SUNDAY, AUGUST 19
Mom got up early the next morning.
Dad and Justine were still asleep.
Outside the room, she was quickly greeted by the refreshing air and cool breeze.
Inhale deeply, would You please ...
Hmmmm ...
And breathe out ...
Ooh, how absolutely wonderful ...
Just allow all those negative ions to do their work ...
Repair work ...
Yeah, to all those cells in her body that needed to be repaired, negative ions, she summoned mentally --
Go --- Do --- Your --- Job!
Mom remembers how You'd go home with rosy cheeks each time You spent your holidays at the waterfall and Dad would say, "It's the negative ions ..."
Nostalgia ...
Mom sat herself down on an easy sofa.
Uncle S's family were also at the resort.
Their teenage son walked over to where Mom was sitting, with his laptop and sank down on another sofa, close to her.
We briefly exchanged a "Hi ..." and a "Good morning ..." :D
Yeah, that was all we said to each other.
He went back to his game on the laptop, and Mom went back to staring at the two plastic chairs in front of her (about 8 walking steps away).
Something would soon happen.
Omg ...
Picture this ...
Mom's on the left. Justine hugging her knees. The boy was sitting on the right.
Picture was taken after the inciDAN happened.
There Mom was, sitting on the sofa. She was looking straight across to two plastic chairs that were placed in front of the dining area. The chairs looked like they needed a good scrub, she'd thought ... and for the next few minutes, her eyes were fixed on the chairs as she wondered if those dark stains were permanent molds that could not be removed or just dirt that could be washed off.
Suddenly, her gaze was diverted to a creepy crawlie that was slowly making its way across your mother's path. It was about 5 walking steps away from her.
Yeah, it was that near.
Her focus immediately shifted to that ... creepy crawlie thingy ... that continued to crawl.
Instinctively, she leaned forward.
It was seconds before she found herself leaping out of her seat, like the sofa had burned her, and yelling at the top of her voice (Yeah yeah, it was all very dramatic!),
"OMG ... A SCORPION!!! A SCORPION!!! OMG ... A SCORPION!!!"
The teenage boy heard her (obviously), and quickly ran to one of the rooms calling for his father.
Mom dashed into the bedroom and yelled for Dad to get up.
"Wake up! Wake up! There's a scorpion outside! There's a scorpion outside!"
Maid R heard her cries, and rushed to the scene.
Mom was all hyper as she warned the maid, "Don't go too near ... the tail ... it's poisonous ... be careful ... be careful ... I SAY DON'T GO TOO NEAR!!"
Maid R reached down to pick up a heavy rock. Aiming at the scorpion, which was still slowly crawling without a care in the world, and definitely with no idea whatsoever of what's to befall it, the maid threw the rock at it.
Mom almost applauded when the rock landed directly on top of the scorpion.
She didn't have to check ... she knew the scorpion would have been squashed ... like a pancake.
Dad came out just then.
The boy's father appeared at the same time.
Ahh, you men ... too late ... go back to sleep ...
The boy's father picked up the scorpion with a stick and threw it into the garbage bin.
Justine asked later, "Did you take a photo of the scorpion?"
Oh, darn it. She did not. And had not. :(
After the inciDAN, everyone went back to what they were doing.
Mom was left alone at the sofa.
Pause ...
That was strange ... somehow ... that inciDAN ...
Mom was meant to see it.
She was staring right at that direction moments before the scorpion came into her sight.
Time stood still ... as a tingling feeling of realization slowly seeped into her veins.
She found herself sending her son a telepathic message, confronting him straight to the point,
Daniel Phua, did You, or did You not, send Mom that scorpion???
Silence ...
You couldn't have sent Mom a scorpion, could You, Daniel?
That was pretty dangerous.
What if Mom had stepped on it?
What if that thing had stung Mom?
What if ...
It was during that moment of confrontation that she suddenly received a zap enlightening.
It came to her like a flash.
Omg ...
Omg ...
Omg ...
Mom stood up abruptly, thought hard for a few seconds, before running into the room.
Dad had gone back to sleep.
Shaking your father's hand impatiently, and waking him up, she said rather breathlessly, "Omg ... the scorpion ... Daniel had a scorpion underwear ... Omg ... He wants us to know he's with us ... "
Dad gave your mother a slow chuckle.
Mom reminded unnecessarily ... unnecessarily, because Dad did not need the reminder.
"Don't you remember? I bought him a box of those colourful underwears ... and one of them had a scorpion print on it ..."
Dad remembers. Of course he remembers. He remembers You lamenting about those prints. In your mother's defence, she had explained with a laugh that looking from the box before she bought the underwears, there was no way she could have known that there were silly prints on them.
Hahaha ...
Oh Wow Daniel ...
Oh Gee Wow ...
A scorpion, huh??
Oh gosh ...
You must have whispered to Mom to sit where she did, and to look at a specific angle where she was bound to see the scorpion crawling by.
You were definitely with us at the waterfall, Son ...
Of course You would be.
How could You not be?
Uncle S had dedicated a special part of the place, namely the pond, in memory of You.
He calls it DANIEL'S PARADISE.
Here it is ... DANIEL'S PARADISE ... :D
Hey, Justine discovered some prawns in the pond.
How 'bout that? :D
(continue on Call 403)
