#(So before you open your mouth again to tell us 'gO BACK TO 1948 {AREA}' maybe ACKNOWLEDGE THEY LIVED ELSEWHERE TOO **BEFORE 1948**)

[koushirouizumi]

{My Fam}

{DO NOT COPY} {DO NOT RE-POST} {DO NOT RE-PRODUCE WITHOUT PERMISSION FOR ANY USAGE WHATSOEVER}

If you want to use for referring to, PLEASE ASK ME PRIVATELY FIRST OR I WILL REFUSE.

[bee-kathony]

“It’s Been a Long, Long Time” - Jamie & Claire One Shot 

a/n: So, this is based off of my grandparents relationship. If you didn’t know, last week, my grandfather passed away and so I’ve been hearing tons and tons of stories from my grandmother, many I’ve never heard before. She told me how they met and funnily enough, it was because my grandpa asked his sister named Jennie (just like Jamie’s sister!) if there were any girls to date in town when he was home from serving in the military. My great aunt set up my grandpa with my grandma and the rest is history! My grandma told me that on their second date, my grandpa took her hand and kissed it and her heart melted and she knew that he was the one! For this one shot, I took some of those events and twisted it a bit to fit Jamie and Claire. My grandparents actually met in 1958, not 1948 as this fic is set in. Anyways, I hope you enjoy a few sweet moments I wanted to share! <3 the title of this fic is inspired by this song (x)

November, 1948

It had been three years since Jamie Fraser had returned from the war. He was stationed in France, fighting alongside the English. His Scottish ancestors would have rolled in their graves if they knew who he was fighting with. But the enemy had been extinguished and now the nation — the world — was in a time of healing and peace.

Jamie enjoyed fighting for his country. Of course, it wasn’t actually enjoyable most of the time, with planes bombing almost every night. He enjoyed the camaraderie amongst the soldiers and in the time he had spent away from home, he grew from a boy into a man.

At twenty-six, Jamie was a strapping fellow, with flaming red hair, proudly standing at six foot four. He’d had girlfriends before the war, but ever since his return he’d never been interested. That was until one night he asked his sister about any new lasses in town, trying to get her to stop asking him about it.

“So, Jenny,” Jamie unfolded the napkin over his lap as the family started to eat dinner. “What’s the word around town? Any new lasses ye think I’d be interested in?”

His older sister scoffed and looked at him, open mouthed. “Ye are askin’ me about lasses? And here I thought ye werena lookin’ for that sort of thing.”

“Well, I’m askin’ ye, so I must be looking,” he raised his brows, waiting for an answer to his question.

“If ye must ken,” Jenny smiled, “there is a lass that has been askin’ about ye. Her name is Mary McNabb.”

“Isn’t she marrit?” Jamie squinted and picked up his glass to take a sip of water. His parents, Brian and Ellen watched their children with a keen interest, but said nothing.

“She was marrit,” Jenny said. “Her husband died in the war, I thought ye kent that?”

“I dinna ken everything about everyone like ye do, Jenny,” Jamie snorted and picked up his fork. “I’m no’ so interested in any lasses that used to be marrit.”

“Then perhaps ye’d be interested in Claire Beauchamp,” Jenny said, then took a bite of the potato on her plate.

“Claire Beauchamp?” Jamie paused, wracking his brain for the name. “I dinna ken of her, she’s new then?”

“Oh, aye. Well, she actually lives in Inverness. I met her a few weeks back when I was in town for some shopping.”

“Inverness is nearly an hour drive, Jenny. No’ exactly close,” Jamie smirked, taking another bite.

“I was just saying to yer father, Jamie, that I needed to go to Inverness to pick up a few things,” his mother said with a mischievous glint in her eye.

“Aye, son, she was,” his father added with a grin to match his sister’s.

“Oh, are ye all in on it?” Jamie laughed and looked around at his family. “Fine, if ye say this lass is worth meetin’, then I’ll go into town this weekend and see what she’s all about.”

“Verra good,” Jenny smiled, feeling rather satisfied.

They spoke no more of Claire Beauchamp or any other lasses for the rest of dinner. Jamie knew it was odd for him to be nearly thirty and not married. His own parents had been married when they were just eighteen. But Jamie wanted to be sure — he wanted to find the perfect lass he would spend the rest of his life with.

As the rest of the week progressed, Jamie caught his mind slipping to thoughts of this Claire Beauchamp. What would she look like? Would she be interested in him? It was this line of thinking that distracted him so much that he stepped in a pile of manure as he walked into the barn one morning.

“Och, Christ!” He shouted, making the chickens squawk and run away.

Come Saturday afternoon, his mother had given him a list of bits and pieces to pick up while he was in Inverness. And his sister Jenny had been sure to tell him exactly where it was that she had met Claire Beauchamp.

