Dinner for Pop

It was a somewhat odd Fathers' Day dinner at the much-hyped-about but overrated Muthu's Curry at Race Course Road. Heck, I didn't even know it was right smack in Little India - I thought it sounded somewhere situated at Bukit Timah, at the former race course.

The famous Fish Head Curry was actually just blah, to me. I much prefer the one at Forture - this caucasian-favored local seafood kopitiam along Bukit Timah Road (whose unfortunate name, we suspect, was mis-spelt from the intended "Fortune"). I like Muthu's bryani though.

I felt odd, because the four of us fitted perfectly into a small square table. My brother's wife was of course not present, while I was there without the man. I felt odd because I have been getting so used to parties of six at our small nuclear family dinners for the past few years - birthdays, Mothers' Days, Fathers' Days, Chinese New Year Reunions. Suddenly, we were just back to our usual group of four - father, mother, son, daughter. No spouses, no partners. It was some odd sense of familiarity, like deja vu.

I thought to myself, how long ago was it that we had dinners only amongst the four of us? Wow, that must be some years ago when we were still kids in school. I wondered if anyone else at the table thought the same.

And then I thought grimly, is this how it's going to be for the next few dinners to come?


Man wasn't around at dinner because he was getting some rest at home before reporting for work at 10 in the evening. And reason why he had to be resting at home and skipping dinner was because we had yet another feast for lunch. Late lunch at 4.30 in the afternoon - as usual. I couldn't resist the late-lunch temptation - it was my favorite prawn noodle, though we had crabs instead. I was overstuffed two hours before dinner.

And I couldn't possibly skip dinner. I'm the daughter.


He was supposed to have taken the company-provided transport (aka free taxi ride) to the airport, but he cancelled it since he wanted to pop by his teammates who were having their usual training. I knew he was itching to touch the ball today.

We chatted a little in the car, actually quite a fair bit, from home to the court to the airport. He didn't fall asleep tonight.

We're talking more and more, bit by bit.