This morning, Mom was in school.
Final practice before the Concert tomorrow afternoon. :D Dad was helping Grandma fix the school's telephone on the wall, to be out of reach of the children. Grandma apparently received a telephone bill with a string of 999 numbers (emergency number) that she suspects must be dialed by the children. :D So Dad kinda fixed the phone right up on the wall now, about Grandma's height. :D
We left school after the practice, and went for a quick breakfast at a nearby cafe. Of course, there was a ready parking for Dad - like right there. At the cafe, we randomly picked a table that had leaned-back seats (as opposed to stools).
We pulled the seats out, and sat down.
Dad pointed to the cutlery-box, that had the table number on it.
Table No 14
Ah, how nice. Our Angel-sign. :D
You were with us, weren't You, Son?
After a breakfast of coffee and toast, Mom asked Dad to hang around for a short while, while she went to the hair salon, about 2 minutes' walk away. She thought of having a hair wash so it would look presentable for the concert tomorrow.
You will remember that, the last time Mom stepped into the hair salon, the song WHEN YOU BELIEVE had come on, followed by THE BOND-connection the next day. (Call 38 : Mind Boggling)
So anyway, Mom couldn't help but wonder how You were going to connect with her this time, if at all.
Reaching the salon, she pushed the door open. It was 11am. There were 2 customers having their hair treated at the time. So, 2 seats were taken, leaving 6 empty seats with individual mirrors.
Mom walked to a seat and sat herself down. There was a rack of fashion and gossip magazines on the wall on the right side of her mirror and she stretched out to pick 2 magazines.
She kept HELLO on the side table, whilst she started to flip through HOT. So there she was ... flipping flipping flipping ... when she came to a page that gave her that familiar ...
BOND - ZAPPPPP!
Across the page, in large fonts were the words :
Secondhand Serenade
An immediate smile appeared on your mother's face. :D
Secondhand Serenade???
Fall For You???
The first video we made for You.
The second song You sang to Mom the night before You left us. That was a precious moment, Daniel. You must have whispered to your mother where to sit, and which magazine to take. Mom took her cell-phone out to snap a photo of the page. The shampoo girl must have been wondering why she did that.
After her hair wash, we went back to the condo. Aunty H had arrived. We were supposed to go to the Gardens Mall today for our uh, hair-analysis appointment. :D Yup, the one You set Mom with. It's today. :D Mum had initially booked for 4 pax, but Dad said no way was he going for such a thing, and as for Aunty R, she went back to Singapore last night.
We arrived at the Gardens Mall about 12:45pm.
Our hair-appointment was at 1pm. We Entered Robinson's and walked to that hair-counter. Asian faces greeted us. Strange. No sign of any foreigner.
A Chinese man asked, "Are you here for the hair analysis?"
Mom said, "Yes, who's doing it?"
The Chinese man replied, "I can do it for You."
Mom surprised herself, when she heard herself speaking quite bluntly, "Where's your French guy? I received an sms about a renowned international hair technical director from France ..."
What a mouthful.
She was kinda impressed with herself that she could remember the whole line straight from the text message she had received about 2 weeks back.
The man quickly intervened, "Oh, he's gone for a coffee break. He'll be back in a few minutes."
"We'll come back in a few minutes then," Mom said.
We were early anyway. 5 minutes to 1pm. We walked about at the handbags and bags section, pretended to take an interest in that orange purse and that pink sling bag, and then walked back to the counter.
Approaching the counter, we couldn't help but notice an ELDERLY foreigner who was talking to the counter staffs.
Oh -- My -- Lord, Daniel ...
Please don't tell your mother the French guy You're sending her to is that OLD man??? Mom asked You silently.
You cannot ... You CAN--NOT ... be sending Mom and Aunty H to have their hair analyzed by this ... this - GRANDPA from France? What happened to Antonio Banderas? Or ... or ... Tom Wellings? Or Ashton Kutcher?
