IT'S SO NICE TO HAVE MY TWO BOYS HOME

Resting after eating too much!

The start of the marathon eating.

Grilling at theback yard, near the apple trees.

Dear Auntie Pattie koh,

Today... Sunday morning, out of the blue - - early in the morning, my eldest son called me up and said he will come to the house with his girlfriend and his brother also with his friend. So hurriedly, my wife and I have to go to the grocery and buy some steak for grilling. My two boys are very carnivorous.

I immediately prepared the grill and moved the grill under the apple tree and see to it that there is still gas in the LPG tank. It was like I am going to have a big party with celebrities. But it is not that kind of a thing.

My two boys is coming and that is enough for me to get excited and become so nervous in the preparations for the backyard cookout and the lunch at the house. So the two arrived, in tow with their cousins and their respective friends and the backyard became alive with all the laughter and jokes and pushing and shoving.

I was so happy and so does my wife. The house is filled with laughter again and the noise. Even our dog Bombo is so excited and kept on running and greeting everybody including my two sons. They had fun and all of us where so exited in hearing some news and adventures of each boys including their cousins. It was as if I have not seen them for years including my nieces and nephews. But I was just excited because I don't see my boys very often much more so with the gatherings of their cousins.

Past noon time, the rain started to fall so I asked my eldest son to do the eating inside the house after he is done grilling. So we went inside, in tow the big platter of sweet corn, with green salad and my eldest son likes the tomatoes and cucumber salad, so we have to prepare it also. They have flank steak and skirt steak and Italian sausage with grilled onions and grilled red and green pepper in seasoned salt. Lots of bread, no rice because during summer time these boys prefer to eat bread instead of rice.

The table was bursting with laughter and joke. They tried to pick on each other and make jokes that I really cannot understand what they are talking about. But the most important thing ---- my two boys are home and their cour sins. All of them are having fun.

And so Auntie Pattie Koh, I was so happy that my boys paid me a visit, but at 3:30Pm, everybody has to leave. My youngest son has to go back to his apartment near his school in Champaign, Illinois which is three hours drive from our home. He is taking some summer classes. My niece has to go back to the city because she has to check a new apartment that she will moved into. My other nephew left because he will be working tonite and then my eldest son and his girlfriend has to leave also. My eldest is managing three restaurant and he said it is Monday, he will not let any of the staff takes care of the restaurants on their own.

Then the house became so quiet and so tranquil again. I started clearing up the mess, my wife threw all the dishes in the dishwasher and the house is empty again. Back playing with my dog Bombo again.

It is so hard to live in the states, especially when you're kids are born and raised in the American way.

Am I becoming to sentimental??


Sincerely yours,

INFRATERNAM MEAM