This Thursday morning, Mom left the house at about 11am.
When she came out through the door, she slipped on a wet patch of a just-mopped floor, but thankfully did not land on her bottom. Justine saw how clumsily she had tried to regain her balance, and laughed, yes laughed, but regain her balance, your mother did, in the end. Amazing she did not fall backwards on the ... she was about to say, the blardy floor ...
(clearing of throat)
... the floor.
You must have supported Mom huh, in some way. You must have. :D She was all ready to be slain horizontally on the ground. And she did not. Thanks Son, otherwise Mom would have to waste precious time changing into fresh clothes.
In the car, Mom turned on the radio. These lines came on, beginning with:
I can face the world
You know that I can do anything
When I see You smile
I see a ray of light
I see it shining right through the rain
When I see You smile
(Music videos for this song has been blocked.)
Anyway, she ran some errands in Bangsar area before driving to the Shopping Mall. Mom was supposed meet up with Aunty LC, a friend from school. Your mother's got a bottle of Lourdes' Holy Water for her.
You will remember we had tried to bring back 5 large (5L) containers of Lourdes' water home. One container had to be taken out during the check-in at the airport as the luggage was too heavy. Anyway, we still have one container left now.
Ahh, this part Mom has to tell You ... very interesting ...
It was about 12:15pm when Mom was driving into the car park of the mall. She was following the line of cars going into the Basement One of the car park. On the slope down, she noticed 3 cars in front of her. She wondered how You were going to get her a parking today, since there were 3 cars before her. The first car would definitely get the first spot, she thought. Then, there's another 2 more to go. Aiyahhh. So what to do???
"Get Mom a parking," she mentally sent a SOS signal to her son. :D
"Get Mom a parking," she mentally sent a SOS signal to her son. :D
Anyway, your mother trailed the cars down the slope, followed the bend to the left. At the end of the lane, the first car turned left.
Then, the second car turned left.
After that, the third car turned left.
You CANNOT turn right anyway.
NO ENTRY. DILARANG MASUK.
You have to turn left.
Mom was about to turn left too, when she saw a lady walking towards Mom's car (heading to the mall obviously). The lady kinda waved at her, and pointed to the NO ENTRY area. Oh Wow! So, instead of turning LEFT, she pulled and turned the steering wheel to drive into the RIGHT lane. There were several parking lots there. She looked at her rear-view-mirror to see if there were any cars behind her. Nope, the other cars continued to turn into the LEFT lane. All very law-abiding citizens.
So, she took her time to reverse the car in.
Wow, Mom couldn't believe that inciDAN, the stranger actually WAVED to her to tell her about the parking. The timing is spot on. There were 3 cars in front of her, bumper to bumper almost. Yet, it was your mother she chose to wave to.
You definitely had something to do with that, didn't You? No doubt about it. :D Could feel your presence right then.
Met up with Aunty LC at the Roller Blade center on the 4th floor. Her 2 lovely girls were roller-blading and having loads of fun. That reminds Mom of the time when You and Justine used to roller-blade in the condo compound, and come home with bruises on the knees and scrapes on the hands. It was nice just standing there, watching the children slide around, in an enclosed but see-through area.
Met up with Aunty LC at the Roller Blade center on the 4th floor. Her 2 lovely girls were roller-blading and having loads of fun. That reminds Mom of the time when You and Justine used to roller-blade in the condo compound, and come home with bruises on the knees and scrapes on the hands. It was nice just standing there, watching the children slide around, in an enclosed but see-through area.
We had lunch at about 1pm at the cafe. Her girls sat with their grandpa who was there with them on one table, and Aunty LC and Mom sat on a separate table, 2 steps away. We made our orders and while waiting, updated each other about ourselves, our families and friends we knew from school.
Soon, not sure how it began, but Mom started to share with Aunty LC THE BOND stories. Yeappp. Story after story after story. This was the very first time that your mother has spoken easily about your stories to someone and not feel - ridiculous. Anyway, your mother enjoyed relating your stories to Aunty LC and we had plenty of laughter on our table amidst the OMGs, and Do-You-Believe-THAT-Happened exclamations, inter-spaced in between.
On hindsight, there must be a reason for Aunty LC to hear them, like she was meant to. If it was not meant to be, it would have been uncomfortable relating the stories and inciDANces. The words that come out would just be weird and constipated.
Two strange things happened during (hair) and after lunch (bill).
Aunty LC will definitely remember this.
While we were talking, there was always ONE strand of hair that made its presence on the table, fallen from God-knows-where. Reflecting back, it was just so strange, that we would talk talk talk, and then Mom would spot a strand of hair on the table, and she would sweep it away, and then talk talk talk, and another strand of hair would drop on to the table, and Mum would brush it aside, resume to chat chat chat, and another strand of hair would be spotted, she would pick it up and casually drop it on the floor, continue to yak yak yak, and a few minutes later, another strand would be right there on the table.
That happened, definitely more than 10 times. Less than 20. Perhaps about 15. It was so weird for Mom to be telling your stories, and at the same time, spotting and picking up the ONE strand of hair that would be on the surface of the white table. Funny, REALLY funny, if You think about it, so many times the ONE strand of hair fell from above, but NOT once did it fall into our food or on our plate. It always landed ON THE TABLE. Whether here or there, it's always ON THE TABLE, and never in our food.
And always just ONE strand.
