Best friends

It was not too long ago my family and I met up with one of my father’s best friends. We met at a restaurant for buffet lunch. After settling down, being a typical Singaporean, I rushed for the food, I was joined by my mother and my sister, then the other family a while later. We got our food and went back. When we reached the table, my father and his best friend had two cups of coffee in front of them and were talking nineteen to the dozen. The spouses of the two men shook their heads and walked off to help their husbands take some food. My father and his best friend, John, were talking nineteen to the dozen, even as they ate. Halfway through their chat, they may suddenly laugh out loud, attracting attention from the other diners. I paid little attention to the both men at first and helped myself to generous servings of the nice food at the buffet. It was after I had my fill and sat down to rest when I realized something about my father was amiss. Normally at buffets, he have a funny strategy – eating for 15 minutes, then he would walk around and look at the buffet spread for another 5 minutes and help himself to the food again. He would take frequent breaks and can always be seen walking around, so as to make the money he paid “worth it”. However, at this buffet, he only got up once or twice to food, and each time he would return with his plate full, instead of eating slowly. As I looked at my father and Uncle John, the two of them were talking more than they were eating. From what my father said before going to the restaurant, Uncle John was his buddy during the army days. Looking at two best friends still contacting each other after so many years, I thought about myself and the best friends I had and have. Based on what I can remember, I made best friends with two guys during Primary 4 and we decided that we will keep in touch even after going our separate ways after graduation from the school and even if we were placed in different classes in the subsequent years. I only contacted the two guys in primary 5 once and after that we only said ‘Hi’ when we saw each other along the corridors in school as I was placed in the best class, the other two were in the average classes. It was again in Primary 5 when I met 5 very friendly and helpful guys. This time the education system changed such that in you will be in the same class for 2 years, so it would be like when you are in 1D, you will be in 2D next year. The five of us got along very well and we were misbehaved regularly in class, especially when relief teachers came to the class. There was a lot of time for us to bond together, recess, class time, after school, and even detentions. In primary 6, we helped each other in our studies and we did fairly well. Me and two others from the ‘gang’ came to HCI, one went to VS, another to CCHS. The three of us in HCI met up frequently during recess, going home together as we all live in Tampines. However, as the Term Tests came and CCA requirements went up, we seldom contacted each other anymore. Now, when we see each other along the corridors in school, we will just acknowledge each other. In a new class, we also got to meet new friends who were equally friendly and helpful. So, what all this ‘best friends’ is about for us, is the friend whom you like, helps you, play with you, spend time with you, after you go your separate ways, you tend to miss them, but you still have other commitments you have to tend to. Looking at the two grown-up working men chatting happily, I had full of respect for them. They, had to work, family matters to attend to, being extremely busy, after so many years, they still chose a time to get together.