媽媽的記憶

攝於2004年11月。
媽媽以前小時候住過的地方。一個很小很小的鎮子。只有一條街。只有那麽一間咖啡店。隔壁甚至有已廢棄了的破舊的店子。
媽媽好像說了什麽，關於很久以前她的生活。我爲什麽記不起。
只記得，裝在這個非常舊款瓶子里的沙士。
沙士是我童年的味道。長大後好像就沒落了，這個飲品。
可是即使童年喝的沙士是裝在玻璃瓶里的，也不是這樣老舊的款式。
媽媽看見了，欣喜若狂。
我們以前喝的沙士，就是這樣的。她說。
原來是媽媽的年代的。媽媽年少時的年代的。
都多少年了。竟然還存活著在這個鎮子里。
喝下一口，我好像坐上一道隧道滑梯，在黑白色里滑進老舊咖啡店里。
隔壁媽媽忽然轉過頭對我笑。沒有皺紋的臉上有著自信，還有年少時懷著美夢的青春。
媽媽的青春與美夢，都給了我們。
時光原來就停止，在這個鎮子里，在這家咖啡店里，在這個沙士瓶子里。
在媽媽的眼裏。

It is where my mama lived, when she was fairly young.
It is a very small town, with only one street, and only one coffee shop, or what we used to call, kopitiam.
The abandoned old shops stood next to it, without shame, without pride, like they were supposed to be there from the beginning, just to match the picture, nothing else.
Mama was telling us some stories about her time, I was listening so tentatively; but why I can't recall now, I don't know.
But I remember clearly, like I just saw it yesterday, the Sarsi drink in the glass bottle, with the yellow sticker on it.
Sarsi associates with my childhood memories. Sarsi and the Malta drink were the only luxury we could afford for any special occasions, especially Chinese New Year, when I was young. Even after I have turned into an adult and far beyond those time, just by sniffing it triggers the flows of my childhood memories. And I believe that it will always do.
The Sarsi we drank then was bottled in a glass bottle, but not like this one at all.
Mama was beaming when she saw this one, sitting in the cooler in the kopitiam.
"It is just like the one I used to have when I was young!" she exclaimed.
So it was from mama's generation. How amazing that they are still around today, in this little town.
How many years have passed? I wondered.
With a sip of it, I was on the tunnelled slide, sliding into a black-and-white world, into the same kopitiam.
Mama, she turned around and smiled at me.
Her face without any wrinkles were radiant with youth. Her smile was the smile one could only have when they were young, ambitious, and full of dreams.
Yet, mama gave all of her youth, ambitions and dreams to us.
The time must has stopped in this little town, in this kopitiam, inside the Sarsi bottle.
And also, in my mama's eyes.