Le Grandpa

The maternal Grandpa. For folks who have had the fortune to meet my pa before, the comments usually run along the lines of: "He looks very stern." or "He seems like a very fierce man." On the surface, this may be true. Perhaps it could be being the firstborn son in a time when responsibilities were foisted on you before you werely barely out of your teens. Or a simple matter of being born the way you were. Or a lethal combination of the two. 

It is a completely different story for Grandpa however, when it comes to his only grandson. As much as he maintains a stoic facade when the Rascal is present, the pussycat in him lurks beneath the surface, waiting to emerge. I have on several occasions observed very uncharacteristic behavior in him, things that made me cock my eyebrows in secret amazement. 

1. Tare Panda

Being the undisputed patriarch of the family, one will rarely see my pa in positions other than the sitting and standing ones. This probably sound strange to folks who are not in the know but c'mon, have you ever seen men of power depicted in less-than-dignified poses (misbehaving civil servants none withstanding? 

So imagine my surprise one Chinese New Year , where we were gathered at my aunts' house and the Rascal was on a mattress with his cousin (mattress cos both they both just learnt to sit upright and the aunts were concerned they may start doing the breakdance on e floor). The grandpa got up from his usual seat, away from the sofa and down flat on the floor to play with the Rascal. That was really a kicker, cos I honestly have never seen him in such an unfamiliar position, not in my 30 odd years of existence...For friends who are viewing this post, evidence of Gramps' unprecedented pose can be found in my FB album (T's album in year 2012 I think)

2. Washer Man

My pa grew up in an era where womenfolk are the ones who did all the housework and take care of kids while men's sole duty was to bring home the dough. Once they reach home, their whole existence revolves around 'lepak one corner' and to ask them to lift a finger in helping to take care of the kids is almost a profanity. 

We were at T's grand uncle's house one afternoon for a visit and the rascal got himself thoroughly smelly and sweaty from playing ball catching with the Grand uncle. I hied him off for an impromptu shower when my pa (who was around as well) popped his head into e bathroom to do an 'inspection'. That in itself is already a surprising move. The move became more astonishing when he started taking over e showerhead and bathing the rascal. Suffice to say that I was goggle-eyed throughout the whole episode...