Hello Son,
1. Sleeping Beauty
It's 4:54 pm. Saturday evening.
Would You believe it but Mom just got up from a long, long, long Sleeping Beauty nap? Boy, she's just not used to feeling tired all the time. Honestly, where's all her energy?
On Friday morning, Mom said to Dad,
"Today's Friday. I'll write to Son later in the afternoon."
Afternoon came.
Night came.
The owls came out.
Don't get her wrong.
Mom was on the computer at first ... just that her brains decided to shut down without her consent. She had started to sway, she remembers, then must have fallen asleep with one hand supporting her chin. She had woken up with a start, glanced at the time and saw it was past 2 am, and all she had on the screen in front of her were the words :
"Hello Son."
Grimace.
You know right ...
You must know how much Mom misses our call moments. There's so much to say and tell You each day. Despite not being able to make those regular calls as before, it sure is comforting to know that You always make sure she sees or hears something that assures her that her Son is so very, very, very near.
Each and every day You make sure she feels your presence ...
Yeah, that part is awesome ... :D
Just that - she's feels like a deflated balloon by the end of the day. She'll soon get used to the routine. It's only been 3 weeks after all.
Sigh ...
Oh well ...
Wait till we move over to the new school, and Dad will have her computer fixed there. Mom will be able to call You during her break time - the children's nap time. Right now, during break time, she is spending it at a cafe opposite the school with a cuppa brewed coffee and the daily papers.
Very boring, she knows.
It's just so good to know that you're constantly with her all the time, Daniel ... :D You really are a good boy, Son ...
2. Thursday, July 21
Your 18th Month in Heaven ...
i. Morning Greeting
On Thursday morning ...
Justine and Mom left the house early to go to college as usual. Your sister had gone to the basement to get the car. Mom was waiting by the fountain near the lobby. Dad was outstation.
A car had emerged from the car park from a far. Mom got up and walked to the usual pick up point, a few walking steps away. As the car approached, she realised it wasn't our Camry. Her eyes however, had taken note of the number plate :
6821
Immediately, she saw her secret angel code shining before her eyes:
1421
She found herself smiling as she tilted her head back a little to look far, far, far beyond the clouds in the sky ...
Her left brain saw plain white clouds but her right brain caught a clear image of your handsome face grinning happily from above, with Jesus on your right, and Mama Mary on your left ...
You looked like You were chewing something in your mouth ...
Probably one of Mama's Mary freshly baked croissants in her heavenly oven complete with a spread of rainbow over it. :D
How not to smile at the sky when she saw that?
You caught her right there ...
1 Am Number 4 ...
and 21 ... all her favourite numbers.
Call 150 : Number Four
Call 88 : 21 Guns
That was her Son calling out from Heaven, with his hands cupped around his mouth like a loud speaker :
Morning Mom, we're having our breakfast ... :D
One of the security guards at the guard-house nearby where your mother was standing, must have seen her looking up the sky and probably wondering what she was looking at, because when she finally looked down, she saw him straining his neck to look at the sky.
Grin. :D
Now, that was funny.
Hehehehehe ....
We drove to college.
ii. Car 1344
Mom drove back after dropping Justine off. Half way back, she noticed a white car with the number plate 1344 that had been in front of her for a few minutes then.
Decode : 444
Call 43 : Angel Sign
She smiled a secret smile. Only mothers with children in heaven will understand the secret connection.
What can she say except that - It's magical.
You're following her, she knows.
She wanted to take a photo of the white car but she was driving and even though her cellphone was in her hand, she wasn't able to get a snapshot as the car soon went ahead and she lost sight of it.
Oh well ...
Never mind ...
"That is still counted," she had thought to herself firmly.
If she wasn't meant to see it, she wouldn't have seen it. Besides, it's a mother's prerogative to change and bend the rules as the circumstances call for it. :D
Turning into Taman Desa, and passing by the school, Mom was quite surprised to see that same white car - 1344.
However, this time, she did not scramble for her cellphone.
She was approaching a set of traffic lights and was about to make a right turn towards the condo. She was quite sure the white car would just drive on the main road. So, she didn't bother to try to take a photo. She had after all, tried to snap one just now, and she couldn't.
Believe it or not, but the traffic lights turned red, and the white car slowed down and stopped in front of her.
Oh My ...
Oh Wow ...
Oh Gosh ...
What are the chances?
Slim, slim chance ... still ...
Here Mom, take a photo ...
She heard her Son say.
She did ... :D ... and she didn't have to rush. She even had time to bask in the wonderment of the moment after she put her cellphone down.
You're good, Son ...
You really know how to make your presence felt ...
at the red lights ...
Honestly Daniel ... :D God is so good to us.
iii. in School
Mom picked Dad up from the condo to send him to the coach station. She went straight to school after that. It was a little past 9 am when she reached school.
