it's a wonder how a simple act of eating durians could bring back so much memories...
when i was very young, i hated durians. my family loved the fruit, in fact everyone around seems to go ga-ga over that prickly fruit. i simply don't & won't understand what they love about durians.
everytime Dad brought back durians, i would hide in the corner. i just did not want anything to do with it, no, thanks. they would all gather around, usually squatting on the floor, watching Dad or Mum open up that 'special' treat with a screwdriver or a blunt knife. everyone seems so eager, so excited. my brother and sister would act like they havent eaten for days! they dug right in... everybody, except me.
when they tried to tempt or coax me... i'd simply pout and clamp my mouth shut. eww! no way, i m gonna eat it! if they force me - i'd just cry.
somehow, one day, i had one try... & had never looked back ever since. my Dad would say i have a "talent" of eating durians, to the extent he started to nickname me "Squirrel". squirrels love durians, they always manage to get the best fruits! u know, chunky yellow flesh, neither too dry or too wet, with oh-so-small seeds (& i guess, i still do have this gift intact after all these years). just the thought of it makes me salivate! yes, i m the "Squirrel" in the house.
it has been a while now... 10 years... no, more than that, maybe 20.
& last week, when we stopped to buy some durians at a roadside stall, the memories came back. tears welled up in my eyes, & again i relived the memories of my childhood, the memories of my Dad. i didnt care i was out on the street, my tears just came...
Dad, i miss u...
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