“She works in the Bed and Breakfast, Mrs. Baird’s it was,” she smiled and straightened his collar over his jacket. “Ye look dashing, Jamie.”

“Tis not like I’m goin’ on a date,” Jamie scoffed and waved his hand at his sister to get her to stop choking him.

“Och, but ye might,” Jenny huffed and put both her hands on her hips. “Now, be off!”

“I’ll see ye in a few hours,” Jamie smiled and climbed into the family car, laying down the list on the passenger seat. The car roared to life and a minute later, Jamie was on the road, set for Inverness and a one Claire Beauchamp.

++++++

Claire had moved to Inverness only a few months ago. At twenty-one, it was unusual for an unmarried woman to move to another country on her own. Originally from Oxford, England, Claire Beauchamp had no intention on ever leaving her home country. But her parents had both perished during the war — her father caught in a bombing and her mother to an illness. What was once her home had become a memorial for her parents and the memories they had made there.

So it was with a fresh start in mind, that she relocated to Inverness, Scotland. She took the first job she was offered, at Mrs. Baird’s Bed and Breakfast and lived a simple life. At least, it was simple until a tall red haired man walked in through the door.

The little bell chimed, and without looking up from her book, Claire shouted from the back, “I’ll be with you in just a moment!”

There was no response from the guest who had just walked in. Marking her place and laying her book aside, Claire rose from the cozy chair in the back office and came out to the front counter to greet the new guest. She noticed his height at once. Then his bright red hair and as he turned to look at her, she noticed his striking blue eyes.

“Can I help you?” She asked in a thick British accent.

“Yer British?” The man asked to which she merely nodded. “Sorry, where are my manners,” he shook his head and then offered his hand. “I’m Jamie Fraser.”

Claire shook his hand, feeling a tingle crawl up her arm. “I’m Claire Beauchamp. And what can I do for you, Jamie Fraser?”

“Umm,” he mumbled and looked down at a list he had in his hand. “Well, I dinna come to Inverness verra much. Would ye be able to tell me where I can get these things in town?”

Claire took the list from him and scanned it several times. “There’s a small bookshop around the corner, and the grocer’s is next door to that, rather hard to miss. Most everything on this list will be in the shops down the lane.”

“Thank ye, lass,” Jamie smiled and tucked away the list into his jacket pocket. “I best get to it,” he smiled, but just one side curled up that made Claire’s stomach flutter.

“You have a long list there,” Claire nodded. “You’d better hurry.”

“Thank ye, again.” Jamie said again and backed up to walk out the door, his eyes never leaving Claire’s.

“Anytime,” Claire laughed softly, watching the strange man leave the building.

Once the door was closed, Claire leaned against the counter, crossing her arms in front of her, “What an odd man.”

++++++

Jamie felt like a fool. He’d hardly said anything to her, only asked her to look at his list. He should have asked more questions to get to know her, but what does one do when they walk into a bed and breakfast and aren’t looking for a place to sleep?

For the next two hours, Jamie traveled up and down the streets in Inverness, gathering one by one the items on his mother’s list. He checked the last item off and started towards his car to put everything away in the boot. Even though he had no reason to stay in town, he didn’t want to leave just yet. He had come here to meet Claire after all…

Jamie locked the car and cursed lightly under his breath, feeling his heart start to race as he walked towards the bed and breakfast for the second time that day. The same little bell chimed and she was there behind the counter, as if she hadn’t moved in the last two hours.

“Can I hel—“ she said, but stopped when she noticed it was him. “Was there something you couldn’t find on your list?”

“Aye,” Jamie nodded, walking to stand at the counter. “I ken ye dinna know me verra well — at all, really — but, I came to ask if ye’d go out on a date wi’ me.”

Claire didn’t say anything, just looked up at him with wide, unblinking eyes. The silence was maddening and now all Jamie wanted to do was run out the door, hop in his car and forget all about Claire Beauchamp. But then she opened her mouth and said something he would always remember.

“I’d love to,” she smiled, a bit of pink on her cheeks. “When were you thinking?”

“Well,” Jamie rubbed his hand on the back of his neck. “Seein’ as how I live an hour away and I’m here now… are ye free tonight?”

“My shift ends in thirty minutes,” Claire said. “Does that work for you?”

“Oh, yes!” He said and grinned widely, his heart hammering loudly in his ears. He had thought of what Claire would be like all week and now she was standing before him and his imagination didn’t do her justice. “I’ll just wait in my car until yer done.”

“You can wait in the back if you’d like?” Claire pointed behind her. “I don’t want you to use up all your petrol.”