This guy has hardly any hair, for cryin' out loud.
This is so, so, so not funny ...
This is so, so, so not funny ...
Mom extended her hand in greeting and said cheerily (yes, cheerily - all pure acting, let her assure You):
"You must be Dominic."
He took her hand in a firm hand shake, and rambled some words of friendly greeting. Yeah yeah, okay - let's just get on with it. You must be like what, a hundred and one years old and not a day older, she thought childishly to herself.
As your mother took her seat, for some reason she found it necessarily to mention, "I was in Lourdes September last year."
Mom pronounced Lourdes like how You used to spell it - LOOTS.
Grandpa didn't understand. Or maybe he couldn't hear. She's not sure.
After repeating LOOTS like five hundred times, Mom said finally, "You know GOD?" (pointing her finger to the ceilling)
He repeated, "God? Yes yes."
Mom said, "You know, Mother Mary?"
He nodded, "Yes yes."
Mom concluded, showing him her hands put together in prayer, "LOOTS??? Mother Mary???"
He let out an exclamation, "Ahhhhh, Lour-deh. Grotto."
She repeated with slight exaggeration, "Yes, Lour - DEHHH. Grotto."
He continued, "The founder of these products ... his real name is Jesus. Jesus Gonzales."
Oh really, You don't say. Shouldn't he be like - a carpenter - or something?
Anyway, he looked through her hair, inspected here and there, analyzed this and that, and then grabbed a handful to give it a tug, before commenting :
good density, good hair, good scalp
In that order.
Say what???
Say what???
Good density, good hair, good scalp???
Oh my, was he for real? Her hair has never been one of her strong assets, it's no secret. Why, she neglects her hair more than she takes care of it, and this renowned international hair technical director from France, after inspecting her hair said, "good density, good hair, good scalp???" He must be blin ...
Mom suddenly felt kinda bad for being mean.
Oh alright, she submitted inwardly, if You say so ... Since, You're the renowned international hair technical director from France, You should know good density, good hair and good scalp when You see one.
Psss, please erase the GRANDPA bit like she's never said it.
He proceeded to magnify her scalp 200X larger to show her some microscopic dryness before introducing some products.
Here it comes ...
Here it comes ...
The SALE part.
Oh, let it come.
She was not afraid.
She was all ready.
However, surprisingly, there was no uncomfortable pushing of products on the customers. If there were, Mom was ready with her famous line, "Let me check with my husband, and get back to You by tomorrow ..."
And then somehow, the tomorrow never comes. :D
Hmm, must say she was kinda disappointed she didn't get to use the line. A really good line.
Aunty H had her turn after that.
Before we left the counter, the staff presented us with a small bottle of shampoo each, to which Mom felt kinda obliged to say in return, "I'll ask my husband to buy me a set of your products for Christmas."
You see Son, your mother is not all that nasty, after all. :D
You see Son, your mother is not all that nasty, after all. :D
Grandpa ... Oops, she means, the renowned international hair technical director from France - gave her the thumbs-up!
Aunty H and Mom then walked over to PappaRich for lunch.
It was about 1pm. The cafe was packed with patrons. Believe it or not, but all the 38 tables (Aunty H asked the waiter for the number of tables in that eatery just so that Mom could write the correct number on the blog) were fully occupied, EXCEPT for one.
Clearly reserved for us.
We sat down. Mom promptly turned the cutlery-box to see the table number. She had a hunch it would be that Angel-number and she was right.
Table No 14.
Again. Oh wow.
Felt your presence instantly.
Felt your presence instantly.
On hindsight, that hair-thing was a good experience, Son. Thank You for sending Mom the invite. You know, Mom knows what You're trying to do. You set her up for this because You want her to know FOR SURE, to have NO DOUBTS WHATSOEVER, that the ONE STRAND OF HAIR that kept falling on the table last Thursday (Nov 4) did not come from her. :D (Call 46 : Hair Mystery)
(continue on Call 56)
