Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Make the yuletide gay;
From now on our troubles will be miles away.
-Martin & Blane (1942)
Singapore 1996
Three foreigners are sitting in a makeshift patio café, which is really just a paved area outside a small storefront along the river featuring a few tables with umbrellas and rickety chairs. They are huddled under the tattered red umbrella to hide from the scorching rays of the sun here, only 130 kilometers or so north of the equator. The American has just come back to the table from the payphone inside the café with a dour expression on his face.
“So, you make your call, mate?” asks the British fellow.
“Still can’t get through,” the American says, adjusting his sunglasses.
“It’s Christmas,” the Canadian says with a wave of his hand. “Everyone must be calling home.”
The three met at a business conference and have the day free because of the holiday. The sparkling city rises above them in the distance, the towers looking like steel and glass cut outs against the clear blue sky. Palm trees lining the banks of the river sway in the gentle breeze, and a battered bumboat passes with old tires hanging over the port and starboard bows. A few passengers sit under the canopy on the boat, which is heading out into Marina Bay to pass the big attraction: the statue of the Merlion.
“I’m thirty years old,” says the American, “and this is the first time I’ve missed my parents’ Christmas dinner.”
“I never had a real Christmas,” the Canadian says.
“Don’t tell me,” the Brit says with a laugh, “you were a street urchin?”
The Canadian sips his beer and looks away. “Yeah, something like that.”
Article comments
1 - Aaman
Great stuff, Victor - Merry Christmas and all that jazz:)
2 - Victor Lana
Thank you, Aaman. I've been wanting to write this piece for years but could never get around to it. Happy holidays to all as well!
3 - diana hartman
i like your writing!
4 - Victor Lana
Thank you, Diana! I always appreciate your comments (and your posts).