Reflections After A Wedding

I had just attended a colleague's wedding.

"How was the wedding?" the boy's sms said.

"Charming," I replied, "Almost makes you want to get married yourself."

"LOL," the boy responded.

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My grandmother is in her late eighties. In a subtle way, she always tried to find out about my relationship status. And I always tried to tell her the truth, albeit in a subtle way.

Some may wonder why she needs to be subtle, afterall as a grandmother, she could nag at me to get married as most other grandmothers do. Fortunately for me, as the eldest grandson, I have been enjoying the privilege of always getting my way with her so she doesn't contradict me very much. Furthermore, she knows that if she nags at me, I would switch from the pleasant, filial grandson into a stubborn, defiant, spoilt brat. Thus I have been spared from such conflicts.

Others may suggest for me to come out to her. That's an idea. Though I wonder how she might take that. I certainly don't want to be the one responsible for making her pass out from shock or disappointment that I'll never get married. At her age, who knows what might happen.

Yet, I wonder how she and the rest of my family members would react if I should announce one day that I was getting married... to another man. For some reason, the possible reactions excite me greatly. Almost makes you want to get married yourself.

It Is A Dog

It was your first birthday present to me. It came with its sister in a little cage. When I opened the cage door, its sister immediately jumped out to greet me. It, however, was smaller than its sister and was hesitant of leaping the 3 inches from the cage to the kitchen floor. I wrapped my hands around its little tummy and carried it out from the cage.

Once out, it was more curious than its sister. It rushed about the kitchen, exploring and sniffing away.

"Give it a name," you said.

I was stumped and couldn't come up with a name for a long while.

"Name it after the place where we met," you suggested.

His Birthday

We met on his birthday 6 years ago.

I agreed to turn up at his birthday party even though I had already decided that he was not the one for me 6 months before. His lifestyle and attitude towards life were just too different from mine. For one thing, he smokes. But I guess one is blinded by such details when one is lonely. I was going through a difficult period in my life and he was convenient.

He was a good drinker but his friends managed to get him half-drunk by midnight. For some reasons that I cannot recall, everyone decided it was time to relocate the party to Niche, the gay pub on Pagoda Street*.

He knew the bartenders at Niche and got them to make a specially strong long island tea for me. I sipped my tea as I watched his friends teased him with more liquor. It was a Saturday night and the club was packed with 18 year olds jerking to the blaring music. In the dark, I saw him standing intimately close to a man who was seated atop some velvet-covered boxes by the bar counter. His arms were around the man and he looked like he was all over the man.

I knew then that I had been right to give him up 6 months ago because I felt more amusement than jealousy. I knew he was drunk "all-the-way" when he started behaving tartishly. I took my tea and went towards him to see just how drunk he was.

The man looked disinterested but did not try to push him away. Hands by the sides, the man remained uncomfortably motionless. I think the man was unattracted, yet at the same time flattered by the attention.

His hands, however, were all over the man, round the neck, round the waist.

The man looked at me as I walked by and I smiled.

Finally, he was too drunk to stay any longer. I helped him out of Niche only to have him stumbling towards the side of the club where he immediate bent over and puked into the drains. As I stood by him, I realised I was out of tissues. I left him there telling him I would try to get some serviettes from the pub.

In the dark, I bumped into the man he was caressing a few moments back. I asked if the man had any tissue and was given a pack of O'Darling 3-ply, the one with the anime girl's face printed on the packet.

"Thanks," I said.

"Take care of him," you replied.

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*Niche Pub & Cafe on Pagoda Street has since closed down.

Your Birthday

Lunch and a movie?

UOB gives special discount to card members who dine at selected restaurants on their birthdays. We should take advantage of it.

Also, we have been planning to catch The Da Vinci Code since way before it was released but just never got around to doing it. Unfortunately, not many cinemas are still showing it. Good thing you are off tomorrow so we can catch it during one of the afternoon screenings at Golden Village.

We are still together.

Your Birthday

It's your birthday tomorrow. Dinner reservations have been made, our guest has been invited; but we are not speaking to each other. Once more, we find ourselves in the familiar position we were in last September.

Should I send you a birthday sms tonight at midnight as is our tradition? Or should I just strike off the dinner appointment tomorrow?

Do I need to start rezipping my life all over again?

Perhaps it's best not to ask, not to tell.