“Let’s meet and catch up soon”, he messaged on Facebook.

“Sure!” was my response and we left it at that – just another polite exchange.

Months passed and out of the blue, I received a sms from an unfamiliar number asking if I was free for lunch. Being one who usually ignores all calls and smses while I’m at work, I was piqued to find out who it was…

“J” was the reply.

So for the first time in the last couple of weeks, I stepped out of the office… for lunch!


Seeing him in a distance, I smiled as he lit up a cig. “You said you were quitting!” I teasingly chided and he smiled in response.

“You lost a lot of weight!” he exclaimed and I started protesting immediately… for I was thinner then.

The feeling of seeing an old friend after so many years is indescribable. 7 years has flown by, we’re both much older, yet, he still calls me by the same name he used back then.

We were at Indochine waiting for our orders to be taken when I cheekily asked if he’d mind if I wasted food and he said I can pack the leftovers for tea. My expression to his response must’ve been funny cos he burst into laughter.

Blah blah blah…

Being the nosy person I am, I busied myself asking 101 questions, poking fun at his “grown up” mellowness while he teased me in return for being fussy hence my single status. I whined to him to finish my food and he complained I eat too little….

We spoke about work and life in general. But it’s a pity, he refused to divulge more on the circumstances from which he moved out to be away from his family…

If it was evening, I would have proceeded to get him drunk so I can hear the story… I love stories! I wonder how his daughter is coping without her daddy though. Hmm.

Anyway after a good 90 minutes, we were walking back when he joked about taking a nap later. “Sounds like a plan, remember not to snore.” I answered in my typical cheeky fashion and an unexpected thing happened.

“Did I…?” he turned to me and I was caught by surprise at the expression on his face.

“Oh no, you didn’t. I don’t remember you doing that. I was just kidding…”

We walked in silence for a bit till it was time for us to go our separate ways. He turned to me with the same odd expression (was it wistful or rueful, I can’t tell) to bid goodbye.

Then and even now, I could never tell what goes through his mind or what his expressions meant. But I do know, it was actually the first time that we’ve ever had a proper conversation…