Sunday Spa.

Wafts of fragrant herbal scent

Swirls of petals immersed in wet

Froths of warm and bubbled sweat

Moments so sweet I shan't forget.

.

The story of the silent couple on the other table: what really happens.

As we were sitting in that coffeeshop a few months ago, having the most delightful animated conversation, I couldn't help but notice the couple on the other table.

I said, "Honey, d'you think they're a couple? They haven't spoken a word to each other. I wonder how fun that can be."
He promptly replied, "You're so prejudicial. They might be passing notes!"

So I thought about it, and he might have a point.

------------------------

He had been waiting. She helped herself to the empty chair beside him, set down her mug, leaned over and gave him a light kiss. His cheek was cold, indifferent. It was never warm unless they slept together, cheek to cheek. He lit a cigarette and she sat silently while the smoke shrouded them.
"Do you mind if I smoke?" he asked, unimportantly.
She ignored him.
Instead, she grabbed a paper tissue and started scribbling on it. She passed it to him.

"A kiss so sweet would prove to be
bittered by your smoking non-necessity. "

He smiled, frowned, scribbled, and passed it back.

"Non-necessities are bittersweet indeed
but being here with you is all I need. "

She smiled. He had a glint in his eyes. The cafe was slowly filling up, and the loud chatter of customers started to blend with the aroma of coffee and smoke. But he and she were oblivious to this. She looked up at him seriously now, the smile vanishing into a saddened expression.

"You haven't called me very much", she said.
It was a statement. Matter of fact. Non-accusatory, but unmistakably disappointed.

He slowly took a long drag and blew it out before taking another tissue paper.

"Should I be satisfied to hear your voice?
your lack of presence pains me without choice."

She took a moment to read it and a long moment staring at it. Her expression was unfathomable, but he didn't mind. He waited.

"What excuses, darling! But maybe it matters not
at rare times like this, lapses might well be forgot."

She slipped him the tissue but he took her hand instead and held it. It felt warm, unusually warm. For the remainder of the night, he and she remained oblivious to the crowd.
The rest of the world simply did not matter.

Here was a scene at a cosy coffee place at Clarke Quay. As usual, it involves merrily chastising my brother's Singaporeanised antiques. This usually involves: being fussy about wearing safety-helmets before cycling to the next block, washing your hands as soon as you get home, and being extremely worried about bird-flu. But we always listen to his life in Singapore with enthusiasm.

[bro:] "I haven't bothered reading Newsweek ever since I got here. Besides, I've been busy reading much more interesting stuff on the Singapore daily newspaper. Only last week there was a man prosecuted for cat abuse. They finally proved him guilty for abusing three cats. He's a friggin' serial-cat-abuser. It was all over the news."

[me:] "Atrocious."

[bro:] "I know."

The temporary pedestrian

"Brick, cobblestone and wood plank pavements were once common in urban areas throughout the world, but due to their high manual labor requirements they are in some countries typically only maintained for historical reasons, while in other countries they are still common in local streets."

In any event, I had a morning jog by the river with its cobblestone pavements. The morning was beautiful, the river was calm and deep green. By simple logic, obviously this is not Jakarta. Whether brick or cobblestone or asphalt, whether for aesthetic or historical reasons, whether for economic or cultural purposes (like, Javanese people don't like walking), Jakarta does not have significant pavements, let alone clean deep-green rivers. I'm very jealous. :( It's simply wrong for a midget country, a tiny red dot on the map to be this nice. For the sake of bittersweet chauvinism I shall say that despite everything Jakarta is ... exhilarating, unpredictable, and mysteriously lovable. In a way it's true; I actually can't wait to go home and embrace the familiar chaos.

Fret.

I don’t know how it began, but, I find myself not knowing someone as much as I’d like to know that someone. I had overestimated myself. Some people simply do not depend on other people to share their burdens of life. And suddenly I don’t know his burdens in life, let alone be there to help solve it.
And therefore I am useless.