It was a beautiful wedding, and fun to watch our old bachelor friend tie the knot with his bride. He met her in Ohio, but she grew up just a few miles from the school he attended in Penang. Who knew?! She had that gracious "Penang girl" affect. It was lovely to see them looking so happy.
But we didn't just fly across country for the wedding. It was an occasion for a number of us who grew up together to have a reunion, complete with delicious Penang food, lots of joking and laughing and heckling, and catching up on what the others are doing now. Most of us came sans spouses (to save money, lah!), which provided even more time and focus on each other.
My brother and I were the only Caucasians in the group who had grown up together in Penang. As such, we stood out like sore thumbs. Jokes have flown under this photo on Facebook about how our mom fed us Miracle-Gro. But then, we were always taller and more conspicuous as kids growing up with these friends. The point is, we're all family, and the cameraderie we had with our childhood friends can't be duplicated anywhere else. May was gracious and elegant, as always; Viola was saying affirming things to all of us, as always; Edward was heckling the groom about kissing his bride; that's so very Edward; Sam was throwing off witty comments left and right, and then chortling as he always does. My brother and I found ourselves switching back into "Penang English," which amused those around us. "Don' make fun of me, lah. I grow up in Pee-nang just li' you, wat!"
It's a good thing, having reunions. It's worth the cost of flying across the country, even though I miss these people more acutely again for a while. Union and reunion: It's a little preview of how I imagine heaven will be.
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