Chinese New Year is always a great time for gatherings, not only for relatives but also old friends! My friends are now scattered all around different places and countries and this year is the year almost all came back except for 2.
This bunch of friends are actually my high school friends that we started gathering since we were 14 years old. We used to walk from one house to another for CNY visiting. Those were the young days when we still could not drive. Then, we started car pooling when one by one got our driving license. I still remember when it was the Covid lockdown, we even had video calls during Chinese New Year.
So I feel I must meet them, even if it is just once.
My closest friend in the gang planned a meet up at her place at 230pm which supposedly I could be in time for it. However my flight got delayed for 2.5 hours and they were all waiting for me. I felt so sorry because some waited with their children. In the end, 2 friends with their families had to leave.
However the rest waited for me still. I rushed over right after I touched down at the airport and settled some rented car matters. I got a shock to see 50+ messages on my phone after I switched my flight mode. Apparently, my brother skidded the car and caused the tyre arm to bent badly when he knocked the road divider. So the car could not function, ending up with my little sister took a Grab car to receive me at the airport. Hence I needed to rent a car for the family's use for the following few days.
After settling this matter, we quickly went to my aunt's place to pick up my mum and dropped me off quickly at my friend's house. I managed to catch up with them and it was just so liberating. I very enjoyed talking with them because it felt like we never aged though 20 years have passed. It is also a rare opportunity as sometimes some of us do not return for CNY or we return at different timing.
2nd Round of Gathering
This was one I didn't expect I could join as I have decided that this trip back home set my priorities for my parents who need a lot of my attention. However when my friend asked to gather at her house, coincidentally that was my free-er day as I had just accompanied the parents to run their errands and they wanted to rest at home. With that, I went to meet my friend at her new place which was my first time visiting too. This round, I got to spend time with some of their children. One of my friends' sons was my favorite play mate. He is so animated and he kept making us hold our toy tea cups and he refills our "coffee". Too entertaining! Then we talked about some old memories and sometimes the way my friends still speak, make me feel everything is still just like the old times. The way they made me laugh and some still like to tease me.... this was like when we were teens, except that we are now nearing forties.