Friends: The Trilogy

The next few minutes seemed like centuries. Our civics tutor [form teacher lah, but as u know, in JC, they tend to technicalise everything... Prefects are known as School Counsellors (who do they counsel anyway, their blazer and tie?... Class Monitors are known as Class Rep (what? an MC Hammer in class?) I bet they called our toilet cleaners Hygiene and Sanitary Specialists... anyway, back to our story... ] was informed, principal was notified, ambulance was activated, students were evacuated & I felt executed!

Everybody debated on how Thian Cheng got on top of the entire class and hall, and how he fell down (if u r lost, that means u've got to read my previous entries. This is the third instalment, or Trilogy of Friends, dude!). It seemed that everyone had their own theory, but only I alone knew the answer. The paramedics came and my friend was stretchered off with my form teacher accompanying him in the ambulance. I remained silent. That night, I dreamt of Judgement Day, and how I would be condemned... It was not a dream or nightmare, I reckoned it would be my portion. I was a killer! A murderer of my friend!

Newspaper across the nation would scream out:

"Man-slaughter! JC Boy kills friend in school!"

The next dawn, with legs as heavy as lead, I dragged them to school. After the flag raising ceremony, Mr Govindarasu (don't even try pronouncing it), our Principal, said something about students going into prohibited places in the school and abusing them, so much so that there was a case of a JC1 boy going into an air-con housing unit, and jumping off the roof of the lecture theatre. He also said that it was very fortunate that the boy only sustained a fractured hip bone. A fractured hip bone! So, friend was still alive! I didn't hear what else he said, but it was not important. Thian Cheng was alive! I did not kill him. Miss Liew, my form teacher! I had to talk to her to gather more details. She must know, because she followed him to the hospital.

"Alexandra Hospital, Ward XX, Bed XX (how do you expect me to remember the ward and bed number, it's almost 2 decades ago, man!). Anyway, he's ok. Had a small cut on his forehead, but he shattered his hip bone. Guess he would need two to three months to fully recover, with clutches and a lot of help. I did told him off though, he had no business going up the roof of the LT. He said that he was curious. Well, curiosity killed the cat, and he's lucky he wasn't killed!"said Ms Liew. Curious? Thian Cheng didn't even mention my name?

And so, the next few weeks saw me going in and out of Alexandra Hospital. As a visitor, I did more than that. I brought lecture notes, homework, worksheets, biscuits, food and drinks daily. I was eternally grateful to Thian Cheng for not even mentioning that it was me who locked him in, and I was determined to make whatever restitution to repay his kindness. Not only didn't he blame me, Thian Cheng said that it was his foolishness to try to 'escape' by going through the roof. Well, one thing's for sure: My friend brought the roof down, and I guess he pulled down my conscience as well

The X-ray of his hip bone resembled that of a jigsaw puzzle: totally shattered! As he slowly rebuilt back his life, I made it a point to be with him. His first steps using the clutch, going back to school, taking the bus... For three months, I carried his bag and held his ring folder, as he 'walked' in his clutches. Our friendship gelled together even stronger. After he recovery, I no longer made fun of him, I supported him. I no longer took him for granted, I appreciated him.

After our A Levels, we went our separate ways due to our National Service. A couple of years ago, I read in the newspaper that Mr Oei Thiam Seng was voted 'The Best Teacher' in a primary school! Way to go, Buddy!