Beginning Of An Hectic Weekend

Last Friday afternoon, we brought the Calvary Care Home children to Mahkota Parade. Albert P was going to collect his new cell phone and Isaac needed to buy short pants. The number of my stepping into shopping malls in Melaka had doubled since I started to participate in their outings.

While they were immersed in the new technology at Sen Q, I who was from stone age enjoyed a short moment befriending the old books at Thai Kuang, where I had found several interesting titles during my previous visits.

The boys were allowed to spend RM10 each from their own accounts. We went into Burger King, the first fast food restaurant we saw after coming out from Parkson. Now I who had recently become their pocket-money treasurer was the one to place the order and settle the payment at the counter.

Next, we drove to Kampung Jawa to look for Isaac's house pants at a lower price. Luke and Daniel also found their treasures to spend their balance of RM3.

That day was also Luke's 13th birthday. Before we left for town, I had kept in the fridge the birthday cake I had baked the night before. To fulfill Luke's requirement to have a layer of chocolate in the middle of the cake, I had cut in half the butter cake which had not raised very well to spread melted chocolate. Unfortunately, the surface cracked as if it had gone through an earthquake...

Thank God my "guinea pigs" did not mind. The big one reassured me, "The taste is good." The small ones commented, "It tastes like roti canai chocolate." John who joined us later from his tuition took the last piece of the "debris". So far he was the number one supporter of all my baking experiments. Thank you, John!

That was not the end of my day. I had to bring back Luke and David to give the Care Home guardian one night off but I myself could not be released from the cell meeting which was to be held at my place at 8.30pm.

Apart from our cell leader Jeremiah, only late Uncle Lee's wife, his two daughters and his grandson Samuel came. Almost an hour of sharing was surrounding Uncle Lee's passing and his family matter. The three boys looked very bored with the adults' conversation. David seized an occasion to go to the bedroom whereas Luke made an effort to remain seated on the sofa. Samuel who had nowhere to run away simply fell asleep.

When the guests left, it was about 11pm. I began to feel tired but I knew that the hectic programme was not yet over.

It was just the beginning.