Episode 2: Still My Son

He is a male prostitute on death penalty for committing murder. She hardly knows him, but she loves him nonetheless because he is her son.

The first time Mdm. Yong set eyes again on her youngest son in 17 years was in court -- when he was tried for murder.

A couple approached Mrs. Chua (Mdm. Yong) when times were hard, offering to adopt her youngest son. Desperation and poverty drove Mrs. Chua to give up her two-year-old son for adoption 17 years ago. Her fisherman husband had a meager income and gambled it away. Eventually, she moved out, hoping to fend for herself and her three sons by working in an electronics factory.

She was barely making ends meet and often borrowed heavily from relatives just to put food on the table. That was when a couple who was family friends approached Mrs. Chua about adopting her youngest son. Although she refused at first, she could not hold out because it was very hard.

Her son was renamed Alan Lee. His adoptive parents did not allow contact with his real family. All Mrs. Chua had thereafter of him was one lone snapshot of him.

Over the years, she thought of him, but the shock came when suddenly, in 1997, one of Alan's adoptive sisters called. Alan had become a male prostitute and was arrested for bashing an old brothel owner to death. The next piece of bad news came when Mrs. Chua confirmed Alan's birth date with his lawyer. That made him over 18 at the time of the killing, meaning he would not escape the death penalty.

The first time they met after 17 years was when Alan stood in the dock. Unable to talk although they were just 10 metres apart, Mrs Chua and Alan could only exchange smiles and glances. When the death sentence was passed, Alan could only smile calmly at Mrs Chua before being led away.

by MediaCorp