[ilikeoldchangke]

I met Gillian during an IT show back in 2005.

I was quite happy that I got a sweet looking girl standing by my side for my dull job and needless to say, I made my move. She was shy, not very chatty but I could see the sparkle in her eyes whenever I made a corny remark that made her laugh.


Gillian was not the prettiest of the lot, neither is she wearing a short skirt with brands endorsements like some of the models, Gillian was just in a plain T-shirt and Jeans.

Her hair was just healthy and black, while the models hair were all nicely done with sparkles and dyes, I felt Gillian stood out among the rest with her natural black hair.

She had a natural glow on her cheeks and her eye lashes were naturally long without using any extension.



My friends went all out during the IT weekend, chatting with the models while I’m contented with just a bit of teasing and joking around with Gillian.


We kept in contact after that weekend through Friendster and multiply.


Before I knew it, Gillian and I were dating even though she was preparing for her final year in NUS.


I knew her parents objected to her being in a relationship from our conversations so I made sure she was always back in front of her doorstep in Jurong 30 minutes before her curfew.


Her parents were strict with her and she hardly gets to stay out late even though she’s turning 22.


10pm was the time when the carriage changed into a pumpkin for Gillian. Which meant the 15 minutes walk from Jurong East MRT had to start at 9.15pm every evening we dated.


I knew being on time meant a lot to Gillian and her family so most of the meals and dating happened in the western side of Singapore.

Being late was never an option.




I was never invited in for a drink even though I could feel a pair of eyes tracking our every move whenever we are near the estate.

Her dad has a habit of perching by the window, staring at the pathway which led to her block every evening without fail. I came to know much later that he loved the natural breeze on his face as he enjoy his single malt.

And I always wondered how much natural breeze can you get at the 4th storey.

There was no goodnight kiss for me and Gilliang, no making out at the staircase, no grabbing of her bums.
We just held hands, whenever I send her back.


Getting caught in a compromising position was again… not an option.





Her house gate was always opened when the lift opened, probably her dad trying to tell me he’s keeping an eye on me.

If only he knew his daughter’s legs were always open whenever she was at my place, if it was not her legs, then it was her mouth.

Despite the various strict rules and bull shit, Gillian and I still managed to continue our relationship.



Thankfully, Gillian did rather well for her finals and her parents were quite happy with her results. Her curfew was extended to 11pm the moment she found a job 1 month after graduation.

Part of her first paycheck was spent on a hotel room where we made out like sex starved bunnies, she felt bad it was always me paying for the rooms when we were dating.

As I walked through the entrance of Mandarin Oriental, I can’t help but felt a little weird, we usually used the back and discreet entrance of hotels either in kovan or Balastier.

As I came amidst fits of spasm and groans that evening, it dawned on me for the first time the difference in spending power between us.





June 2006

I was feeling a little nervous as I walked towards the old dim sum restaurant that Saturday morning. I’ve been to the red star a few times but that morning was a little different.

It was the first time I’m meeting my girlfriend’s parents and family so I was feeling a bit jittery. After dating for more than a year, Gillian’s parents finally brought up the topic of meeting me for breakfast.

Their breakfast timing , 7am.

Who in the world meets their daughter’s bf for breakfast ?



I knew it was not just a matter of having tea and dim sum, knowing her dad, there’s bound to be some hidden tests and crap. I recalled the times when she told me about the route and trials her sister’s boyfriend had to take to be accepted and I felt a shiver down my spine.


I made sure I got on the first train that left my place in Bedok and did a transfer to get to Chinatown. I was ridiculously early, reaching the restaurant at 6.20am even after taking a dump in the toilet.


The staircase outside the restaurant was empty with exception of me and another guy who was leaning against the wall, trying to catch a few more winks.


I hung around the staircase and dropped Gillian a text saying I’m already there. I got a reply almost immediately saying that they are on their way too.


At 6.55am , I watched her dad’s car reverse into the lot near where I was standing.

As the doors opened, I adjusted my top, checked my bearing and watched the family exited the car.


I saw Gillian gave me a wink and a smile before talking to her mum. Another girl which I recognized as her elder sister followed closely. I’ve only seen pictures of her and that was the first time I saw her sister in person despite a one year relationship with Gillian.


The sisters shared the same smile and dimples and they are the same height. I knew from Gillan they shared the same shoes, clothes, even bra size.

Sometimes I wondered if the sisters moaned the same way, if their love juice is equally sweet, if they like the same position and do they look the same when they cum.



Her dad was up front and I extended my hand first, introducing myself to him.
I shook her Dad’s hand and we exchanged greetings.

I greeted her mum and shook her hand too.

Her sister smiled at me and spoke.


Sylvia : Hi James, heard a lot about you.

I shook her hand too and I could smell the fresh morning shampoo coming from her hair that is still a little damp.

Gillian followed closely behind and I could smell the same fresh morning fragrant from her as well.




I saw the guy who was trying to catch a few extra winks in the middle of the staircase now up on his feet and he waved at us.

He did not shake hands with anyone but he waved and said hi.




I saw Sylvia went forward for a hug and introduced the guy to me.
Sylvia : James, meet my fiancé, Joe.


Our eyes met and I shook hands with Joe.


As the family went into the restaurant, Joe hung back a little, chatting with me. A little bit of intro here and there, pleasant greetings and stuff.


As the staff led us to the table, Joe spoke to me in a hush voice.


Joe : Bro, how ? Worse than interview right ? haha

James : Eh ok la, quite stressful and weird eh. Haha.

Joe : don’t worry, it’ll pass.



I did not have much appetite but I forced myself to eat a little. Gillian’s dad steered and controlled most of the conversations around the table.

I am not stupid, the way he structured and organized his words, multiple hints were dropped my way regarding his expectations for his daughters’ partner.
He is good at digging information subtly, forming his sentences in a way that coaxes information out from the other party.

I went with the flow and answered as casually as I could.

Although I felt the stress, I can’t help but concede that Gillian’s dad is a smooth talker.




1 hour into breakfast, I felt the worse is over as we sipped our tea, the ‘interview’ giving way to lighter topics like the new casinos and IRs the country will be having.




8.20am

We got the bill and left the place together.

I felt my heart lighten considerably once we parted ways with Gillian’s parents.

We headed over to my place and by 11.30am, my testicles lightened considerably too.





September 2006

Since that first meetup with her family, I hung out more and more with Sylvia and Joe. I did not know why but I was rather comfortable with them. They were easy going, funny and they’re rather generous with their spending.


I don’t want to sound cheap but sometimes I’m quite happy they settled the bill.


I always insisted we split the bill whenever we eat out, but Sylvia and Joe refused to have any of it. I don’t earn much with my diploma but still I’m not someone who sponge off others. There are times I felt a little uncomfortable as they frequent restaurants that are quite expensive.

I don’t think I can suka suka afford $30 pasta or $40 steaks.


It was with much effort I managed to steer their taste buds towards hawker fare.

And thankfully, they did not fight for the bill at the hawker centre as they left the ordering to me and I always manage to pay upfront upon ordering.
I brought them all over the island, trying out different hawker food that were cheap and good and they loved it.





July 2007

During one particular ‘Hawker food tour’ , we embarked on a new chapter and we expanded the boundaries of our common topic.
For Me and Joe that is.

Joe and I have hit it off well since we met, we’re both from the typical neighbourhood schools that’s not exactly known for producing elites. He’s 3 years my senior and I felt like he’s the brother I never had. We had a lot of common topics but there was one topic that would be more common than the others.



Sex.