Always a delight it is when I get to meet a friend.
Especially if you're an introvert (as I am).
And especially if you're stuck in a situation where social distancing rules make it such that you never know when it is you can meet in groups of twos, threes, fours, or none at all.
It wasn't supposed to be just the two of us.
It was supposed to be three.
But then one of us babes couldn't make it and so it was just us two.
I'd really like to thank her, and her family, for opening up their home.
It isn't everyone that welcomes the friends of their kids into their home at decent (but random) hours.
Especially since one friend is someone whom hasn't dropped in for more than a year, and the other might not have visited prior before.
But her parents were cool.
Only her father was around at home when we arrived back from the nearby coffee shop bearing breakfast plastic bags of thosai, three kinds of curries, and one chutney.
My friend recommended me to try the fish curry (because I can't tell the difference between one and the other) and, yes, I have to say, the fish curry was good.
So was the thosai, which, truth be told, I actually hadn't eaten in years.
We took a picture of the thosai and the curries for our friend.
Over cups of pellet-brewed Nescafe coffee, we two former secondary school friends chatted about work, work, and work some more. Challenges of daily living somehow seem to become less stressful when you get to blather them out.
After that, we put away the necessary, washed the cutlery and the cups, then headed to her room where she very kindly let me chill on the mattress.
How long we sat there, I don't know, but soon enough the room door opened, and in came the cat who hopped onto the platform, took one look at me (the stranger), meowed a couple of times, then stalked onto the mattress towards her owner, with her tail swishing happily away.
I have to say I'm no cat reader.
It took me a while before I realized that the reason of her quiet presence by my side was due the fact that this intruder had (unknowingly) occupied her usual spot on the bed- and she wanted it back.
So I apologized.
And the kitty graciously let me continue sitting there.
We must have stayed in her room for at least an hour or two, because after a bit of conversation and a piece of chocolate that she shared with me me- plus some urgent adulting responsibilities which both of us had to do- she told me her mother had come home.
I hadn't known.
Out we went to greet her, and again my friend kindly offered to share her lunch of Indian rojak- from her favorite stall in Tekka Center- with me.
I hope I didn't take too many a piece.
I can be carelessly snacky sometimes.
But the rojak was really good- one of the best I've had in a long while- and I'm going to go this stall when I'm in Little India next time.
You know how there are places which sell the ingredients like they have been re-fried four times over?
Not for this stall- the fish cake and the fried, fried stuff were super fresh, and there was no oily, greasy aftertaste.
The generosity of my friend and her family made me thankful I hadn't come to their home empty handed.
For the occasion, I had, in fact, brought along a box of durian (up the bus, yes) and several apples for us girls and as as house gift for the family.
We girls had a piece of durian each, and the rest we placed back in the fridge.
I was told afterward that the fruit(s) had been enjoyed.
For that I'm really glad.
There's just one regret that I have.
Inexperienced me had bought the durian from a stall at Bugis Street which gave me too little and charged me too high.
I'm never going back to that stall again, and the next time we have a gathering- whether at her place or elsewhere- I'm wised up and will go get a bigger, better box for us, and one for her durian-loving family.
From elsewhere.