Doting dad: Ooi with his sons, Ooi Zi Gen (left), 14, and Ooi Zi Hao, 13, at their home at Taman Plentong Utama.
JOHOR BARU: When his wife left home six years ago, Ooi Teik Kwoi was forced to take on the responsibilities of both a father and a mother for his two children overnight.
The 60-year-old recalled that one day in December 2017, his wife packed her bags and said she wanted to visit her family back in Myanmar.
“She said she had some family issues to deal with and would be back in a month’s time. She promised our sons that she would be back soon with gifts for them.
“We waited for a call from her after she left, but the phone never rang. On the third day, I called my mother-in-law and heard that my wife had not made it back to her village.
“I was worried sick, thinking that something bad had happened to her. Later that day, she called to tell me that she was never coming back but did not give any reasons,” he said when met at his house in Taman Plentong Utama here.
Ooi said he was devastated to hear that his wife of nine years had left him and their two children, who were only seven and eight years old at that time, for good.
“What really broke my heart was the fact that my children would have to live without a mother suddenly.
“I know they were too young to understand what had happened, but I decided to be frank with them as it hurt me to see them waiting for her,” he said.
Ooi quit his job as a welder in Singapore, where he was earning almost S$2,000, to take care of his children.
“My kids were young and had just lost their mother, the person whom they spent most of their time with since they were babies.
“I did not want them to ever feel abandoned, so I made it a point to spend as much time as I could with them. I wanted them to know that they have a father who loves them dearly,” he said.
After quitting his full-time job, he has been taking up odd jobs, including food delivery and being a part-time contractor.
This Fathers Day, his only wish is that his two sons will be happy and healthy, Ooi said.