Why did we not find two or three strands of hair at the same time? Always ONE. Always always ONE, throughout the 2 hours that we were lunching. At one point, after picking and sweeping the ONE strand of hair for the, what seemed like the hundredth time, Mom said, "I don't know where all this hair is coming from..." and inside her head she couldn't help but wonder,
Is this why You are sending her for a free hair analysis?
Why specifically TODAY that the ONE strand of hair has to make its presence felt so strongly? We couldn't help but NOTICE that because it happened just TOO MANY TIMES.
No, what's that about???
That has not happened before at her other lunch, tea or dinner dates. Of course, if You do see a strand of hair on the table, You'd just sweep it away without thinking about it. But more than 10 - 15 times? And only on THAT day??? One strand after another? As Mom was relating your BOND stories??? And on top of that, the strand knows just how to land nicely on the surface of the table, at a conspicuous spot where BOTH of us could see it, but NEVER once on our plates or drinks?
Seriously, what's that about???
It wasn't until yesterday (Monday 8/11) that Mom saw -
a light ... a certain kind of light.
She was thinking about the angel-feather that dropped in the kitchen on Saturday morning. That somehow jogged your mother's memory, as it made her remember that she had, in the past, more than once, ask You in jest, to leave a white feather and a strand of hair from Jesus, on her computer table.
A strand of hair ...
Like ...
ONE - strand - of - hair???
Upon that enlightenment, Mom's thoughts were then channeled to the Priest who repeated his lines over and over and over during Mass on Saturday evening (Call 48) - the repeats were for your mother to GET the message. Yes, yes, we've established that. This hair-inciDAN was kinda similar, being repeated over and over and over ... and the message that your mother was slowly getting then was that :-
You were with us that day. :D
Really, really with us. Not just saying for the sake of saying. The ONE STRAND OF HAIR - that's the connection.
Believe it or not ...
You must have been with us that day, probably seated right next to Mom on the right, whilst Aunty LC was on your mother's left. Mom realized that only later at home. Not during lunch. During lunch, she was busy sweeping the ONE strand of hair, and telling this story, picking hair and telling that story, one after another.
That was just so, so weird ...
You really are giving it to your mother bluntly now, aren't You, Son? That's good. Don't beat around the bush. Just tell her direct. :D
Towards the end of our lunch date, at one point, Mom asked Aunty LC if she'd heard of the song IF I DIE YOUNG (about to tell her about Call 40). Aunty LC shook her head uncertainly. Mom started to sing the song, the first few lines. Can't believe she did that. Did You make your mother sing?
If I die young
Bury me in satin
Lay me down on a bed of roses
Aunty LC recognised it instantly, and exclaimed that, she had JUST heard the song THIS morning. She says she normally doesn't remember songs, and they would just pass her by, but this one, THIS one, she remembers hearing.
ZZZINNGGGG ...
We felt something, a certain something, but we don't know how to put that into words. Her eyes told Mom that she was somehow touched in some way when she recognized the song as Mom was singing it. Your mother could tell, how You somehow connected us, towards the end of the day, after all your stories, just before we were about to part. There really was a reason for us to sit down and talk that day. It was clearly for your mother's benefit.
About 3pm, we have been chatting for 2 hours then ... the cafe manager came to our table and upon presenting the bill, she said,
"You called for the bill?"
We did not.
You did. :D
Mom knows.
Aunty LC and Mom gave each other THAT smile. You know, THAT smile, THAT look, THAT raised eye-brow, like we know something, and at the same time, we couldn't point a finger to ... since Mom was not able to tell where You were seated ... on this chair or that? :D
The manager-lady said, upon returning the change, apologetically:
"Sorry about that, I don't know why
my waiter said You called for the bill."
Super Grin. When there is a "I don't know why..." ...
Oh, we so so so know why.
The Bond 044. :D
If You didn't ask for the bill, we would still be sitting there chatting away, and it was already 3pm. Mom had told Justine she'd be back around 3pm. You knew that. Your mother arrived home about 3:30pm. No wonder You called for the Bill. Mom can just imagine You tapping your fingers impatiently waiting for the Bill to arrive. :D
In the car, upon reaching Taman Desa, the song :
ESPECIALLY FOR YOU
came on. A not-so dinosaur-song from University-days in UK. Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovon.
Wait a minute ...
Jason Donovon???
Jason???
Daniel Jason???
Hmm, a good sign to sing along ... By the way, before this song, all previous songs on the radio on the way home were - alien songs. So step aside and pass the mike over please ... :D
Especially for You
I wanna let You know what I was going through
All the time we were apart, I thought of You
You were in my heart
My love never changed
I still feel the same
Especially for You
I wanna tell You I was feeling that way too
And if dreams were wings, You know
I would have flown to You
To be where You are
No matter how far
And now that I'm next to You
Now - that - I'm - next - to - You ...
That's good to hear, Son ...
Really good to know ... <3
At home, when Mom checked the phone again, to enter the details into her diary, she couldn't help but smile a secret smile to herself, when she saw the words "DRAFT (44)" on the phone-screen, indicating the number of her latest saved-draft. :D
Her Angel-sign. The secret code between Mother and Son. You really really really are next to her. :D
Oh boy, would You believe it???
Mom just uploaded the pink ANGEL image right above and noticed the image number : 144-angel.png
Thanks for staying close, Son ... and giving your messages straight and direct to your mother. :D
Time of Posting : Tuesday 8/11@ 7:20pm
