Their houses bore the same number – but were on different streets – and letters meant for one family often ended up at the other’s home.

They were aware of each other growing up, but were never friends. Not until years later, when both left home to train at the same hospital in Penang – he as a hospital assistant and she as a nurse.

That was when their story truly began.

This Valentine’s Day, their daughter, S Sarojini M Sivagurunathan, spoke of the enduring love that framed her growing-up years.

“Mum used to call him a Romeo,” the 58-year-old, fondly known as Jini, told FMT Lifestyle with a laugh. “He was popular with the Convent girls!”

Her father, M Sivagurunathan P Marimuthu, had a cheeky streak. “He had a group of friends just as cheeky as he was. During training, they played practical jokes on the nurses – they even turned off the water so the nurses couldn’t shower in the hostel,” Jini recalled.

Yet beneath the boyish mischief was a young man who noticed the smallest things – like Jini’s mother, Yap Ah Lek, cycling through Penang.

Their time in Penang hatched a friendship. This soon deepened into affection, and later into love. But their first postings took them to different parts of Johor – Sivagurunathan to Johor Bahru and Ah Lek to Pontian.

Still, distance did little to weaken their bond and Sivagurunathan travelled to see her whenever he could. Eventually, they decided to marry – a somewhat daring move as their families weren’t ready to accept their union.

Perhaps it was no surprise. She was the adopted daughter of a wealthy man in Taiping, Yap Kon Poh. He was the son of a strict postmaster. Theirs was a union that crossed race, religion and expectation.

“They got married in Johor, with the help of friends,” said Jini. Although they had informed their parents, only Sivagurunathan’s eldest brother attended their wedding on Oct 20, 1965.

But love, steady and patient, found its footing.

After marriage, their life together was shaped by small, thoughtful gestures and steadfast devotion. Jini recalled how her father treated her mother “like a queen”.

“Even though he didn’t earn much, he made sure there was always a maid to help her,” she shared.

He never forgot a birthday, an anniversary – or Valentine’s Day. There was always a gift, always a plan to take her out. One Valentine’s Day became especially meaningful: their son – Jini’s younger brother – was born that day.

Ah Lek showed her love in the kitchen. She was an excellent cook. She baked fruitcakes that her husband loved and mastered Indian dishes alongside her Chinese recipes.

It was a blending of cultures, simmering gently at the family table. And over time, their respective families, too, softened and accepted them.

The years moved quickly. Children grew up. Work took them from Johor to Tanjung Rambutan in Perak. Yet Taiping remained close to their hearts.

In their golden years, they returned to Taiping, buying an apartment there. But before they could fully move in, everything changed.

One day in 2018, Sivagurunathan, who had pulmonary fibrosis, collapsed at home. He was still alive when Ah Lek found him, although he struggled to breathe. Sadly, he passed away that very day, leaving behind a sense of emptiness.

“It took a toll on her because they did everything together,” Jini said.

For Ah Lek, life without her husband was quieter, lonelier. The man who had never forgotten a birthday or Valentine’s Day was no longer by her side.

About five years later, she too passed away from complications due to pneumonia.

Yet their story didn’t end there. Their legacy lives on in their two children and four grandchildren – and the lessons their love left behind.

Asked what they had taught her, Jini shared: “To support each other and to always be there for each other.”

Their story was never loud or dramatic. It was built on remembered birthdays, meals cooked with love and steady devotion.

Letters delivered to the wrong house. And two young people from Taiping who found each other anyway.