‘Chui Yee, it’s time to get up.’ My mother calls me softly. It is five thirty and I need to get up since there would be a queue for the bathroom after six o’clock. In order to avoid being late for school and take a quick shower, I need to get up earlier than other tenants.
After brushing my teeth and a fast wash, I wash my clothes which are soaked in my sweat. Luckily, the fleas just gave me three nasty bites. I fetch my school uniform from the balcony which is very tiny but important for us. There is no balcony in some neighbours’ cubicles, so I’m very pleased to have this balcony and a little fresh air!
My two little brothers get up when I’m putting on the dress. I always have a bowl of porridge as breakfast, and I never let my mother know that I do not feel full enough as I know that’s the best which our family can afford.
‘Look, that little guy slept in Chui Yee’s shoe last night!’ My brothers shout in surprise. I go over and kick my shoe at that little guy, the rat. It runs away.
After school, I always go to the library and do my homework as quickly as possible since I don’t want to sit close to the door to do my homework at night and I need to coach my brother to finish their homework.
Besides having to line up to use the toilet in the morning, this poor living condition brings us a lot of trouble. Twelve people sharing a toilet is unsanitary and the place is so dirty. Every family owns a gas store with LPD and it is very dangerous, but there are no ways to solve this problem. There is always much noise at night because the sound insulation is very bad. Sometimes, we would hear the neighbour’s snores until we drop asleep.
I really wish that my family could move into a public housing estate and have a real home. All cubicle dwellers are looking forward to this day.