old friend

i met up with an old friend 2 days ago. he told me he would be going to the states to work for 2 years and will be leaving this evening...

hmmm... somehow, even though we hardly meet, i still feel a sense of lost when he told me about it. the thing about such old and close friends is that we tend to take each other for granted, not meet up, assume each other is good and well and would keep each other info when something goes wrong... no different from the usual "no news is good news" kinda thing...

well, you see, i got to know this friend of mine in 1991 when he was doing his national service and we got along very well. and it was that time that his dad passed away and i had helped him through that difficult period. we became best of friends. he eventually took up a training award with the military and went on to do his undergrad studies. that was when he met his girlfriend (now wife).

he is now a very senior person in service and both his daugthers address me as "uncle daddy". so sweet right. anyway, we kept in touch through the years, and despite the fact that we hardly meet, i would make it a point to do my dues as a "godfather". i would buy them lanterns and mooncakes during mid-autumn festivals, they would visit me during chinese new years, and i would give the kids ang pows... well, i suppose my status as godfather gives me the right to give ang pows to my goddaughters ya? haha...

anyway, he would be going over for 2 years. managed to catch up over a quick coffee in town. spoke like as though we've never been apart... like relatives coming together. yak yak yak we went... families, daughters, wife, mothers, families... the kinda topics any uncles in the late-30s and 40s would be talking about. he was kinda surprised (yet not surprised) when i told him i thought of becoming a monk... each for his own, each with his own life... he commented... and all too soon, we parted. will be sending them off this evening. gonna miss them...

sighs...