February 1, 2022

My dearest,

One more day. One more day till you come home, my dearest. You’ll bring back a few bags of coffee beans for our friends, maybe some Thai snacks, any leftover mandarin oranges, but most importantly you’ll be coming home.

More than coffee or chips or citrus, you are all the homecoming needs.

I will fete you with all your favourite dishes, from nasi lemak to pork noodles. We will head down to Malacca for lunch with my parents, and onwards to your hometown for your much imagined, much longed for chee cheong fun. You will have your mahjong session with your friends. You will do this and more. Whatever you want.

And on some of the mornings, perhaps before I brew us some coffee, we will take a stroll in our garden together. Looking for squirrels and pink-necked green pigeons and butterflies, marvelling at how swiftly the tree shrews scurry past us, count the number of hibiscus blooms…

One more day, my dearest, and then welcome home.

Yours, ever and always.