Monday, August 21, 2006  11:29 PM
Six years from now
Singing in the backup team for second service in church yesterday was an experience, and not just because of the singing either.
My backup team consists of four girls, with me being the youngest. The other three are in their late twenties, one married and two still single but apparently going to get married soon. And sitting with them at the coffeeshop at 9am when I'm barely awake and listening to their excited chatter about things that I can't even envision myself thinking about left me pondering the rest of the day.
Let's call them Jo, Mae and Jemma. Jo's 29, happily married for about a year. Mae's 26, still single. Jemma's also 26, getting married in March next year. And the conversation goes something like this:
Jo: When are you getting married?
Jemma (smiles like it's the most natural thing in the world): In March next year!
Jemma looks all ready to continue about her wedding plans when the cutest toddler walks by his unsteady feet. All three of them and me start gushing over the child.
Jo (sighs): I'm so stressed! All of the people my age all have kids, or are giving birth soon! Some are even having their second kid already!
Mae: Don't worry, just continue praying for a child and...
One of their friends, with a slightly protruding tummy, walks by holding a photograph of some sort and eyeing it intently.
Jo (calling out to the friend): Come come! Let me touch!
The friend walks over and all three girls reach out to touch the pregnant tummy.
Mae: I didn't know you were pregnant!
Their friend: Yes, it didn't start showing until recently!
Jemma: Is it a boy or a girl?
Their friend: It's a boy.
The friend holds out the photograph she's holding. It turns out to be an ultrasound photograph. Surprisingly, it looks rather cool. Five black and white photographs joined together like a reel of film - it looks like some artsy piece put together.
Jo: Wow... That's so cool.
Their friend's husband overhears their conversation from the next table and raises his fist euphorically.
Husband: Yes, it's a boy!
Their friend: He wanted a boy.
Meanwhile, Jemma and Mae are trying their best to figure out the ultrasound picture.
So I'm just sitting there, in the middle of these late twenty-somethings sipping my iced milk tea and thinking about the scene again but the characters replaced with Gen, Scarlett and I, with the mysterious other halves. It's slightly unnerving, thinking this could be it six years from now. Where our lives don't revolve around milkshakes, loud laughing outbursts and analysing different people's personalities and their love lives, but around babies and gettting married. I wonder how we'll look like strolling down Orchard Road with three strollers. But Gen convinced me that it will never be exactly like them, because we're of a different generation and that's why sometimes I don't quite get their sense of humour. And I'm relieved, because I definitely do not want to be. We're not the Charles & Keith open-toed heels - delicate silver accessories from Perlini's Silver- tight sleeveless tank tops - immaculate curled hair type. I figure we'd probably still be holding sleepovers and gushing over Rick Warren even when we're married.
Ben's gone, and Corrie left for New York this morning as well. I hate partings, and the sight of anyone crying just triggers off that tap in me and the tears flow immediately. Will miss you loads, CAX-er.
That last lunch with Ben was a memorable one, when we sat at Cafe Cartel and talked about anything and everything under the sun. It's hard to imagine that he's been back for two years already. Each conversation with him is a unique experience and even the photo we took afterward had its quirks with someone checking us out.
Goodbye, farewell, au revoir.
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