Remember the accident I was talking about (see chapter 9)? On the same stretch of the road, I saw something very rare tonight. Two businessmen flagged down a taxi for his friend (late fourties I reckon) and his escort coming out from a nightclub. She looked elegant. The last time I have seen a nightclub escort was years ago when there was a nightclub on the ground floor of my apartment (now replaced by a music store). I had a glimpse of an escort dashing from the taxi and into the nightclub. It is rare to me because even though there are a few nightclubs within 5 minutes of walking radius of my home, I don’t get to see the girls who work inside.
Quite honestly I did not expect to type the paragraph above. Once you start to write down the highlights of your daily life, you may find that life is indeed pretty interesting.
Coincidentally, of the three books I have brought along from Singapore, two of which are actual diaries of the authors. Today, I have finished the three volumes in one “A Prison Diary” by Jeffery Archer and started “One Hundred Strokes of the Brush Before Bed” by Melissa P. It is quite a transition because all of a sudden, I have switched from an established author in his sixties writing about his experience in prision, his view of the system, and the drug problem that UK faced – to a new author in her teens writing about her love and sex experience. Both have good reviews and interestingly, the diary entries of the two books overlap. Think of it this way, while someone was writing about his prison life in England, someone else was writing about her love and sex life in Italy. One is full of humour, compassion, and maturity while another one is full of passion about life. Perhaps diary has become popular these days. And perhaps if I start writing a book titled “A Songwriter’s Diary”, it may even sell.
My another favourite diary style of book is “Prozac Nation: Young and Depressed in America: A Memoir” by Elizabeth Wurtzel.
During my Dim Sum with my family – my third time having Dim Sum in this short stay in Hong Kong (and on the same day, my dad had one in the morning) – I was catching up with my mother with people whom I know in Hong Kong. Two love stories worth mentioning.
One of my mother’s childhood friend has a son who is younger than me by close to ten years. He is one of the most disciplined kids I have seen. Hard to believe that he is now working as well as dating. How many of you have come across someone who is aspired to be a fireman? This kid is one. He would stay at the fire scene for hours just to see how the firemen do their jobs. Last year, unfortunate enough, he has injured his wrist before the fireman test and he was disqualified by one point. This year, he has developed a bit of short sightedness and failed again. Poor chap.
He loves working outdoor hence even though he is an university graduate, he worked as a life guard (at the beach I suppose and again, how many of you have know a friend who …). Now that he is in love with a girl and been dating for two years, he has given up his life guard job and took up accounting – something he was trained for. In order to advance his career, he takes up a night class for his master degree. I bet he would be a lot happier to pursue his dreams but then again, reality sinks in (doesn’t it all the time?). Ironically, his parents are the one who give him the freedom to choose his career. Love has a twisted way to change one’s life.
The second story left me in shock. This story itself could have been expanded to be a full story (perhaps I shall send this blog to one of the publishers). My mother’s another childhood friend just came back from Canada. She was married to a local businessman with one son and one daughter. We had Dim Sum once and from the conversation, I was puzzled about her marital status so I asked my mother during Dim Sum, “What happened to her hushand?”
“They are separated,” my mother answered.
“Really, how come? When did it happen?” I put on my writing hat and inquired.
Aparently, her ex-husband was in love with one of his employees (his first love) long before he has met my mother’s best friend. After one big fight between him and his first love, they broke up and he dated my mother’s best friend. After she was pregnant, they have decided that it was time to get married. However, since her ex-husband and his first love worked in the same company (owned by him), very soon they got back together. From then on and throughout their marriage, his first love was very much part of her life.
I was shocked and said, “This can’t be true. Didn’t she know about all these affairs?”
My mother continued the story and told me that even her children accepted their father’s mistress. I was dumbfounded and asked, “How?” The answer was as shocking.
“Simple,” my mother answered, “The mistress spends a lot of money buying gifts or simply handing cash to my best friend and her children. Mind you, her money come from my best friend’s ex-husband. Ironically, her children may like the mistress more than their mother.”
“This doesn’t make sense, shouldn’t your best friend be rich as well?”
“Ah, she has two weaknesses.”
“And that is?”
“Greed and being stingy. My best friend hardly spends money on herself nor her children and she was greedy to accept the gifts from her ex-husband’s mistress,” my mother answered.
I was speechless and secretly marveled at the mistress’s secret of success. My next question was how did she get divorced then. The answer goes back to that one fine day when her ex-husband has decided to purchase a bigger apartment to house both his family and his mistress under one roof and my mother’s best friend could not take it. In the end, she was offered a few properties and a generous monthly allowance. He is now a free man to wed his first love instead.
What a love story.