A Singaporean In Australia

Grace turned up at 6am in the morning with puffy eyes. Good ol Grace, always offering help in such a way we couldn't say no to. She would take a nap until little Albany woke, then dress her and send her to the childcare centre. With that, I drove Jen to the hospital in Ugly Green.

The winds were fast and furious that morning. No doubt, an impending storm would hit Perth and the its south-west coastal regions by nightfall. As we chose a inland route, traffic was surprisingly smooth and well protected from the harm of the wind. We reached the hospital 15 minutes before our schedule.

I could recall my own surgery a year ago. It was as early that. I remembered telling Jen to leave immediately so that she would not see how fearful I was. I felt like cow in the slaughterhouse. Unlike me, Jen was positive and courageous throughout the procedures. She almost looked like she was looking forward to it. Just about the same time, I received a message from a old friend from Singapore. She told me she knew how Jen would be feeling though she 'said nothing' so far. I made a mental note of what the dear old friend said.

I left King Edward Hospital at 740am. The plan was to buy some groceries, especially the most important ingredient for the next weeks to come - the ginger. I thought it was a good idea to stop by the house to take a leak and rest a while. To my surprise, I received a call at 950am after I sat down for several minutes in front of my computer. It was from the hospital. The nurse informed me Jen did really well and was out resting in a bed. I told the nurse I would be on my way right after that call.

I decided to take the coastal route. It was then I witnessed the preview of the storm. The skies were grey and the wind made whistled as Ugly Green bashed through the random vortexes at 100km/h. Como Beach was nothing like the placid scene we witnessed that last Summer dawn. Instead, waves were roaring towards the shore, hitting the breakwaters hard and their last crest remains licked the left lane of Kwinana Highway and the vehicles travelling on it. Ugly Green stood on its own against the strong wind all journey. It passed its first test as a great car for me.

At the end of the rough drive, I saw Jen beaming at me when she first spotted me. She was in great shape. Before long, she got dressed and we left the hospital before noon.