“Aye, I can do that,” Jamie grinned and Claire lifted part of the counter and he followed her to the small office located behind the front area. It was small, with a desk and chair. He noticed several books littered around the area, all with dried flowers as the bookmarks shoved in different places.

“Make yourself comfortable,” she said. “When Mrs. Baird comes in for the night, we’ll be free to go.”

“She won’t mind that I’m back here?” He asked.

“Oh, she probably will, but I’ll tell her you’re a friend,” Claire shrugged and went back to stand at the counter as the door opened and the bell chimed.

Jamie picked up the book on the desk closest to him, A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway and opened the front cover. From where he was sitting, he could just see the back of Claire’s curly head and the hem of her blue silk dress. He’d come to Inverness, his heart still warming up to the idea of meeting a lass, but now here he was — waiting to go on a date.

++++++

The next thirty minutes were the longest minutes of Claire’s life. After Jamie had left the first time, Claire had tried to figure out what was so captivating about him, and when he returned, she still couldn’t figure it out. Perhaps it was his charming highland lilt, or how she felt she had known him her whole life.

She kept peeking behind her to look into the office. He had picked up her copy of A Farewell to Arms, reading it with a very concentrated look. Claire didn’t really know why she agreed to go on a date with a near stranger. Surely that’s not what acceptable young ladies did. But Claire wasn’t the usual young lady.

Claire had only had one boyfriend, three years ago when she was eighteen. He had been charming and said all the right things, but Claire knew she would never marry him. By now, all her friends back in Oxford were married, getting married or already had a child.

She didn’t want to just date anyone. Claire wanted it to mean something, which is perhaps why she said yes to Jamie Fraser. The sincere look in his eyes had made her heart stop and her skin grow warm. Even though she had a boyfriend all those years ago, she had still never been kissed, and that… she definitely was saving for the right man.

Finally, Mrs. Baird walked through the door and Claire nearly jumped for joy at the sight of her.

“Hello, lass,” she kissed her on the cheek. “Ye look well.”

“Thank you,” Claire said as she started to slip on her blue wool coat.

“Off in a hurry, are we?” The older lady laughed, noticing how quickly Claire was gathering her things.

“Yes,” Claire smiled and then went to the back room to tell Jamie they could go. When Claire returned to the counter, followed by a tall red haired man, Mrs. Baird nearly jumped out of her skin.

“Don’t worry, he’s my friend,” Claire said and grabbed Jamie’s hand to lead him out the door, it was best they were quick about it and avoided any questions Mrs. Baird shot their way.

“Have a nice evening, then, Claire!” Her employer said as Claire practically raced out the door.

“Ye dinna like yer boss?” Jamie said as they made it to the street and slowed down. They were still holding hands.

“I do, she’s wonderful!” Claire smiled. “I just knew that she would start asking questions neither of us are prepared to answer, so best to leave fast.”

Jamie laughed, squeezing Claire’s hand. They both felt a bit awkward, not really knowing what to say as they walked down the street. They had only meet several hours earlier and had exchanged barely a few sentences.

Claire was leading them to the only open place with food in town, a small pub that Jamie had passed several times while finishing his list.

“I figured since you don’t live here, you would want me to pick the place?” Claire looked up at him as they sat down at a small booth in the corner.

“Aye, tis perfect,” Jamie said, then took off his coat and laid it next to him.

Time seemed to stand still as they began talking. Jamie told her everything, well, almost everything. He kept the small detail of coming to Inverness to meet her to himself for now. Claire opened up to him in a way she didn’t know possible and even told him stories of her parents.

“That’s why I moved here,” she shrugged, her fingers sliding along her glass. “It was too painful to live in that house without my parents. To be surrounded by so many memories, happy as they were.”

“I’m so sorry, Claire,” Jamie reached out his hand and took hers in his. “Ye dinna ken anyone here? Why choose Scotland of all places?”

“Well, as a child, my parents and I visited the highlands and I fell in love with it. The beautiful moors and kind people,” she looked up at him, smiling softly. “I knew that if I really wanted a fresh start, it would have to be somewhere so unlike my surroundings.”

“Ye picked well,” Jamie lifted his glass and tapped it on the side of hers before drinking.

“And you’ve lived in Scotland your whole life?”

“Aye,” he grinned. “Besides the few years in France during the war. I was born in the very house I still live in wi’ my sister and parents.”

“I always wanted a sibling, someone to grow up with,” Claire said.

“Jenny’s great when she’s not gettin’ on my last nerve,” Jamie laughed.

Claire laughed with him and raised her hand to order another round of drinks.

It was a shock to both of them when the pub owner came over to them and told them the place was closing for the night.

“What time is it?” Claire asked.

“Nearly eleven,” the owner said and walked back to the bar to clean up.

