Saturday, Sept 21
After publishing Call 493, Mom went out with Aunty C to the hair salon.
We were there for like 2 hours.
After that, Mom asked Aunty C to swing by the stationery shop. Your mother needed to get some fancy paper to print certificates. In fact, she had already bought a stack last week.
Justine had printed on them. However, after the teachers checked the certs, there were some spelling errors, and those had to be amended, and re-printed.
Except that we had used up all those nice fancy papers.
And so, Mom ran in to the stationery shop, as Aunty C waited by the side of the road.
It was dark.
Mom did not want to take her handbag out. She pulled out a fifty dollar note and stuffed it into her back pocket, before hurrying into the shop.
She found her papers.
She counted 10 sheets, before heading towards the cashier.
From the corner of her eye, she saw that grumpy-looking, unsmiling guy -- there.
His counter was closed.
Oh goodie.
She stood in line at the second cashier. There was only one other customer, in front of her.
As luck would have it, Grumpy signaled to your mother, and motioned her to his counter.
H-huh?
Oh well ...
She stepped over, placed her papers on the counter, and tried her best to look as cold and unfriendly as she could. Yeah yeah, You must have seen your mother making special efforts to make sure she was looking down the whole time, as she did not want to have any eye contact with that --- that --- ugly-looking man.
Grin.
Hah! Maybe that's why he can't smile --- because he's ugly.
Hahaha ...
She was determined not to have any eye contact with Grumpy, because in the past, when she did try to look him in the eye, to say thank-you or to offer a smile after her purchase, he had ignored her ...
Nope, she's not kidding ... he had totally looked away like she was some kind of fly or something ... and that ... that ... that ...
IRKED her.
Of course, she had grumbled to Dad about her disgust and displeasure each time that happened ... it happened twice already okay ... and Dad had said, don't go there anymore.
It's not like she wanted to go there again --- like, EVERRR --- it was just --- convenient.
So anyway, there was Mom with her sour-dough face, looking down on the counter, waiting for Grumpy to punch punch punch the cash register.
Finally ...
"Six ringgit," he said quite flatly.
She handed him her fifty ringgit note ... still looking down.
She's not taking any chances.
No, she's not ... because if she choose to look at him and he choose to ignore her --
again --- she will ... she will ...
(wait, wait for blood pressure to shoot to the stars ...)
she would give him a large piece of her mind and then ---
pounce on him and kick him in the ...
Ma!
Her silent thoughts were somehow, somewhat --- interrupted.
Guiltily, she hung her head even lower, as she waited for the change.
He handed her the change and the receipt, and OMG, You're so not gonna believe this but it was accompanied by a gruff, almost reluctant:
"Thank you ..."
Say what?
Holy shhhhh ... mackerel.
Did she hear right?
She did.
She did.
Grumpy said thank you???
Very much taken aback with surprise, but still carefully avoiding eye contact -- yeah never again will she ever try to look at Grumpy in the eye again, thank you or not -- she accepted her change with a hurried mutter of thanks herself.
It was at that moment that she saw ...
Time stood very still.
Oh what a precious moment.
Mom literally heard and felt your presence immediately. It was like a sudden feeling of warmness just ... cascaded down on her. Is there such a thing?
ZAP ZAP ZAP ...
44 ...
Oh how wonderful ...
Her angel number stared back.
A big smile spread across your mother's face. She was practically grinning from to ear as she left the shop.
Her son's 44th month that day.
She had called him earlier to tell him all about the zap inciDANS that day.
He nose ...
He definitely nose everything that was going on.
Oh, and he sure as heaven nose what she was thinking about ...
Um, her nice thoughts ...
Tsk tsk tsk ... :D
You must have whispered to the guy to say thank you.
Yeah, You must have.
Say thank you ...
Thank you, Son ... for staying close and reminding Mom every day that You're near ... <3
