Descriptions: When you were forced to make a difficult choice in your life;

One hundred birthday celebration for our dear Mom.

Siblings divided over where to celebrate -a home buffet or restaurant dinner. As Mom is already a hundred there are many children & their families, grandchildren & their families and great grandkids. Restaurant dinner will be at 5 tables at least 2k per table, the total dinner bill may be huge. Mom wish for dinner to be conducted outside her home….

We had to sit down, discuss and do the best celebration for Mom’s 100 birthday 🎂

Did I ever have a pet dog? I remember in my childhood days, my older sister brought home a stray. He stayed for a few weeks but had to be put down. I recall the horror when we discovered, one day, that the wee corners of our walls and along the wall cracks were full of dog ticks. Ugh. I don't recall being bitten by the creepy crawlies, but the experience put me off ever having a pet dog, no matter how cute.

Then came the day. My youngest son in his late teens, asked one day, standing at the doorway, looking at me earnestly, "Mum, can we have a dog?"

"Dog? You want a dog?

" A puppy to be exact. A friend's aunt has got several puppies to give away."

Of course we aren't about to have a dog, I had told him. Having a dog is the easiest part. Who's the owner? You?

All of us, was his quick reply. We'll all going to take care of it, take turns to toilet train, bath, take it for walks, bring him to the vet, to the groomer, everything.

I wasn't convinced. He avoided the question about responsibility and what happens when his dear brothers refused their part of the job. Question but no answer.

Yep, you guessed right. One month later, the puppy arrived. He was about 3 months old. A ball of fur. Black and white and bits of grey. Adorable. Inquisitive. Started going round the house smelling corners and such like.

I couldn't send him back. It seemed so cruel. Especially after he started licking us and giving happy barks and I swear he was smiling like a cheeky kid.

Part 2

A Challenging Situation (My ending of a story). 

Descriptions: When you were forced to make a difficult choice in your life;

Do I have options to ponder? That is a fate of life beyond our jurisdiction. 

Doctor has said their piece of advice. What is life without quality? If the patient didn’t choose, why do the medical staff asked the family to make a choice?! Many inconceivable reasons run through my mind of their asking of what to do with my mother-in-law lying on their hospital’s bed. Yes, she is above 93 years old; a panting and unconscious old lady …so?!

Should I offer an advice to the family? This is a difficult choice of not only my life. 

From that fall, Dad was never the same. He was grounded.  I guessed the saddest moment of his life. Dad was moody and restless, staying at home with no golfing or dancing. Untimely, he caught pneumonia and was admitted to the hospital. Seeing him lying in bed fighting with the nurses who tried to suction out the phlegm from his lungs was heart-wrenching.  Dad would wave his frail arms to block them. Later, Dad could not talk. We know he wanted to go home, but we were told it was unlikely that he could survive at home without the 100% oxygen support. Mom was distraught about the whole situation.  We had to decide. It was not a choice between life and death.  To unplug for a peaceful release or to watch him hooked up to the machines and fighting every second of his life.

Myriad of reasons - feeling constantly drained, small or taken advantage of, manipulated, constant complaints, disrespected etc

Struggles in making the decision - shouldn't we always try to help a fellow human being? What about the motto "give till it hurts" or the biblical phrase "turn the other cheek'? Finding excuses for the other person's self-centredness. Thinking that perhaps that person will change if shown kindness only to be taken advantage even further.

What are the consequences (in ending the friendship) on the person and on the larger circle of friends? How would they see you?

Turning point - when you realise that you can't function normally eg anxiety when the phone rings (as you would have to listen to complaints for two hours). Or preparing yourself mentally before a meetup with her. Not being able to sleep after each encounter. The word "mental health" (a key phrase these days) comes to mind. Pondering over two long years.

It was after the secondary two exams and the teachers were busy marking papers in the staff room. There were about 40 students in Peng's class.

Some classmates were singing Doris Day's 'Those were the days', some were dancing to 'Let's Twist Again' and 'Dancing Queen'. Some 'bookworms' were catching up on Enid Blyton's 'Famous Five' in a corner. Lora was showing off her love bites and some girls were peering curiously at them.

Peng happened to be the 'Prefect' of this class.

Peng recalled the proud moment at the beginning of the year when she stride forward to collect her Prefect badge. She was not brighter than Yen or Swee who always top the class. Neither was she as tall or pretty as Mill or Ying. In fact, she's amongst the 'shorties'. Peng felt such high esteem when chosen as the Prefect of the class. Peng normally carried out her duties well, maintaining discipline in class, upholding school rules and maintaining order when teachers are not around. Most girls were well behaved. At times, Peng need to whip out the Red Book & the girls would toe the line, afraid to be sent to detention class. Punishments include sweeping the courtyard, church compound, frozen silence in class etc. However, there were some incalcitrant ones smoking in the toilets, or injecting drugs in their arms and sometimes Peng has to haul some girls chatting with boys at sarabat stalls, back to class.

But today, Peng decided to look the other way. After all, it was after year end exams and classmates were having some fun. Peng decided to join the singing group as she likes to sing.

The noise gets louder and louder in class. Jean Chia and Jean Tan started to shoot each other with rubber bands. The shooting became more intense and they started chasing each other in the class. Peng tried to stop them but the attempt was futile. Suddenly Jean Chia dashed out of the classroom and we heard a loud glass shattering sound from our main door. She dashed in again and tried to show Peng & some classmates her arm. When Peng glanced at the main door, she realized part of the flesh of Jean Chia's arm was stuck in the glass door. Then Jean Chia fainted with blood oozing out of her arm. Screams & chaos followed. Peng ran as fast as she could to look for Help! She went to the next class to look for Grasshopper Lim (nickname for their Form Teacher with long legs) & vividly remembered she said she's afraid of blood. Peng's heart sank and she felt disappointed with the teacher she most respected. Peng dashed to the staff room and inform the other teachers. Mrs Sena, the teacher in charge of St John's uniform group came to help Jean Chia and call for an ambulance to bring her to hospital.

.....to be continued