“Eleven, Christ!” Jamie’s eyes widened. “My family is probably wonderin’ what happened to me.”

“Oh goodness,” Claire blushed. “You’d better get home. I didn’t realize we’d been talking for so long.”

“I didn’t either,” Jamie smiled across the table.

They both rose and as they put their coats back on, they realized they were the last two customers in the pub. Claire’s shift ended at 4 p.m., which meant they had talked for seven hours!

Jamie took Claire’s hand in his as they walked to Claire’s house which was just down the street.

“I’d like to see ye again, Claire,” Jamie said as they reached her door.

“I’d like that very much,” Claire agreed. “I work every day but Sunday.”

“So yer not workin’ tomorrow?”

“No,” Claire smirked.

“If yer not busy, then would you like to go on a picnic wi’ me?” Jamie asked, feeling brave.

“I’m not busy and I would love to,” Claire smiled and then stood up on her toes and kissed his cheek.

“I didna expect to meet someone like ye, Claire Beauchamp,” Jamie sighed, still holding her hand.

“A tall red haired Scottish man was the last person I expected to end the evening with,” Claire laughed and Jamie wanted to drown in the sound of it.

He wanted to kiss her very badly, but instead he brought her hand up to his lips and placed a kiss to the back of it. At that moment, Claire’s heart melted and she knew that this Jamie was something special.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, then,” she grinned.

“Tomorrow is a long, long time,” Jamie said softly and kissed her hand once more before watching her open her door and go inside.

Neither of them knew it then, but that was the start of a beautiful relationship and legacy. Jamie and Claire would meet the next day and many days after that. They would spend hours in the car driving back and forth from Lallybroch to Inverness just to see each other. Only six months later, Jamie would propose to Claire and a year later they would welcome their first daughter.

They would be married for fifty-eight years until death do them part and they would live a life full of so much love and joy. A simple meeting in a bed and breakfast set off a chain of events that neither one of them saw coming.

[grayskies317]

Saviour Chapter 5

Sister Bernadette entered Nonnatus House, and for the first time in a decade, it did not feel like home to her.  She walked straight to Sister Julienne’s office in hopes of getting this heavy burden off of her chest quickly.  She gently knocked and entered upon Sister Julienne’s invitation on the other side of the door.

“Sister, good morning.  Thanks for taking time to speak with me.”

“Of course, my dear.  What’s weighing on your mind?  Is it this attacker of yours?  If so, you really have nothing else to worry with according to the police,” Sister Julienne tried to be as reassuring as she could be.  

“No, Sister.  I have something else weighing on my mind that has been lingering since well before the attack.  I’m concerned that I want things that I can’t have with the religious life.  I don’t feel as though I’m having a loss of faith, but instead, I feel as though I’m seeing a new path that God has lain before me. I feel – as contrary as it sounds – as though I must break away from my vows in order to best serve Him.”  It felt like a four-ton weight had been lifted from Sister Bernadette’s shoulders after she allowed those words to escape her mouth.  

“We all have had our doubts about religious life, but with time and prayer, it always passes.  You’ll see, Sister,” Sister Julienne replied with hopes that Sister Bernadette wasn’t too far gone in her doubts, but she could tell that her attempts at redirection were in vain.  

“I thought the same thing, but they haven’t.  Each time I’ve prayed for direction and guidance, the feelings and doubts become stronger.  I think God has made it perfectly clear to me where I need to go. I need to be obedient and follow the road he has lain before me.  I do not want to leave my work, and everyone here at Nonnatus is my family, but I don’t feel that I could be here in the capacity of a nun any longer,” Sister Bernadette rationalised with her superior sister.  

“If that is how you feel, I want nothing more for you than your happiness. I would be delighted for you to stay here at Nonnatus and continue your work – once you are medically released, of course – until you decide where you’d like to be,” Sister Julienne sincerely offered.  

“I’d very much like that, Sister.  You’ve always been so kind, like a mother to me. Please know how much I appreciate all that you do.”

“Of course, I do.  Would you like to move forward with the paperwork now, or would you like more time to think it over?”

“I’ve had far more time than I need to think it over, Sister.  I’d be happy to take care of things while we are already here.”

Sister Julienne fetched the few belongings that Sister Bernadette had brought with her nearly a decade earlier and the necessary forms.  They completed all of the forms needed, and Sister Julienne showed her to her new room at Nonnatus.  It was much closer to the nurses’ rooms rather than near the nuns’ rooms.  

“Well, Sis- I’m sorry, Shelagh, here’s to new paths, my dear,” Sister Julienne said as she left her to settle in her room.

