Words

At Changi Airport. Again.

Since I told my parents about the good news, they haven't stopped providing little notes of advice to me. Most of what they had to say was general common sense - things every parent tells their child about - how to manage finances, eating well, staying healthy, etc. However, as we were driving to the airport, my mum mentioned something that we had never really discussed before - me finding a (male) life partner. She had hoped that I would find someone to share my life with... a life partner, akin to that of a husband or a wife.

My parents opinion on my sexuality has changed dramatically over recent years. I remain astonished at how quickly they have come to accept things... in many ways, it is me who is the one who is uncomfortable with the situation.

When they finally realised that I was "gay-for-life" (prior to that, it was merely a "phase"), both of them cried. My mum, a devout Catholic, would go to church several times a week, to pray for my soul. My dad, although not religious, made his opinion clear to me, saying that homosexuality was abhorrent and the only thing that would disgust him more would be if one of his children were a drug-user.

I wonder how they would feel in the future, however unlikely it may be that I do find a guy I want to spend my life with, whether or not they would be willing to go all the way and consider celebrating such a relationship with a big Chinese wedding banquet?