School Surprise | 2011

It was half past four. I was in a conference call that should have ended five minutes ago. Jakjak is about to come out from school in another half hour, and I've still got a long way to go to get to school. And I have no car. The call finishes in another five minutes, I rush out of the office as fast as I can hoping to grab a cab fast and furiously. No cabs in sight (Typical irony, why are there almost always no cabs when you actually need one?). Finally flagged one from the opposite side of the street. And I would like to thank that uncle who was quick and safe on the road from getting me to Jakjak's school on time. Cheers!


At school, I tried peeking in at the small window of his last class. I couldn't see him. He was probably curled up in one corner. It's been two weeks and he still says he dislikes school. I think he does like it. What he doesn't like is being away from home, from mum and from all his toys.


He didn't expect me (nor mum) to be there as he normally goes home on a school service. So when he saw me, he lit up. I can still see his face all smiling and excited. I love that moment. He probably loved it too as he came out even while the teacher is still calling the other kids. I managed to talk to his two teachers and asked about his progress in school. At least he is warming up. He has been interacting with the other kids. They never mentioned his performance in class, but I don't doubt his skills. He already knows most of what is in the curriculum anyway, he's just as lazy as I am when it comes to studying. What concerns us is his Chinese language class. Good luck to the three of us then.

After class, we were both surprised to see a small fairground at the mall opposite the school. So we had a snack there and he had some rides. But I prepared a surprise (well, semi-prepared) for him on the way home. Because he and his mum usually take the cab back home from school, I opted to wait for a bus. He had been bugging us to catch a ride on a double decker bus for days now, and I've observed that the 28 bus is almost always a double decker. The 28 bus is one of two buses that ply the route of the school. So when he saw the bus, his eyes lit up again. He was so excited. We stepped up and sat at the top in the front. Best view in the bus, albeit a bit cramped (it was not the most comfortable seat I tell you). A few minutes later, we were home. One of the best few hours of my life.


*Sorry I don't have a photo of bus 28. I purposely did not bring my camera because I wanted to spend some daddy time with Jakjak.