Once she had unpacked her minimal belongings in her new living quarters, Shelagh – formally known as Sister Bernadette – made her way down the hall to get a bit of help from someone who she knew to be an expert in her area of need.  She had taken off her wimple, and was now letting her hair show, but she still had the rest of her habit on.  

She knocked on the door and Trixie came to the door a bit surprised to see her standing there without her wimple.  

“Sister Bernadette- “

“It’s Shelagh,” Shelagh interrupted with a smile.  “I need your help, and I think I need to fill you in.”

“I think so,” Trixie said as she welcomed the former sister into her room.  

Shelagh explained all that had happened and even confided in Trixie about the night before.  “Well, that sure is something.  How incredible!  So, what can I do to help?” Trixie responded after listening intently to all that Shelagh had to tell her.  

“Well, all I have to wear is one outfit that I brought with me to the order nearly ten years ago, and I have no idea how to dress now or even how to style my hair.  I knew you would be the one to come to with these sorts of troubles.  I’m not a vain person, but I don’t want to look like I stepped out of 1948 when I walk into the street.”

“Oh sweetie, I’m honoured that you came to me.  I’m happy to help.  I have a couple of things I can let you borrow and tomorrow is my day off, we’ll do a bit of shopping if you feel up to it,” Trixie replied almost beaming at the idea of playing dress up with the former sister.  

Trixie went through all of the current makeup ends and outs with Shelagh – even though Shelagh knew she wouldn’t be using nearly as much makeup as Trixie – and helped dress her as fashionably as she could without compromising Shelagh’s strong sense of modesty.

“You look magnificent!  Radiant even! You will knock that doctor of yours right off his feet,” Trixie said with a satisfactory wink.  

Shelagh blushed at the idea, but she secretly hoped that Trixie was right.  

“Well, since we are getting everything out in the open now, I must ask,” Trixie began, “How old are you exactly?  I’ve always wondered because I know you certainly look young, but you seem so wise beyond your years.”

“As a matter of fact, I will be twenty-eight at the week’s end.  I appreciate the sentiment that I look young,” Shelagh answered slightly embarrassed by the question.  

Trixie had at least a half million ideas run through her mind at the thought of an upcoming birthday. There were only three days to plan, but she knew exactly what to do.  

 THREE DAYS LATER

For the first time in ten years, Shelagh awoke on her birthday and realised that she was free to celebrate, should she choose to.  She secretly wanted to, but she wouldn’t be one to ask others to go out of their way to celebrate with her.  She had still not had an opportunity to sit down with Patrick to explain what she had done, as it was not something that she wanted to discuss over the phone, but she wasn’t sure how to approach him about it or how to even begin the conversation. Just then, a knock on the door brought her out of her thoughts.  

“Come in,” she answered.

“Hi sweetie!  We all are planning to go to the dance tonight.  We took the liberty of getting a ticket for you, too.  You should wear that new dress we bought a few days ago,” Trixie was inviting her, but it didn’t seem like she was asking, it seemed like she was telling Shelagh that she was going.  Shelagh didn’t mind though, she had always wanted to attend a dance, especially with the nurses of Nonnatus.  

“It sounds lovely.  What time should I be ready?” Shelagh responded.

“Seven, sharp!” Trixie said as she bounded back out of the doorway just as quickly as she had arrived.  

Shelagh was nervous about dressing herself for such an event on her own, but as she was about to get ready, there was another knock on her door and she found Jenny, Cynthia, and Trixie on the other side.  “Did you really think we’d leave you to get ready all on your own?” Jenny said with a huge smile.

“I brought the cocktails!  Let’s get started,” Trixie announced.  

Shelagh had never felt more at home; she had wished for this for so long.  She always loved her sisters of the order, but she also always felt as though she had missed out on being young.  Shelagh giggled and laughed with the nurses as they listened to music, got dressed, and had a cocktail.  She couldn’t believe her reality.  Just then, Trixie ran down the corridor at the sound of the doorbell.  She came back straight away, “Okay, Ladies, time to go.  Shelagh, you have a gentleman caller at the door,” again with the wink.  

“What??” Shelagh was completely caught off guard, “What have you done, Trixie?”

Trixie just smiled and the other ladies did their best to muffle their giggles.  They all went down the corridor to find Doctor Turner waiting with a small bouquet of flowers.  He reached up to take her hand, which he kissed as he said, “Happy Birthday, sweetheart.  Trixie filled me in on most everything.”

[drtanstravels]

Note: As mentioned in the previous post in this series about selling an apartment in Singapore, this instalment was also written over the course of many months. In fact it was started more than a year ago, beginning on Friday, May 3, 2019 and then being periodically updated, combined, and adjusted over time, albeit rather inconsistently. To document the entire excruciating process as accurately as possible, I just kept adding more and more to it as events unfolded. I was initially going to cover both our experiences with buying and selling an apartment in Singapore, as well as renovating in a single piece, however, as we encountered seemingly perpetual red tape, endless delays, and the process as a whole dragged on, this piece got painfully long so I decided to edit into three parts, and here is the second chapter about purchasing our future home. Enjoy.

