Sunday Sweethearts

Sunday morning at Pasir Ris Park

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What I heard on the train last night-

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Boy: Mummy, can I watch Michael Jackson tonight please? Please Mummy please.

Mummy: No, you must finish your Chinese homework first.

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Boy: Mummy, mummy, look, we are so high! We are above the cars! Mummy why are we so high?

Mummy: That's because we are above ground, not under ground.

Boy: Why are we above the ground?

Mummy: Because that's how they built some parts of the mrt.

Boy: Why can't all be under ground?

Mummy: ...Good question. You should write to the LTA to ask them that.

Boy: (pause) What is LTA?

Mummy: Land Transport Authority.

Boy: Transformers...

Mummy: Not transformers. The government cannot make all the train tracks under ground because sometimes there are stones they cannot remove or other reasons. And they cannot make it all above ground because some places are very crowded.

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Boy: (jumping up and down) Please Mummy please can I watch Michael Jackson later?

Mummy: What did Mummy say just now?

Boy: I just do one more page of Chinese then can already?

Mummy: Maybe you shouldn't have played computer games last night. If you hadn't played you'll be able to watch Michael Jackson tonight.

Boy: (regretfully) Yeah.....

Mummy: If you had woken up earlier today to do your Chinese homework, you would be able to watch Michael Jackson tonight.

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Later they got off at the same stop and as they walked off through a sheltered walkway, the boy jumped to hit something and it scattered over the ground. Mummy was very angry and stood there scolding him and made him pick up the litter he created. I don't know, there was just something about her that made her seem a special good mummy despite the sternness and talks of homework.