| The Story of Our Lives |
| First Impressions... |
| I first saw Clement during a Youth Camp in 1992 but the impression was very vague, or rather, not too good. Later, I realised he was supposed to be in the same Sunday class as me! (I was a newbie.) I thought he was a bit loud and obtrusive. |
| Something happened... |
| We were involved for our Sunday School carolling in 1993 and became fast friends. We could talk very comfortably and I found he was quite an open person. (That was rather unusual for a guy!) We hit it off very well and were like "brothers".. We weren't thinking of any special relationship at that time. For me, I didn't want to get into any relationship just for fun. Too much time and emotions involved. I'm those kind who would want to marry my first boyfriend. (Yes, such a person still exists.) I take relationship very seriously. I even took the advice of my teachers (2 spoke to me separately on the same issue) to pray for my future partner. That was in Sept 1993. I thought, "What? At 16+ going on 17, you're asking me to pray for my future spouse? That's a bit too young, isn't it?" But I learnt that praying for my future spouse doesn't mean praying for him to appear in my life soon. But to ask God to prepare him spiritually and emotionally as well. Who knows, he may be going through a rough patch at that time and a prayer might help! For Clement, he was still recovering from a break-up since Sept. (Hey! On hindsight, aren't things a bit coincidental?) But he found solace in God and became actively involved in church. (If my prayers then were indeed prayers for him... need I say more?) That was why we didn't approach each other, thinking, "Hey! You could be my potential! Hehe..." Our approach was very pure, no ulterior motive ok! But admittedly, I liked him as a person. Looks-wise, character-wise, personality-wise -- very attractive. Very humourous too! Suddenly I didn't find him obtrusive anymore! |
| Then IT happened... |
| We had a lot of group activities, like chalet, suppers after carolling sessions etc. Through these, our friendship deepened and we were able to share our inner thoughts. We simply enjoyed each other's company tremendously. We had become an-almost-inseparable pair. He did a lot of very sweet things for me, like cooking maggi mee and bringing up to the chalet room, getting my fav ivory balloons, held my hand when I was cold (what? not dating yet hold hand??!!!) I did pray about this friendship, asking for God's leading and blessings. I remember that I was to take an Econs supp-paper after Christmas (hehe.. played too much during JC1) but I didn't prepare adequately (Of course! Who would study during hols, not to mention, it's Christmas??!!) I even followed him to his soccer practice, lugging my text and notes along. The night before my paper, I freaked out and called him around 1 am. His assuring voice and encouraging words put my anxiety to rest. He even promised to fetch me from school and bring me out after the paper. I looked forward to the date but still, I had to go through the ordeal first. (Ok, I did manage to be promoted to JC2 but that's another story...) |
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| A pic of us at the chalet. Actually, it's a group pic. |
| And so on... |
| On 31st December 1993, we went for Watchnight Service. The service ended after midnight. The gang of us went to Delphi Orchard Denny's for supper. Across the road, there were a Caucasian couple holding a bunch of balloons. Without a word, Clement dashed across the road. We wondered what he was up to as he went up and spoke to the couple. He returned with a balloon - for me! That was so sweet of him, I thought. After the supper, some of our friends went home and left a few of us. We decided to walk through Orchard Rd. (That was what happened when you're young and aimless.) We walked and walked till we reached Marina Esplanade. That time, it was still a park where you can look into the sea. We sat there on the grass, looking out to the sea and the starless sky. We spent the night talking. Near dawn, our friend decided to take his leave. That left the two of us. We started to share about how we enjoyed each other's company and so on. That was when we very reluctantly admitted our liking for each other. It was rather odd as we were supposed to be buddies. But I would like to emphasise here that platonic friendships do exist. I've had guy friends whom I have no special feelings for. Likewise for Clement. From there, we told each other how we'd been evaluating and praying about our relationship. I told Clement forthrightly that if I were to enter into a relationship, I want it for life. He felt the same way too. After further talks and affirmation, the we decided to commit ourselves to each other. It was a scary decision. (To me at least, 1st time commitment.) But at that moment, a ray of dawn light broke forth. What a perfect timing! That moment was unforgettable. We prayed together before sitting there in silence to see daylight break into the land. It felt like our new lives had dawned. Well, the event did not end off very romantically. Clement was in need of toilet. So we scrambled up and rushed to look for one. What an anti-climax, I thought. 01.01.1994. That was the day it all first begun... Please do not mistake that the whole process from the beginning is so chop chop. The story is actually longer than this. I applied my GP training to summarise the events but still I exceeded 100 words. |
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