I'm blessed with wonderful relatives.

Just yesterday, I was beginning to prepare for church after dinner when my mother came to inform me that my grandparents just had a fight. In a brief teleconversation, my grandfather told my mum that he’ll be coming over coz’ he needed to speak to me. I did not ask what he wanted to tell me but upon hearing that, I changed my mind and decided to go for a run instead of church since I wasn’t going to make it for the 7pm service in time anyway. However, the fact that he said he needed to speak to me after bickering with my grandmother was a cause for concern. As the oldest grandson and given the fact that I had always been quite close to him, I was also anxious to find out what happened because quarrels between them have always been quite rare. My mother, on the other hand, didn’t seem as nervous as I would have expected and that aroused my suspicion. But I just casually shook it off and went for my usually invigorating run at Bedok Reservoir where my throbbing footsteps always end up disturbing the intimate moments of couples who usually “congregate” there this late in the night.

An hour later, I got back from my run but realized that my grandfather hadn’t arrived yet. I found my mum calmly reading on the sofa where she told me to take a shower coz’ my grandfather will be arriving soon. I got out of my drenched (with sweat that is.) running gear and started to take a warm shower. Not too long after I entered the bathroom, I heard my grandfather entering the house and he wasted no time in shouting to me from downstairs that he needed to use the toilet. I got a bit irritated coz’ I was brushing my teeth and I knew that there was another toilet downstairs. I opened the toilet door and told him that he can use the toilet downstairs first. He replied in an agitated tone telling me that the flush is spoilt so he must definitely use my toilet. At that point in time I was frowning and asking myself why he has to use my toilet when there are three toilets in the house. As usual, I was feeling absolutely obliging and ever so agreeable when it comes to my dear grandfather. I wrapped myself in a small sexy towel and got out of the bathroom so that he may use it to “ease his aging bladder”.

In only my sexy towel, still with toothpaste in my mouth and soap on my back, I awkwardly got out of the bathroom and suddenly found the house to be unusually dark and quiet. Still dripping with foam, soap, toothpaste and unwashed shampoo on my hair, I politely informed my unexpectedly demanding grandfather that the toilet is all his now. Despite my efforts to please the old man, he frowned upon seeing my half in-the-buff state and told me to kindly put on a pair of shorts and t-shirt. I was starting to get quite annoyed with the old man when I heard a group of familiar voices singing in unison a birthday song. The singing started to get more audible and from the top of the stairwell I was pleasantly greeted with the smiling faces of my ever so affable relatives popping out successively from below. My brother even started taking pictures like a paparazzi; apparently totally oblivious to my half-naked state. I couldn’t help but laugh and grin back as I waited patiently for them to finish the English version and then the Chinese version of my birthday song. At the end of the song, my youngest cousin, Nathaniel, ran up the stairs to hand me my birthday present and shook my clammy hand. In appreciation, I swallowed the toothpaste in my mouth, thanked him and patted his head. After that, my grandfather and my aunties chased me back into the toilet and told me that they’ll wait for me for the cake cutting. Still with a grin extending from ear to ear, I gingerly walked back into the toilet leaving a trail of soap and water behind me to continue my shower. Needless to say, my grandfather did not use the toilet at all.