She was at the registration desk when she overheard Teacher E mentioning to another teacher :
"Daniel came today ... he's been absent for a week ..." :D
Grin.
Throughout the morning, Mom heard your name mentioned:
Daniel ... Daniel ... come and sit here ...
What is your name?
You must answer : My name is Daniel.
What is his name?
Everybody ... His name issss - Daniel.
Wow, look at Daniel's cow.
See how beautiful is Daniel's cow?
Everyone ... Give Daniel a clap. :D
You must have seen your mother chuckling to herself as she was clearing up some admin papers into a ring binder, listening intently to the Circle Time activity that was happening in the 3 year old class right beside her desk, separated only by an adult - height partition, and wondering what kind of cow Daniel had drawn.
A text message came in at 9:37 am.
It was Dad. His sms read:
We go Dans garden tomoro morning.
Mom stared momentarily at the message.
W-what???
Grabbing the calendar beside her, she found herself frantically running her fingers over the July calender page, trying to locate the third week of Thursday to check the date. She knew that day was a Thursday, but the date ...
The date ...
What was the date?
Then she saw ...
"OMG ... Today is Thursday, the 21st???"
Oh shoot shoot shoot ...
Shoot !!!
She had completely forgot to log into her Son's Facebook that morning to post a message for him. Mom has NEVER forgotten your 21st, since the day You left, until that day.
She couldn't believe it ... but she actually forgot.
Gawd, she felt awful.
At that moment, she can honestly say she felt like a plastic bag ...
A big one ...
Mom replied back to Dad, "omg, i 4got."
iv. On the Radio
Mom felt like an over-sized garbage bag the whole morning. It was after school, and during nap time, when she finally had the time to take her coffee break. It had been a long day, she felt. She had just stepped out of the school gate miserably, when her cell phone beeped.
It was Aunty M with a message :
Daniel on lite fm now
It was 3 pm. The song DANIEL was on the radio?
Daniel is travelling tonight on a plane ...
Mom replied back :
Awww ... His 21st today ...
and conveniently omitted the part that she had forgotten about that day.
Happy 18th month, Daniel ...
her heart had whispered almost remorsefully. Mom will log on later tonight kay ...
Why didn't You remind her?
On hindsight :
You did ... You did remind her - first thing in the morning You reminded her with the 6821 ... and throughout the day in school. She didn't get it, although she saw her angel signs and repeatedly heard the angel name. No, she didn't get it ... until Dad spelt it out for her in the sms.
You're slow la, Maa ...
v. At the Cafe
Mom walked over to the cafe, with the DANIEL lyrics playing in her head. In the cafe, she picked up the newspapers distractedly from a small side table, before walking over to a seat, and sat herself down.
Her hot milk tea soon came.
Mom was flipping over the pages disinterestedly, while sipping her tea.
Flip Flip Flip ...
There was nothing that caught her attention. She read no article, and no reports, but merely glanced at bold headlines that did nothing to her ...
See 4 lines down below the photo ...
Last word : DANIEL
Then came a small tiny portion of gossip news with the photo of Beyonce. That, she read.
And good thing she did too ... because the name DANIEL popped up from the impossibly small fonts and zapped her.
Oh My ... What are the chances of finding your name in the first and only segment of news that she read in the papers that day?
A coinciDANS clearly... :D
How awesome, don't You think? Just before that, she had received a message about the song DANIEL. Then, she was humming that DANIEL song in her head, and now she reads his name DANIEL in the papers?
Gee Son. You're so near Mom, You're practically sitting beside her. :D
vi. Pick Up Justine
It was about 4 pm when Mom left the cafe to pick up Justine from college. The first thing Mom said when Justine got into the car was,
"Did You know that today is his 21st?"
Jus nodded. Mom told your sister what happened this morning bla bla bla. We drove back to Taman Desa and went to a noodle shop. Jus decided she was still full from a heavy lunch in school so Mom ordered one bowl of noodles.
Mom mentioned she felt really bad for forgetting to log on to your page this morning to post a message to wish You a Happy 18th Month. Jus said she would write something on your wall (on her handphone) right then.
A few minutes later, your sister told Mom,
"There's a message here wishing Dans a happy 18th month ..."
Pause.
"Really? On his Facebook page?" Mom asked in surprise.
Aww, how nice. Just when she forgot to do that, and only God knows how bad she had been feeling the whole day since she couldn't post a Happy 18th Month wish on her Son's page, somebody did it for her?
How cute ...
Mom asked, "Who is it?"
Justine said, "R ..."
Oh ... must be one of your school mates ... Mom had thought initially, as she ate her noodles happily. She was really grateful that someone had posted a Happy 18th Month message on your page, on her behalf. :D
It's okay if others forget, but your own mother?
Unforgivable ...
Mom's really sorry, Son ... it won't happen again. :(
Aiyoh Maa, drama la you ... :D
(continue on Call 252)
