I. The Beginning

        In the early morning, with the tide rising.

     “Would you like to come out to sea with me?” Mr. Soon asked, waving.

      “Yes.”

      I helped him lift two plastic buckets onto the boat, my steps unsteady.

      He untied the boat and started the small engine.

    The little boat puffed and chuckled, excited to embrace the ocean……

      We were off!

2. Lessons on Sea Life, Astronomy, and Geography

      Using the buoys on the surface, Mr. Soon found the nets and cages he’d cast earlier.

      He strained to pull up the net, revealing a mix of familiar and strange fish, shrimp, and crabs, all flopping and glistening in the sun.

      Thus began our solid biology lesson……

          —The unremarkable crab was a horse crab.

     —The fish that puffs up with anger when caught, like a balloon, was the puffer fish.

        —The one with hidden spikes that could hurt you for days, known as Ayam.

      This was knowledge I had not learned in school. So, stepping onto the boat, venturing into the sea, I found myself asking a hundred thousand “whys” alongside a hundred thousand “whats.” A simple, primitive thirst for knowledge: “What?” 

        Mr. Soon    often   claimed    he   was   aloof,   and   his   wife would occasionally tell me of his impatient nature. Yet, my memories of him were different. He was usually quiet, lost in his work. He was not one to easily engage strangers. But with me, he showed great patience. For every relentless “what” and “why” I asked, he would answer diligently, never complaining.

      He taught my clumsy hands to gather the nets and tolerated my sometimes excessive wishes:

        —To drift lazily on the water;

       —To anchor at an unnamed sandbank and explore abandoned shrimp ponds;

      —To touch and feel the fine white sand on the shores of Pulau Ujong;

   —To approach the structures and observe the flocks of seagulls resting on the pylons…… 

      His patience and earnestness moved me.

      Beyond creatures of the sea, I sought knowledge of the stars, of geography...…

         —What is the principle behind the rising tide?

       —When the tide rises on Ubin Island, it must also rise along the Singapore coast, where does the excess water go?

    —The moon controls the tides; how does it hold such miraculous gravity?

      How strange it felt—destined to set sail together, was our connection forged only in this life?

3. The Wind Bears Love; The Tide Offers No Favors

      At some moment, a massive shape loomed before us. Majestic, like a whale spouting water, it stood proud, daunting in its size. You know what I mean—a large oil tanker.

            I rose instinctively, wanting to ask Mr. Soon about its tonnage.

      But our  small  boat rocked  severely; standing was  a  challenge.

           Mr. Soon ’s face turned solemn, urging me to sit.

      No longer speaking, he focused intently on the choppy waters. With deft hands, he slowed the boat, angling its bow against the waves to avoid capsizing.

        At last, the giant tanker passed, the sea settled again. My taut nerves relaxed.

      Then, Mr. Soon  explained: this maneuver is called “cutting the waves.” Our biology lesson turned into a physics class. Yet, my mind drifted to Su Shi’s line: “The wind with love rolls the tide in, while the heartless sends it back.” I wondered if the wind had feelings or not, and I realized, Su Shi (苏轼) was wrong—those waves were born not from the wind, but stirred by the great ship. The wind was a scapegoat, unfairly blamed.

         No matter, the waves had revealed Mr. Soon’s skillful handling!

4. The Spring Tides and the Eighteen Currents

      The small boat floated on the waves while I scooped the seawater seeping into the cabin……

      Perhaps sensing my earlier fright, Mr. Soon  kindly asked, “Were you scared just now?”

      I shook my head. A newborn calf fears not the tiger; I thought I hadn’t learned to fear yet.

      Forgetful as I was, a phrase echoed in my mind: “The spring tide on the third day brings rapid currents.” I mentally calculated the tidal conditions……

      “Next time, let’s set sail on the eighteenth.” I said.