More than a happy meal

When I visit mom, she downloads a whole week's worth of conversation on me, then pauses and says, "I'll stop talking now because I'm so exhausted." before starting all over again. Talking tires her out because she's rather frail but I understand how she deprived she is because there is nobody else to talk to at home. My dad is the quietest man I know. He listens but doesn't reply.

I'm almost in the same boat. Working in a small office doesn't give me much opportunity to talk. It doesn't get any better at home.

So when there is an opportunity to meet up with friends, I feel like a bird that's freed from its cage. I unleash a whole load of words unto them and leave with a grin plastered on my face. My social calendar was rather full last week and I'm still feeling high from the lively chatter.

It is truly a privilege to have the company of such generous friends like Petunia and SL/K, all ladies I met through my blog. It is my good fortune to live near SL/K for every now and then, they would invite me over for a delicious dinner. We had turkey (so moist and yummy) served with Mediterranean salad and fresh berries over Greek Yoghurt. They seem to know what I like to eat!

Petunia treated me to lunch at Halia and I was so engrossed with chatting that I forgot to take photos except for this excellent beef carpaccio. I'm not a fan of beef but the slivers of raw beef, simply drizzled with flavoured oil and served with capers and parmesan are so good, I was surprised I enjoyed it very much.

We usually pick a restaurant for the food but there is a story behind how we ended up at Halia restaurant. Just a few weeks ago, Petunia was feeling so crappy that she fled the house and escaped to Halia where in her own words, "the food is good and the mood is good". And true enough, her mood was lifted particularly by Kenkar who made genteel conversations and brightened her day.

 

When we met that day, Petunia was in such a good mood, she was glowing with happiness. "I want to treat you to lunch today", she said. "To celebrate!" Indeed there are so many things to celebrate in our lives.

 

Just as we were seated, Kenkar came to greet us in her genteel manner. She turned bashful at the sight of Petunia. Even her boss had read all about her in Petunia's Blog. She's now a star at the restaurant!

 

The way she spoke fondly of her boss makes it easy for me to understand why Petunia warms up to her so easily. It's not easy to employ a good worker and even harder to find one who appreciates everything the employer has done for her. It really made me want to meet the lady boss herself!

 

Somehow, Petunia has that ability to draw people towards her - from kids and mothers to even village and boat folks.  It's that X-factor she possesses, amongst other things like being a genuinely nice person with a really smart mind yet a child-like sense of wonder. It's hard to explain in words but she leaves me mesmerised too.