The Johns in my life - a tribute (they are not dead yet!)
The weekend greeted me with joy, as it knows that I owe it sleep and housework. Little do I disagree, as my week was occupied by the Johns of my life.
Let me tell you all about both the Johns - a 2nd generation Ceylonese immigrant, and a Welsh immigrant. Let me pop your bubble by announcing to you that there are neither juicy streaks here nor spit-swapping entailing information here. So, quit the suspicions! Anyway, I love both Johns dearly, and the Johns love me too :). Our great and unexplainable platonic friendship is an envy to many - many do not believe in this platonicism, but hey, there's such thing because I have that with not only both these Johns but a few other blokes as well (that's another story altogether, but let me just talk about the Johns now).
Ceylonese John and I have known each other ages ago - we saw the ups and downs of each others' early tertiary education days. We were so platonic that we could slept next to each other like siblings, and ironically behaved like Romeo and Juliet in the dormitories, but laugh like hyenas whenever together. Well, actually, we behave more like hyenas than any resemblance to the Shakesperean play. Maybe only Shakesperean when it comes to our whispering to each other across two buildings - John at the boy-dormitory and me in the girl-dormitory (again, nothing juicy here!)... both sleepless and having to abide by the college's curfew rules. You see, those days, boys and girls cannot mix. Well, all that aside... best of friends that we are, and holding hands and hugging were amongst them. Kisses... never. Yet, we love each other to bits and pieces, and either of us would maul the next person to death for slighting any of us. Let's leave the past as the past... fastforward to last week...
I went to a wedding with John on Saturday, and fussed over his fever and sorethroat. I mummied him, as before, and will always do. We made it to the wedding, and we were happy to see our coupled- good-friends marry each other. Then came Independence day, we spent hours yacking, and did our usual idiosyncratic thing - pulled out 2 plastic mats and placed them at the grassy patch outside the gate and lay down side by side, enjoying the silence of the night, having the sky as our roof, and nudging and kicking each other, making our silly talks and letting out hyena-like laughters. His mother and brothers have gotten used to 'us', they all know me well for wanting the best for John. I'm even allowed to go over to the house and walk up straight to his bedroom and drag him out of bed whenever he's depressed - kick his ass and get him to face the world. Hey, that's what great friends should be like! lol
As for Welsh John, I don't call him a mean bastard for nothing. Well, the feeling's mutual, he calls me a 'fussy bitch' with the most unique contemptuous note. Yet, we love each other to death, as we are best of food buddies and also work buddies - we know each others' train of thoughts very well, and probably have been separated by birth. We share the same stomach for the same kind of food - everything that's edible! This John has gone through my difficult days at work when I was climbing up the corporate ladder (I hate to disappoint ye audience again - there's no romance ever in this). I've known Welsh John for almost 6 years, which is three-quarters of my work life todate. Though he has left Malaysia for 4 years, he has never failed to call me up when he comes down to Malaysia, and we'd pig out like it's the last food on earth (as before when he was posted to my work place for 6 months), and wash all that down by hurling insults at each other and laugh till our faces almost split into halves, and then snort or make faces at each other. Such a great companion, indeed! lol We are like prankster kids whenever put / seated together. Where can you find another good buddy that way? lol
Well, I spent both Monday and Thursday evening pigging out with John this week, and I even had the chance to have a yack with his wife and twins in Oz before he headed back to Perth the next day. His wife doesn't feel the slightest twinge of jealousy nor threatened with my presence, as she knows that her hubs and I are really good friends. At Perth, I spent half the day with Caron and the twins, while John was out to "deep sea fishing" with his brother. I have even gained a family through him (not that I don't have enough 'family' on my end). Anyhow, that's what a good friend is like, their family like you, and your family like him - all for the right reasons, and never any suspicion.
Well, do you see the resemblance between the two Johns? They are as different as morning and night - even literally in skin colour and characters. However, they both share the same thing - kindred spirits with different facets of me. Ceylonse John and I have protective siblinghood attitudes, while Welsh John and I have mindless joys of siblinghood. Get to know my Johns, you'll love them as much as I do.
