Singapore to Home!

As I walked through the door, hot sweaty and ready to rest after my journey from the Philippines back to Singapore, Lisa was What'sapping Steve's parents. 

“Cool”, she said as I walked in, 

“Now I have you all together I have something to tell you. Baby number two is on her way. Due date is October!”

Smiling I dropped my bags into my room but when the call was finished she explained that the week after I had left she had been incredibly ill with morning sickness. 

In light of the fact that she was still feeling ill every time she ate something, she asked if I could extend my stay until Steve's parents arrived for their months stay in April.

It was still only February, I messaged Peter to inform him I was going to be at least a month late coming home!!!

For the next six weeks I helped entertain Emelia as Lisa rested the best she could on the settee.

We did some wonderful painting!! Never mind the finger paints .... we did palm painting!!

I still have the hand prints of Lisa and Kris from when they were this old and it was wonderful to be able to do it all over again.

It was even more fun to pain my own hands!!

This is why we have kids .... so we can keep playing!!!

On weekends when Steve was home I took myself off for long walks through the streets and to the various parks ....

And of course I went to Little India, to visit not only the Temple, but also to go shopping!!

I bought much to much stuff yet again but this time I was able to tell myself I was buying for Festivals rather than myself which made the multiple purchases piling up in my room seem some how right!

When Lisa needed some alone rest time Steve and I took Emelia to places I hadn't been to before one of which was the huge MacRitchie Reserve in the north of Singapore.

Despite the fact that Singapore is so full of multi
story buildings with efficient road ways and transportation net works, there are still huge areas where you can roam for free amongst the trees and natural wild life.

As the weeks passed, Lisa got steadily better but it still with tears on both sides that I packed my bags to return to the UK.

For the past 6 weeks she had been my little girl again, in need of love and support. 

As we had our last hug together on the settee I reassured her that I would be back in only five months, a month before the baby was born.

They had other friends and family coming over who would be able to help out over the summer but it was still with a heavy heart and a few tears that I entered the lift to head home.

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I was returning the UK technically unemployed.

My plan for the summer was to work a few Festivals plus do a few shifts in the CAT bar and not a lot else.

Things, however, have a habit of changing!! ......

I flew direct from Singapore to London with British Airways, watching many too many films once more and sleeping a fraction of what I should, as my brain raced through ideas and scenarios for the season ahead! 

I arrived in London looking forward to passing the six hour stop over resting in some quiet corner catching up on the missed sleep. 

I had never flown to Terminal Five before but within seconds of my arrival, I realised sleep was not going to be easy!

Build to accommodate the ever growing numbers flying in and out of Heathrow, the Terminal either underestimated the amount of seats required or they just didn't care. 

People milled around with no where to sit, the few bars and restaurants did a great trade as they were the only places where the seats were not full of tired bodies staring up at the huge departure boards that changed so rapidly I needed at least three repetitions to find my flight details!

I walked the floors searching for somewhere quiet, or at least with some carpet to sit on and eventually gave up. 

Huddling down behind a cleaning cart parked next to an eating place I curled up on the skin numbing cold floor while above me the high powered air con blasted ice crystals at my head!

In the hope of getting possibly an hours sleep I set my alarm but between the noise of clattering plates from the people and staff in the restaurant beside me, the constant gate change announcements over the impossible amount of speakers and the cold I gave up after only twenty minutes.

Pulling my knees to my chest I huddled on the floor, my sarong and every other bit of clothing from my hand luggage wrapped around my body. 

I had expected to be cold once I had arrived in Manchester but this was ridiculous!

To distract myself from falling deeper into my own personal misery of tiredness and cold I began to chant quietly under my breath until a voice beside me kindly asked, “Would you like to sit in the British Airways Members Lounge?” 

I looked up to see a man of about my age, well dressed and smiling looking over the cart. I nodded gratefully as he helped me to my feet.

Rearranging my layers to look slightly better than the helpless waif and stray I felt like, I fell into step beside him asking him where he was travelling to.

We exchanged brief details of where we had been and where we were going until we arrived at a large partitioned screen. Stepping behind it we were met by security/reception who politely but firmly asked to see our boarding cards.

“The Lady is with me” my rescuer informed the gathered group as they scanned and checked our details. 

With a polite, but not altogether approving nod, we were let in.

Once inside my travel companion explained the basic facilities before turning to go. 

“You are not staying?” I asked confused.

“No my flight has been called,” he smiled back, “I was on my way to the gate when I saw you, you looked like you could do with a smile. Make yourself at home, everything is free in here!” and with that he was gone!

I looked at the huge soft padded settees, the large buffet of breakfast foods that included cereals, breads, rolls, butters, jams, honey, sliced fruit, fresh juices, yoghurt as well as enough bacon, eggs and meat to feed the entire floor.

Coffee machines turned out endless supplies of caffeine for those wishing to stay awake, wine was served to those who didn't care. 

Water and soft drinks in neat little bottled filled cold boxes filled with ice, newspapers and magazines lay in neat piles while gloved 'servants' silently wandered between the spacious seating clearing away discarded food and cups.

For a moment or two I walked around noting that in this large expanse of space they had even incorporated showers and sleep areas. 

The contrast between Joe public and Private members was shocking. 

If just a fraction of this space had been allocated into public seating it could have made such a difference to those with children huddled together in the noise and clamour of outside.

The words of the Serenity Prayer echoed around my head,

'Please grant me the Serenity to accept the things I can not change, the Courage to change the things I can and the Wisdom to know the difference.'

I was unable to change the world today but my saviour had helped change, if only for a few hours, the world for me.

I gathered together juice and toast for my breakfast, gave thanks to the Universe for the blessing and sat down in one of the huge chairs to watch the planes taking off in the distance.