have a kerosang berlian made.
At the shop, she told the goldsmith that she wanted to select the diamonds herself before they agreed on an auspicious date for the craftsman to come to her house. The goldsmith laid a velvet-lined tray on the counter and emptied the contents of a small box into it. Wak Wajek’s eyes widened at the sight. There must have been at least a hundred diamonds there!
She deliberately took her time selecting the stones. As chance would have it, the jeweller was called away to attend to another customer and she was left alone with the diamonds. Her niece had wandered off and was admiring some carved gold bangles. As swift as a hawk, Wak Wajek’s bony fingers swooped into the tray and fished out two large diamonds. Her hand flew to her mouth and popped the stones into the red cavern. They felt cold on her tongue. She swirled them in her mouth then quickly spat out a crimson gob into her spittoon.
When the goldsmith returned she calmly told him that she had to leave for a cherki (card) game and arranged to come back another day.
The moment she arrived home she grabbed the spittoon from her niece and washed it herself. The girl was surprised because she was usually made to clean it, but she didn’t question her aunt…it was one less chore for her.
Alone in her bedroom, Wak Wajek admired the glittering diamonds. How magnificent they would look on her earlobes! For a brief moment, an image of her adopted mother flashed before her – she was weeping with rage and disappointment. Wak Wajek pushed the image out of her mind. To soothe herself, she doused her sapu tangan (handkerchief) with Florida Water and dabbed her brow, as if wiping away her guilt. It was just the afternoon heat, she told herself.
She planned to return to the goldsmith’s the following week. She would tell him that she had changed her mind about the kerosang berlian and wanted a pair of anting-anting (earrings) made instead. She would then show him the two diamonds, claim it was gift from her late husband and tell him to use them for her earrings.
When she returned alone to the goldsmith’s, he greeted her excitedly and told her he had another box of diamonds to show her. Before she could refuse, he was already spreading the stones out on the velvet tray. The shop was busy that afternoon and he was soon called away by another customer.
Alone with the diamonds once again, Wak Wajek was struck with a pang of guilt. Her whole life she had strived to be seronoh, to be a true nyonya. Now, she was…a thief.
She drew out a small woollen purse that she had crocheted herself. Inside, the two diamonds were wrapped in cotton wool. Wak Wajek took one last glance at them in her palm and dropped them onto the tray. Relief washed over her.
She said a quick goodbye to the goldsmith with the excuse that she had an appointment she forgot about. Calmly, Wak Wajek walked out of the shop with her head held high.