Last year Anna and I had already decided on exactly what kind of apartment we wanted this time around. Until July 2020 we had lived in the type of apartment we were after when the opportunity first arose to buy, a walk-up HDB apartment in the neighbourhood of Tiong Bahru, the oldest housing estate in Singapore, that we purchased just after we got married. For those unfamiliar with the term, HDB apartments are public housing that you can rent or own and make up around 82% of all housing in Singapore, but there is a lot of bureaucracy, red tape, and restrictions when purchasing, selling, or renovating an HDB property. We loved our place, it’s exactly what we wanted that was within our budget when we bought it, but at 920 ft² we had simply outgrown it; we didn’t have anywhere near enough storage space, plus I do a lot of cooking so a larger kitchen with more bench space would be ideal, and we would also like a second bathroom and an outdoor area. Thus, we want to buy an old, private, ground-floor apartment to renovate in the same neighbourhood. This guide should give you a decent idea, we were living in a pre-war apartment and want to buy a post-war apartment:

The architect for the pre-war flats was Alfred G. Church, a British appointed by the colonial government. Block 55, the first block of 20 blocks was done by 1936. Built in the late Art Deco movement, the flats featured a style known as the Streamline Moderne. This style incorporated curved horizontal lines that embodied the machine age of automobiles. As a result, many settlers regarded the buildings as ‘fei ji lou’, or aeroplane flats in Chinese. Other architectural features include the use of masonry from the Alexandra Brickworks Company.

Built between 1948 to 1954, the design of the post-war flats was done by the SIT senior architect and the first locally appointed assistant architect. This featured an International Style with boxier, cleaner lines and modern materials such as steel, glass and concrete. In addition, the design was the first time the climate was taken into consideration as it include tropical elements such as higher ceilings, large windows, and balconies.

Even before we started looking at available apartments we had a pretty clear idea of what we wanted, but one thing was 100% certain — We wouldn’t even consider leaving Tiong Bahru. We love it here and besides the first three months when I shared a room with Anna’s brother at her parents house, this is the only neighbourhood in which I’ve lived since I first moved to Singapore almost 13 years ago. We’ve seen this place transform from a traditional, old-school, low-rise neighbourhood with simple little local stores and a chicken walking around, a place where I was the only white person and everyone knew everyone, to a gentrified home for hipsters with cafes, wall murals, indie boutiques, start-ups, galleries, bars, and restaurants, but we still love it here. Oh, and who wouldn’t want to live somewhere that has this in its early history:

Tiong Bahru was then also known as Mei Ren Wo (“den of beauties”) as it was where wealthy men would keep their mistresses. Due to close proximity to the Great World Amusement Park, there was a predominance of ‘pipa girls’ within the SIT estate, which refers to a more polite term for prostitutes. It was speculated that the pipa girls use the staircase access at the back of the flats to entertain the men, and flee whenever the men’s wives return.

That’s pretty badass for what is now such a sterile country! Anyway, we started looking at apartments when we got back from Melbourne in the middle of April 2019 and were fortunate enough to find pretty much exactly what we were after on the very first viewing with a normal, female real estate agent. She was knowledgable and asked us our intentions for the place, as opposed to just constantly telling us what we should do. This place was pretty much perfect, despite the fact it was going to need a lot of work if we got it, but we thought we should still see what else was around and that’s where things got interesting.

Cosy, but this is what some consider a bedroom with ensuite

We looked at five other apartments, a couple of which had already been renovated in the exact same style that everyone here seems to go for so we ruled those ones out, but it’s when you’re looking at ones that need to be renovated that you hear the true bullshit from the agents. Rather than be comfortable here, many people in Singapore just think of resale value and trying to cash in so they build in every possible area, from balconies to backyards to air-wells, and try and claim it all as interior floorspace. Quite often they will also wall off part of the apartment and claim it as a separate unit that they sublet, or some will even go as far as to put a mattress, accessible only with a stepladder, on top of the clothes-dryer and a table in the area that would typically be the laundry and lease it out as an additional bedroom (above, right). The way it was advertised on this occasion also claimed that this bedroom was equipped with an ensuite, because it happened to be right in front of a toilet. Yes, that is the third bedroom with ensuite in what was marketed as a three-bedroom flat. Others also had the toilet and shower in separate cubicles, but listed them as two entirely separate bathrooms. We even saw one place that had walled off an entire area to sublet as an office, but had no way of accessing the rest of the house except for walking around the block. They had renovated it in a such a way that the only way to link the two parts together was to knock out the wall between the office’s toilet and the house’s main bathroom! “Don’t worry,” the agent explained. “That would work well for you, you need a big bathroom because he’s big.” What that agent failed to understand is that nobody would currently be able to access or leave what would be the living room without circumnavigating the block if there was anyone in the house taking a dump! Not an ideal scenario.

