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City boy: “How long will it take to get to town on your buggy?”
Farmer: “About half an hour.”
City boy: “Then can I get a ride from you?”
Farmer: “Sure, come on up.”

After what seemed like half an hour, the city boy got a little anxious.

City boy: “How long will it take to get to town on your buggy?”
Farmer: “About an hour.”

Now the city boy was more than a little anxious.

City boy: “What? Your answer was ‘half an hour’ half an hour ago! We should have reached town by now!”
Farmer: “I answered you correctly half an hour ago… but I think you should have first asked whether I was headed for town.”

Being 16 was a special time for Mum – Daddy was to be my crush and, I guess, my last. Not that I was distracted by passion but it was pure sweet innocent romance. Don’t know how it figures in this time and age.

Being in the same co-ed school, your Daddy had the audacity of showing up after school to walk me home to the bus stop with a frequency that raised the ire of some observant teachers and triggered off embarrassing teasing from the girls in my class.

We saw a Walt Disney cartoon movie together in the school hall called Lady and the Tramp and had a school picnic. We also had a few rendezvous at the mobile library where we borrowed books and went home.

Then there were the timely bus rides in the early mornings that we looked forward to before we alighted at the bus terminus at Queen Street to take our buses to our respective schools during our pre-university school days. There were occasions when I would charge down the hill after school in the afternoon, hoping to catch him at the bus terminus on the way back.

We saw two movies together, Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story, and that about wrapped up our adolescent courtship. Then Daddy was off to the army and Mum to work. The only time your Daddy got naughty was when he completed his army officer training and had his passing out parade. We had our first kiss then.

Why am I relating my life story at 16? – Simply because that was one of the sweetest and most memorable periods of my life. Our little ‘storm in the teacup’ occurred when, in his first year at varsity, he sought my permission to take another girl to the Prom.

To me, that was anathema to our relationship. He had two options – forgo the prom or forgo Mum. Shriek! He chose the latter. He had his Prom Nite. I had my heartbreak. For two whole months I avoided him even though he realized, after his hangover the very next day, he had made a poor trade. As wounded hearts and bruised egos have a way to mend given the passage of time, we made up and never wavered from then on.

I guess you and your sisters are by-products of how our histories have played out.

You will have your life stories told some day, some way. I hope you will make good use of your time to write the script of your future. Romance or distraction is sweet but temper it with good old common sense and industry. You are at an important juncture of your life, think hard and long how it should be played out so that you will not look back with regret.

For this 16th birthday, I wish you abundant joy and grace and the full blessings with regard to your GCE ‘O’ levels. Work hard, play hard and win!

Love, MUM