Hello Son,
It has been a crazy, crazy year this year.
This naughty RAT year ... has truly made its presence felt.
Who would have thought that a tiny and insignificant animal could make such a big fuss?
Like worldwide fuss???
And chaos??
Can't wait for this RAT year to disappear ...
Ox year next year had better stamp and crush all the rats out.
Daniel, thanks for always watching over us.
Mom knows You are right by her side every second of the day.
A week ago, You helped Mom to avoid what could have been an ugly incident.
Aunty Diana and the children were in the house.
Megan 9, Dylan 6 and Ryan 3.
Yup, that's how old the kids are now.
Your cousins.
It was evening time.
They were playing hide and seek.
Our master bedroom door was closed.
Like always.
So anyways, the kids were running in and out of the bedroom.
You could hear them shrieking with laughter in the bedroom.
Aunty Diana and Mom were just right outside in the living room.
Mom kept hollering, "Come out from the bedroom ... there's an iron there ... come out."
Did You hear that?
There's an iron there, Mom said.
We have been living in this condo for the past 20 over years, and since the children came, they have been going in and out of your parents' bedroom now and then ... but never has you mother tell them not to go into the bedroom because of an iron.
That was the first time.
Why it came out from her, she didn't know then ... but Mom kept repeating, "There's an iron there, come out here ... "
"Did yall hear me??? I said, there's an iron there ... Come out, don't play in the bedroom ... Come out, I say ..."
The children would run out ... and moments later .. run back into the bedroom again.
Hide and seek ... where else can you hide?
Our place is only that big.
The other 2 rooms were not that inviting ... with a lot of stuffs in the rooms.
It was about 7 pm in the evening.
The children were there for about 2 hours ... running in and out of the bedroom ... stopping to watch cartoons for a bit and continued with their hide and seek ...
It was time to go home.
Mom flopped herself down on the sofa.
Dad said he was going to take a shower.
It had been a long day.
Paw Petrol was still on the TV.
Hmmm ...
What's the fascination with this Paw Petrol anyways?
Ryan has Chase, Zuma (and what have you), bedsheets and sandals of Paw Petrol.
Eye roll.
Ah, too tired to roll her eyes.
Let's just shut them, and take a rest.
Before long, Dad came out of the shower.
He went into the bedroom.
Mom heard Dad say, "Why is it so hot in here?"
Pause.
What???
Mom sat right up.
OMG ...
Darn darn darn ...
Don't tell her the iron is still on.
Mom forgot to switch off the iron when she used it in the morning.
You must have seen your mother sprinted to the room.
True enough.
The switch of the iron was still on.
OMG.
Quickly, Mom switched it off.
Oh, the heat around the ironing board.
The children were just here ... playing in the bedroom ... and it's not like we have a big bedroom ... they could have easily ...
No, no, no ... don't go there ... thank God nothing happened.
Mom texted Aunty D and told her, "OMG, the iron was still on in the bedroom ... I was ironing a shirt in the morning and I forgot to turn it off."
Aunty D said, "No wonder you kept saying the iron is there ... come out, the iron is there ..."
Mom replied, "The kids have been in and out of our bedroom each time they come over ... since they were born ... and never have I mention IRON to get them out ... OMG!"
You must have whispered to Mom, "Iron Ma ... the iron ... iron ... get the children out ... iron, Ma, iron ... ironnnnnn ..."
Gosh Son, Mom heard You loud and clear.
Mom herself couldn't understand why she kept repeating the iron word.
Normally, she would say, "Come out, don't play in the bedroom."
You know how the kids would mess up the bed.
So yeah ...
It was strange, but she found herself saying again and again, "come out, there's an iron there ..."
"My Son whispered to me," Mom said to Dad. "There's no way I would have said the iron is there ... I mean, when have I ever mentioned iron to the children in the first place ... OMG ... the iron was on since 7 am in the morning till now ... 7 pm ... and the ironing board is not the most steady structure in the world ... OMG ..."
Goose bumps.
You must have whispered to the children too ... not to go near the ironing board.
Mom's sure of that.
The ironing board is like ... 5 walking steps away from the door.
The children were running ...
Anything could have happened.
Shiver.
Aunty D sent her a string of OMG OMG OMG ...
Thank you Son, for watching over us.
That was clearly You shouting ...
Pause.
(Were You shouting?)
"Iron, Ma! Ironnn! Iron!"
Thank you, Daniel.
Mom will be more careful with the iron.
Been ironing for the past 30 over years and have never left the iron on before (for 12 hours) ...
Till - that - day.
Age, You think?
Nahhhh ...
No smart retorts allowed.
Shhh!
Love You so much, Son.