Then there are the agents themselves. We had two decent female ones when we were looking to buy, one of whom we had helping us sell our own apartment as well, but the rest of these sweaty-palmed mouth-breathers are among the most socially awkward people I have ever encountered, and as you may have read in my previous post on this topic, it only gets worse when you’re trying to sell a place and they are looking to make a commission. Anna organised the viewings and would send me the address at which to meet when she was on her way straight home from work, thus often I would arrive at the property first. The initial interaction between each agent and myself would generally start out somethng like this:

Agent: “Are you Anna Tan?” Me: “No, that’s my wife. My name is Tim.” Agent: “So… what are you, 180, 190cm?” Me (rolling eyes): “About that.” Agent (mouth agape): “More? What, two metres?!? Wah, you’re so tall… so very tall, you should play basketball! You know, I had a friend that was almost…” Me (looking at phone): “Oh, Anna’s almost here.”

Usually Anna hadn’t contacted me at all, it was more a matter of trying to change the topic, because I have been getting asked these very same questions about my size, followed by the exact same responses, at least once every day that I have left the house since I have lived in Asia. The only problem with changing the topic was that there would now be an awkward silence and it is difficult to sell something to someone with whom you haven’t built a rapport. This brings about another problem for the agents as they seem the type that still live at home with their parents and don’t have a whole lot of life experience, yet they want to be all chummy and make smalltalk, just with a very limited range of topics:

Agent: “So, have you tried Singaporean food?” Me: “Yes, I’ve had it for almost every meal for the entire time I’ve spent in Singapore.” Agent: “Wah, so you can take chili?” Me (rolling eyes again): “Yes, I love chili.” Agent (wracking his brain for new topic): “Have you had your lunch?” Me: “Of course, it’s 6:30 in the evening!” Agent: “What did you have?” Me: “Lor mee.” Agent: “Oh, but you know that those noodles are typically a breakfast dish…” Me: “You can eat Corn Flakes in the afternoon if you want and besides, the stall was open.”

It was usually at this point that Anna would arrive and the agent could attempt to bond with her while I just walked around taking photos. Anna is a woman you don’t mess with and is a bit obsessive when she has her mind set on something so she would do most of the talking with the agents, but hardly any of them could answer her questions. Rather, they would just go through a pre-prepared script that you could tell they had spent hours rehearsing in front of the mirror, pointing out changes and adjustments that could be made, but essentially ignoring Anna’s many queries related to what we wanted to do with the place. Luckily the woman who showed us around the first place that we liked was quite knowledgable. We’ve also been pre-approved for a loan that will combine with the amount for what we sell our apartment, plus some cash we’ve been putting aside for this purpose, to purchase that apartment and renovate it.

Fast forward to mid-December, 2019 and our own apartment still hadn’t sold, the weird neighbour living behind us was dead, and our top two options for a place to buy had been sold so we were now targeting the place that would need a bathroom ripped out to enter the rest of the house. You can tell that whomever owns the place has a ton of cash, because they had the asking price listed quite high, despite the fact that it would cost a fortune to make it liveable, and had rejected every reasonable offer for the place, preferring to let it sit empty than compromise on the price. We knew for a fact that it was still empty because the mail was really starting to pile up out the front of the place. Once we had sold our apartment we would be in a position to make a higher offer, because so much time had passed that we had accumulated significantly more cash than we had first anticipated having when it came to buying.

Anna had initially thought the asking price for the place we wanted was too high, but as I mentioned earlier, we were now able to afford it, however, she is an extremely stubborn woman who likes to get cut a deal, just like her father, leading to her constantly increase our offer in small increments until we were almost at the asking price. Finally we were at the stage where we just had to cave in and give the owner what he wanted so we informed our agents on the night of Wednesday, January 22, 2020 that we were willing to offer the full asking price just to get it all over and done with. The following morning I had to take a cheque to a bank branch a couple of kilometres away, but Anna also told me that we’d be viewing another apartment that evening that had just come on the market, it was in the original condition from the 1960s due to the person who was most likely the first owner recently dying, and was significantly cheaper than the one for which we were about to put in an offer. I was skeptical at first, because we had already missed out on the two previous places we had wanted, plus we had now finally sold our place so we could be screwed if we didn’t finalise the apartment we were trying to get. It would turn out to be a blessing in disguise, because we ended up getting beaten to putting in the offer for the other place, missing out now on three apartments in a row. Once we had a look around the new place we decided to put in an offer there and then. It was old and dirty, but when it came to renovating it was going to cost us roughly the same, this place was going to be a completely blank canvas and we would have plenty of cash left over from our original budget for fixing up the other more expensive property to spend on cool furniture and appliances. Here’s how it looked in its original state, but never fear, we are going to make it awesome:

