Saturday, April 16
1. E! News
This evening, Mom was getting ready to leave the condo. Dad would be arriving soon at the coach station. She was about to shut the windows in the living room, when the now familiar DON'T YOU FORGET ABOUT ME song filled the air. This song had come on the day before, on American idol, and made quite an impact on your mother.
Like You didn't know ... :D
Call 200 : Orange Pillow
Mom was only in the living room area very, very briefly ... and during that brief time, this DON'T YOU FORGET ABOUT ME song had to come on???
Right - at - that - time???
Gee Wow ... Talk about perfect timing. Had she come out to the television area just one minute later, she would have missed the song-message for sure.
So meant to be.
Pausing, Mom saw David Cook on E! News.
Hey, by the way, your mother was not aware that this DON'T YOU FORGET ABOUT ME version is sung by David Cook. She had thought the whole time it was the Simple Minds version.
You must be correcting your mother, huh.
See Call 200 : Orange Pillow
It's David Cook, Mom. Not Simple Minds. :D
David Cook mentioned something about doing some kind of tour to raise funds to find a cure for brain cancer.
Brain cancer ...
It had to be this word huh.
Let's not magnify on it and give it unnecessary significance. The word was uttered right at the moment when she could hear it. It really is strange how Mom gets these lil zap - messages now and then, and here and there ... the timing is always so immaculate.
The first, very first time, Mom heard this word associated with You was over the phone in Subang Jaya Medical Center, way back when You were 7+ years old. A friend had heard that You were admitted and had called Mom. Mom remembers very clearly, that her friend had said to her, that her (the friend) son, possibly the same age as you then, had asked her what a brain tumor was, and she had said to him, it's brain cancer.
Mom had flinched as if the word stung her.
Dot 9 : Scan ... Dot 21 : Cyst
That word somehow has always had a terror effect on the family, and had reverberated through and through, within her, as she listened silently on the other end. After hanging up, and assuring her friend that everything will be okay, Mom decided that your health challenge would remain a family secret.
God's grace will be sufficient to see us through, Mom remembers consoling herself bravely. In the past, during a difficult period of our lives, when Grandpa and Aunty Tracy were struggling with their battle, remarks received from well-meaning people have had a way of causing her to spiral down emotionally and spiritually.
No, it's not their fault, she knows.
It's just her ...
She - was - born - this - way ...
Snapping out of her dreary thoughts, Mom glanced at the clock. It was 7:40 pm already. Still early. Like a zombie, she shut the windows and turned off the television. Then, she flopped down on to the sofa and just - sat there ...
Like a rock.
She must have dozed off after staring at the carpet for the longest time. An in-coming text message beeped in. Dad said to leave the house about now ...
2. Brickfields
It was 8:45 pm when Mom was driving through Brickfields.
She was heading towards the traffic lights. The road branches off into two at the lights, the train station is on the right, and the coach station on the left. Mom was gonna take the right turn to the train station. That was where she had dropped Dad to board his coach down south.
As she was approaching the traffic lights, a text message came in. It was dark in the car, and Mom was driving. However, something made her read the text and not wait till later.
Good thing she did, because the text was from Dad. He said he would be arriving at the station in Bangsar - which means, Mom should take the "left turn" at the lights.
Oh boy ... just in the nick of time!
You must have been shaking your head when You saw your mother on the right lane, waiting in line, intending to turn right when the light changed. Good thing she managed to signal her way out and slowly squirm her way to the left, without endangering anyone in the process, and more importantly, not have any driver honk at her.
She hates that, You know right?
Welcome to KL ...
Her bee-pee must have shot sky high within the last two minutes. Anyway, she arrived at the coach station shortly.
Dad hopped into the car some 15 minutes later.
Mom couldn't wait to tell Dad that You must have whispered to him to send the text ... :D
"He knows I was about to take the wrong turn," Mom said with a big, knowing grin. :D
Dad remarked, "You've picked me up from the station so many times and you're still getting it wrong???"
"Yup, isn't it funny - so many times - yet You still sent me the sms to tell me where to go," Mom flashed Dad a victorious smile.
"It's him, I tell You ..." she added triumphantly.
Nice work ... :D
3. Fireworks
We went to a friend's house after that. There was a pot luck dinner which we had informed earlier that we would attend. So, Dad stopped by a coffee shop in Lucky Garden and bought a packet of fried bee hoon and a packet of fried rice. We have to bring something ...
During dinner at our friend's place, Mom cannot remember what the conversation was about at one point, but one of our friends who happened to be sitting beside Mom, mentioned the word Fireworks.
Fireworks ???
Zzzzzaaaa -- pppp !!!!
That started Dad going about the awesome Fireworks' demonstration that happened right outside our window on the 10th floor, during the Chinese New Year period.
Call 151 : Major Fireworks
Mom felt your presence instantly. She must must have been eating her food with a perpetual smile on her face after that. :D How awesome to know that You are always near.
Everywhere we are, there you'll be ... <3
