Somebody squeezed my hands, left and right.
To my left, I saw Maya, which led me to cry even more. She said, "Shhhh.... it's alright."
On my right, I saw mom.
"Some boiled potatoes should be good for recuperation," mom said with a smile.
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Not all storms were meant to disrupt your life, some came to clear a path.
Cliff made it so much easier for me. We were still together.
He accepted me just as I was, and I was not going to take that acceptance for granted. He stayed. He said "I won't walk away because of your past, I stayed because of who you are today." Then he added light-heartedly "Well, I might leave, depends what you become in the future."
"I'm not perfect anymore, Cliff. Do you understand that? There are scars on my body and in my soul."
Unlike Ingmar, talking with Cliff was comforting as it was entertaining. His gentleness and his use of encouraging words made me want to become a better person. He had proven to me that he wasn't the judgmental type. There was mutual love and respect, and fun between the two of us.
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One weekend, mom was in town to visit me.
I told Maya about it. She texted me 'Ola gf. Why dont u2 join me for church this weekend? I'm on duty. After church, jom take aunty 4dimsum.'