surprise me
Saturday, June 9
ONE.
Somehow, he knew. Apparently, upon further enquiry, from the times my 11B had passed through his hands to the armskote. I was impressed; I'd never thought to do likewise.
A plan had been hatched; I was none the wiser. I sat next to them in the training shed, chatting merrily as we always had since CLM. I never noticed one of them standing behind me silently, smilingly; waiting for the time to pounce. But then, I got up suddenly and stretched --- a move they weren't prepared for. A second later, they revealed, and they would have had me pinched down and unmercifully forced to 'camo on'. But alas, the one behind me was the shortest in the section --- with me standing, he had no leverage to pull me back down.
A foiled plan, but a plan nonetheless, and a gesture of well-meant camaraderie. How sweet. I smiled.
TWO.
He was the most reckless driver I knew. And yet, that was the very reason he was needed. The tonner charged ahead at full speed, trampling across pot holes which sent its passengers flying off their seats. But we couldn't care less. All egged on the driver, intent on the mission: to get from SYK camp to TFT within 20 minutes, a journey usually requiring 30 minutes. My gut feel told me we'd make it.
I stick my head out of the tonner, the wind rushing against my face at full force. Tempted I was, to stick out my tongue --- like a dog on a joy ride. It felt surreal --- a book out that wasn't supposed to happen.
2003hrs; 3 minutes late. We jumped off the tonner. Our master sent us ahead and we tore off to the terminal. Running past the bewildered sentries, I looked beyond to the pier. My heart brimmed with joy. We'd made it.
THREE.
He struggled to light the tea candle. He needed it --- or so he claimed --- to dry his boots. After all, the camp site had flooded the previous night. I sat next to him on the safari bad, fresh from my book in, chuckling away as the candle refused to ignite.
When finally, the candle obliged, he ordered for the bunk lights to be turned off. The rest of the section paused their rifle cleaning for a moment and chorused along in the birthday song. The light of the candle flame sat prettily in the palm of his hand. The tea candle was my birthday candle. I blushed, and hurriedly blew out the candle. The flame, though tiny, had warmed my heart.
God has a knack for surpassing our expectations, and that's something I never want to stop experiencing. It always reminds me how much He loves me, that He gives me pleasant surprises whenever He can.
I had expected my birthday this year to pass by unnoticed in Tekong. After all, how much can one expect to happen with the knowledge that you're spending your birthday stuck on a deserted military island for field camp with a group of people who have no good reason to know, let alone remember, your date of birth.
Yet, unbeknownst to me, my Father had secretly planned a celebration for me. How vast, indeed, is our Father's love (:
AMEN;
9:33 pm
