I step out of the train and someone wallops me on the arm. “Fancy seeing you here!” was what I meant to say, but what came out was “Ouch!” and “What the hell are you doing on my patch?” The hurried explanation through the train doors (Goon Show routine: Darling, we have to stop meeting like this!) was that Wednesdays were ‘hump’ days and that he got up extra early to have a leisurely breakfast out. “It gives my week structure!” “But why Chinatown?” “Porridge and things!” “How about lunch today?” and the door slides shut between us. The universe has an excellent sense of comic timing.
**
Over at the courthouse, a surprisingly short hearing list today that clip-clopped apace and took us only up to 12:40 (only one tantrum. Word of advice: don’t throw a tantrum in court.) At noon feeling optimistic with only 9 cases left I lasso our Julian into lunch with an email discreetly tapped out on the phone under some paperwork (how sensible of you to work so near the courthouse; you’ll make that a prime consideration in future jobs too, right?) and we pop into The Provision Shop as soon as I got out of court. I still love the space (colourful wood counters cheer me up no end; plus they always let me have my favourite table by the glass) but sadly the food is not what it used to be and hasn’t been for months now. This is a shame because there are so many mediocre restaurants in Singapore (of which I now account it one) but when I’d first started coming here the food had been something to shout about. (Also, where else does one get Polish perogis in Singapore?) Such is the way the cookie crumbles, she sighs, consuming her indifferent butternutsquash and zucchini bake. “And why did you hit me just now?” “You didn’t see me!” After which more merciless mocking of Julian (Him: Where, where can I get two million grant dollars, tell me that! Eh? Eh? Me: You could try marrying it.)Also, much smugness finding out that yesterday Su-Lin had said exactly the same thing about his whiteboard: “Not Sheldony.“)
Best of the Transparent Hummingbird