THE last six years of his life could have been much happier - if only he had gone against his unfounded fears.
The late Mr Lim Boon Leong, 50, who died on Thursday, kept a secret from his family for six long years - he didn't tell them that he had married Chinese national Liu Huizhang, 46.
He feared they would not approve of her.
He was sad. But he was wrong.
When the Singaporean died, his family found out about her.
And they accepted her with open arms.
Mr Lim met Madam Liu through a mutual friend in 2004, when he was travelling in Henan, her province in China.
A year later, the couple got married at the Registry of Marriages here.
They even had a small celebratory dinner that day with friends, and took photos.
But Mr Lim kept his family in the dark.
While her husband was alive, Madam Liu never got to meet her in-laws - not even during the Chinese New Year.
It seemed Mr Lim, a supplier of business products, feared his family had a negative impression of Chinese nationals.
Madam Liu told The New Paper in Mandarin: "He asked me to visit my relatives in China during the Chinese New Year.
He told me not to talk to his family. He was afraid they might not accept me.
"He said some Singaporeans viewed Chinese nationals as money-hungry and calculative."
Mr Lim was previously married to a Singaporean, but they split up in 1996.
Madam Liu added: "I want to say that not all Chinese nationals are bad. We are also human.
"I married (Mr Lim) for love. He was sweet and thoughtful to me. He isn't wealthy, but I'm fine with that. I've never asked him for a single cent.
"I've also been doing the housework, buying him food and washing his clothes."
She dismissed previous negative reports about Chinese nationals and said: "I don't want his money. How much does he have anyway, after paying for all his medical bills over the years?"
Madam Liu used to work as an administrative officer in a coal-mining company in China.
But after coming to Singapore, she stopped work to take care of Mr Lim, who had heart problems, diabetes and high blood pressure.
She gave him daily massages on his calves and back to ease his aches and pains.
They lived with one of Mr Lim's brothers in a one-room rental flat in Block 61, Geylang Bahru.
Madam Liu would also take care of Mr Lim's brother, who is in his 40s, when he was ill.
Sometimes, Mr Lim's parents, who live in a nearby block, would bring him and his brother food.
Whenever this happened, Madam Liu would stand in a corner and smile shyly.
She told TNP: "They would stand outside the door and pass the food over. I would wave, but (Mr Lim) never introduced me to them."
"To them, I was just a 'friend' of his."
But the secret came out after Mr Lim died from a heart attack on Thursday morning.
Around 3am, Madam Liu noticed her husband having trouble breathing and called for an ambulance.
Mr Lim died after he was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
At the mortuary, Mr Lim's father, retiree Lim Boon Huat, was asked by a reporter if he knew who Madam Liu was.
The 80-year-old replied that she was "a friend" of his son's.
But when his family saw Mr Lim's death certificate, they found her signature on it.
The certificate stated that she was his "wife".
Madam Liu told TNP: "I was very nervous about them finding out. I didn't know how they would react to me.
"I feared they would dislike me like (Mr Lim) said they might."
But to her surprise, her in-laws were very nice to her.
Mr Lim's father gave her $20 and asked her to take care of the brother staying in her flat, Madam Liu said.
Thanked her
Mr Lim's mother, in her 80s, also thanked her for taking care of her two sons.
Said Madam Liu: "My late husband was wrong about them. He could have been happier."
Mr Lim's parents were too distraught to be interviewed, but a nephew of his said: "We're not on bad terms with Madam Liu."
The junior college student confirmed that his side of the family had been unaware of Mr Lim's marriage.
He said he was unsure why Mr Lim thought his family might disapprove of his wife, but added: "We have nothing against people of a different nationality. She's very nice to us and we are nice to her."
So is she welcome into the family?
The teenager said: "We are okay with that...We're still trying to recover after my uncle's death."
Madam Liu's short-term visit pass is valid until next month. She has also applied for a long-term visit pass.
She said: "I'll see what my mother-in-law wants.
"If she wants me to stay to take care of my brother-in-law, I will. If not, I will return to China."
Is she angry with Mr Lim for hiding their marriage from his family?
"Of course," she replied simply.
"But I got used to it. I couldn't have forced him to introduce me if he wasn't comfortable.
"What's the point of being angry anyway? He is dead now."
This article was first published in The New Paper.
