I have had the most exhausting week and I don’t want to go through it again.

It started off on Monday with my trying to piece together, at the last minute, a document for a visit by a minister who was arriving on Tuesday evening. Of course, I could have done this last week. But of course I didn’t. The document was finally completed, printed and bound on Tuesday evening just before I had to go out and welcome the minister.

I then stayed out at the airport hotel on Tuesday evening because the minister was leaving KL on Wednesday morning. I didn’t get into bed until about 0100H (or even later) and had to wake up at 0600H. I didn’t get much sleep and what I did get was not very good.

Just when I thought the minister’s departure on Wednesday morning would go off without a hitch, I get told 50 minutes before the flight was due to leave that the party had forgotten about a suitcase the evening before and that it was left unclaimed! So there I was running around the wonderful expansive KLIA trying to find this piece of luggage. After about 20 minutes, and not managing to locate it physically, I recounted the scenario to an airline staff who then proceeded to check the system again, but in a different manner. He then informed me that the luggage was discovered the previous evening and was being put on the same flight on which the party was travelling that Wednesday morning. So huge sigh of relief, and not a little finger crossing, that the party will have everything with them within a few hours’ flight. [Fortunately, yes, the luggage was on that flight and did arrive safely in the minister's next destination.]

This now was Wednesday and I went back to the office shortly before lunch time. I had a few things to do and a function to attend at work in the evening which did not end until after midnight - so you can imagine my state of being by the very end of the day. I was completely exhausted when I finally dropped into my own bed at 0200H.

Fortunately, I was able to take Thursday morning off and only reported to work at 14H. The rest of the day proved pretty easy. The minister returned to KL and their arrival was relatively unproblematic although one person was lagging behind on the walk to the vehicles and since we were in a huge rush for time this was somewhat annoying. I ended up having dinner with members of the party and didn’t get home until 23H. I was in bed at 0030H.

I woke up this morning thinking that it would be a lovely quiet day in the office and that I could return home at 16H. Alas that wasn’t to be the case…

As I was sitting on the train heading to KL, a good friend of mine called at about 0850H and said that her marriage was over. I was slightly shocked but not surprised since there was a recognised problem in their marriage a few months back and she thought that they were getting divorce then. They patched up then, well… sort off, since it now appears to me that this really is it.

Anyway, there I was sitting on the train in the middle of a crowd listening to her and consoling her with pithy words. I finally got off the train and sat on the platform at one of the stations as the train had become too noisy to hear what she was saying. I later suggested that we go for breakfast to which she finally agreed. I called my supervisor at work and informed him that I needed time off to provide emotional support for a friend. He fortunately agreed. I took the reverse train ride back to PJ, met her for breakfast and sat there talking, listening, understanding, questioning, and consoling for two hours.

I don’t know what else to say, because I’ve long observed that she and I appear to be living parallel lives for the last two or three years, with her being one step ahead of me. What she’s going through is mirrored, to some extent, in my own relationship. I therefore more than sympathised. I was glad to be able to provide her with some comfort of sorts, even if it was inadequate. I wished I could have made things better. But then, I too wished I could magically make things better in my own life and relationships.

She dropped me off at a train station at about 1115H and I finally got to the office at 12H. The week’s almost over but not quite. I still have to see the minister off tomorrow morning - which means waking up at 0530H to report to work at 0630H!!! Then the maid comes to the house for the last time tomorrow afternoon. And Andrew leaves for an overnight trip to Genting Highlands for a rave party. I’ll be alone tomorrow evening which now seems like a very lovely prospect.

There’s more I could say, but I’m too knackered now to philosophise. And as things stand, there are other demands on my time and energy.

Posted on May 30th, 2003 by jl
Filed under: Life with a Heavy Heart