Leung Yip
我1936年喺香港出世嘅。之後識左我老公，佢行英國船，成個月先返屋企十日八日。結婚之前佢有先講明。點解我選擇行船佬，佢人工高呀。當時香港D人太窮啦，佢大我十年都無所謂啦。佢好為家庭。結咗婚有咗小朋友，佢為咗唔想拋低我哋就決定放棄行船，喺Liverpool落腳做廚，整我同個仔過嚟英國。我就好happy呀，反正都無特別親人喺香港。但點知一申請申請咗好耐，其他人一頭半個月就得，我攪咗成三年。因為我無咗出世紙，當時走難，顧得條命重點顧到張紙？
我66/67年嗰時嚟到英國，個仔都四歲。一嚟到對英國D人印象好好。喺希思路轉機嗰陣個機師好好人，又幫我拎野又幫我拖細路。我英文唔好，去到Liverpool無做野我就喺屋企睇細路。但過咗兩年開始好悶好寂莫。我老公見我咁就托朋友搵間空置鋪頭，佢做廚，我就可以幫手睇生意、睇細路，同喺樓上住。間鋪頭喺Leeds，於是我哋就搬過嚟開外賣店。間外賣店叫Harehills Chop Suey House，都幾出名㗎！一做就做咗三十年囉。到大約廿年前我同我老公講，捱咗三十年我無乜希望，只希望有屋住有架車山入就得。之後我哋就退休了。
上年3月23號我比賊佬入屋呀。嗰日朝早有人拍門，問我要唔要人整花園。我每年都叫人嚟整一次，咁我咪開門比佢入嚟去花園睇囉。佢睇完之後下晝五點真係返返嚟喎，佢同我喺後花園，拎住支筆同張紙寫低我話要點整。十五分鐘之後聽到有人喺屋入面嗌佢，話得啦走啦咁。得都奇怪點解突然多左個人，不過無為意以為係佢同事啦。佢話要走，我叫佢開個價佢話450啦，我叫佢平D佢就話300啦，之後就走左，我以為佢趕時間。我入到去見到地下做乜咁多鞋印嘅？個心即刻打左個突。上到房發現比人偷哂我D錢同首飾。錢都事少，最痛心係佢偷咗我阿媽比我做嫁裝嗰隻玉鈪。
我老公過咗身成十年啦。佢唔係有咩病痛，佢老呀。唔記得野，好笠。我重叫人改裝咗間屋，等佢可以舒服D喺樓下。後來佢開始唔識講，又唔係好食到野，要請Carer來照顧佢，一日三次，每次嚟兩個人，我就廿四小時standby。咁樣維持咗一年。開頭牧師有嚟睇佢，但牧師走咗我見到佢眼光光，好似想喊咁。咁我就同牧師講叫佢唔好嚟啦，可能你觸動到佢心入面一D情緒。有一日我朝早起身，聽到佢氣促，擘大個口，好似抖唔到氣。我即刻打電話去醫院。佢瞓咗一晚醫院，第二日就去咗囉。
我到宜家都唔慣，一到夜晚我就怕靜怕黑。我有個朋友喺 Manchester住老人屋，我同個仔同新抱講話我都想去住，佢哋話唔好啦咁遠，我又行得走得，可以照顧自己。我一諗又覺得係喎，咁就無去。但唔搬又唔係，我都唔知點。
I was born in Hong Kong in 1936. Then I met my husband, he was a sailor and only came home once every three months. He did tell me that before we got married. Why did I choose a sailor? He earned well! Everyone was so poor in Hong Kong back then; I didn’t mind that he was ten years my senior. He was a family man. After our son was born, he decided to give up life at sea for our sake. He settled down in Liverpool and brought us over. I was really happy, as I didn’t have family in Hong Kong. The application to get us over ended up taking much longer than we thought. While others took months, it took us three years. The reason was my birth certificate was lost when I fled the war as a child.
It was 1966/67 when I came to the UK, and my son was four. I found British people very nice. When we transferred at Heathrow for Liverpool, the pilot was so kind and helped me with my luggage. He even held my son. I didn’t speak much English; I didn’t work when I arrived at Liverpool and stayed at home to look after the family. Two years went by, and I felt bored and lonely. My husband then decided to start his own business so I could help in the shop while looking after our son. He found an empty shop in Leeds, so that was how we ended up here. Our takeaway shop was called Harehills Chop Suey House, it was quite famous back then! We ran the business for thirty years. About twenty years ago I said to my husband, “I don’t wish for much after thirty years of hard work, I only wish for a roof over my head and a car to go places.” Then we retired.
Last March I was burgled in broad daylight. That day someone knocked on my door and asked if I need any gardening doing. I get someone to tidy up the garden every year, so I invited the man in to have a look. He had a quick look and said he would come back in the afternoon. About 5pm he was back, with a pen and paper in hand. We went to the garden to discuss details. Fifteen minutes later someone called him from inside the house and said, “it’s done let’s go”. I was surprised there was another person; how did he get in? But I thought maybe it was his colleague. I asked him for a quote and he said £450, I asked him to make it cheaper, and he said £300 before rushing off. I thought they were in a hurry. When I went back inside, I was astonished to find lots of dirty footprints in the house. My heart sank. I went into my room, they have taken all my cash and jewellery, including the jade bracelet my mother had left me for my dowry.
My husband has passed away for nearly 10 years ago now. It wasn’t anything in particular, I guess he died of old age. He started to become forgetful and slow. I got people to renovate downstairs so he could live comfortably without going up and down the stairs. Then he started to struggle to speak and eat. We had carers three times a day. Two people came each time. I was on standby twenty-four hours. It lasted for about a year. The pastor from our church came to visit in the beginning, but I saw my husband look upset after the pastor was gone, so I told the pastor not to come, I’d rather not get him emotional. One day when I got up in the morning, I heard my husband wheezing for air with his mouth wide open. I called an ambulance. He spent one night at the hospital, next day he was gone.
I am still not used to it, I’m afraid of the dark and the quietness. A friend of mine stayed in an old people’s home in Manchester, I wanted to go join my friend. But my son and daughter in law didn’t want me to move away to a different city. They said I am capable of looking after myself. They’ve got a point, so here I stayed. But should I stay or should I go? I really don’t know.