I’m full just thinking about the dinners and lunches that I’ve got to go during Pappy’s 2-day birthday fiesta. I call it a fiesta because he had just celebrated with his tennis friends in Sandakan. Then, he flew over to KL to celebrate it again with his KL tennis friends, relatives and of course with Mummy and I.
Dinner was at Sam You Restaurant SS2. Pappy wore one of the the long-sleeve shirts that I bought him as a birthday present. He initially didn’t want the dark red colour shirt because he said 3 things was very wrong with the shirt. First, it’s the colour. Second, it’s the material. Third, the size.
The size of this dark red shirt is the same as the white shirt with black stripes that I bought for him…so I would just say he didn’t like the colour of the shirt. Even though I told him it’s nice, he didn’t want to try on it.
It was when I was at work one day and Mummy asked him to try on the shirt that he finally took it, after much persuasion from Mummy that I chose it and I like it very much and that it’s nice.
He wore the dark red shirt today and I really think it looked very good on him.
The food was good and there were bottle of wines going around. I drank a little bit of beer and was seated next to Pappy. There’s this friend of Pappy whom I’ll always try to avoid because I just don’t like listening to what he’s got to say, most of the time, especially when it’s about me. He has once asked me about my job, from the day I’ve got a job till the one I’m in now. He kept complaining about how better it would if I wasn’t working for that first company and bla bla bla. And after I’ve resigned from that job, he came telling me that it was actually a good company to work for and asked me why did I leave the company. Right! You have no idea of pissed I am.
He likes to talk a lot that I guess it has been a tradition for him to give speeches during special occasions, like birthdays and farewells. So what happened was, everyone sitting at the table had to give a speech. I thought I could escape but it got to me in the end. I was the last to speak before Pappy ended the dinner with his.
I’m not the kind who can give speech in a pronto and because I was with Pappy’s friends, it made it more difficult. I always give myself unnecessary stress and pressure. That’s why! But I tried anyway, thinking of what to say, just in case my turn comes, which actually came in the end. Seeing how everyone talked about how they came to know my dad, I thought maybe I could use that too.
So, this is what I said, “I’ve known Johnson for about 25 years.”
And this line was enough to make the crowd laughing, even my mum didn’t expect me to say that.
One of Pappy’s friend exclaimed, “You sure you’re not 20?!!”
And then I continued, “Throughout the 25 years, he has been a loving and very caring dad, supporting me in everything that I do. I just want to wish him a happy birthday and that I love him very much.”
It was just that, short and simple.
Pappy then lifted his glass of beer and we touched each other’s glasses lightly as a sign of a toast. I couldn’t help smiling because my speech is over.
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