The outside of our new place

Our ugly new front door

A sign across the street stating the history of the area

Looking toward the front door from inside the living room

Now looking from the front door

The view down the hallway

This will become my new man cave

The view from the rear of the same room

Now what will become the master bedroom

Looking back toward the hallway

The current toilet

What currently classifies as a shower

A dining room

An outdoor kitchen

An outdoor area, part of which will become our ensuite and walk-in wardrobe

The back gate from the outdoor part, the end of which we will make a garden

Looking back into that dining room

It’s now August of 2020 and we finally got the keys for our new apartment at the beginning of the month, but our biggest hassle had been simply buying the new place. Nothing went as planned with the purchase, but we had expected that — The lawyer for the siblings of the owner who were to inherit the property prior to sale was away for two weeks over the Chinese New Year period and then took an extra two days of sick leave after that so we were left hanging for quite a while for the deal to be finalised. We were also out of the country from late February to early March, there was then some in-fighting between the next of kin over multiple issues including the price, and finally covid-19 hit and real estate agents and property lawyers weren’t considered essential services when Singapore shut down for 10 weeks during the “circuit breaker” period from the beginning of April until early June. Getting things processed after the reopening was still extremely slow due to the backlog for everyone involved, but we were lucky that the people who bought our old apartment let us stay there for an extra three months on top of the customary three after the sale, but it still wasn’t enough. Despite initially believing that we would’ve renovated and moved into our new home by this stage, we were instead looking for another place to live temporarily while the status of our newly purchased abode was still in flux.

We ended up taking out a six-month lease on an apartment on the 22nd floor of the Highline Residences at the end of June, just a short walk down the road from our old place and directly across the road from my local pub and that brings me to where we currently stand; the place definitely looks nice and it is, but for the foreseeable future Anna, myself, and Kermit will be living in this tiny condominium with the bulk of our belongings still in boxes, sitting on some of our old, uncomfortable furniture until our renovations are completed and we can move into our new home. Admittedly, we do like having a pool and a balcony, but it definitely isn’t worth what it is costing us to stay here, although we are able to afford it mainly due to the money we saved being locked in during the coronavirus and all of Anna’s overseas conferences being cancelled. The plans and designs for the renovation are all completed, but nothing has even begun yet, because there’s a lot of bureaucracy involved, approvals to be granted, and just endless stress and headaches when you’re trying to transform a heritage-listed apartment that possibly hasn’t been cleaned since the 1950s into your dream home, plus there are a couple of people I have never liked that will now be our immediate neighbours, but that part is all a story for next time. With a bit of luck we will have moved in there by Christmas and, after having already moved house 10 times in the past 14 years, hopefully this will be the final stop.

The Hell That We Experienced In The Real Estate Process In Singapore — Buying Note: As mentioned in the previous post in this series about selling an apartment in Singapore…

[wordfighter]

Alphabet Soup: Cutting Edge

Summary: The crew is hanging around the pickup-point when Mikkel notices Emil missing for dinner. He leaves the group to search for the younger crew member and finds him deep in thought inside a building. Type: short story/fanfiction Words: 1948 Category: Stand Still Stay Silent Genre: hurt/comfort Rating: M Characters: Emil & Mikkel Warnings: Blood, self harm, implied abuse maybe? Food.

Read it here or at ff.net

Emil was missing, Mikkel noted as he was giving everyone a bowl of food. He frowned slightly, but did not say anything. It was most likely nothing and it was unnecessary to worry the others about it. He walked around the tank to see if he could spot the other but failed to do so and returned to eat together with the rest of the crew members. Most of them at least, Tuuri was sleeping in the driver's cabin of the car, her fever getting worse with each passing hour. Mikkel let out a sigh, maybe it was time to start considering if they should administer the unfinished cure they had found. They needed to reach a decision in a few days.

But right now, his main concern was Emil. Emil never missed a meal, nor the chance to complain about Mikkel's cooking. Mikkel gathered the bowls again as the others finished their meals, put Reynir on the task of taking care of the dishes and then left to, as he told Sigrun, stretch his legs. He walked closer to the shoreline, put his hands to his sides and looked out over the water. Five more days until the boat arrived. He kicked a rock and watched it roll into the water. He was just as ready to get out of here as Sigrun was, but what would happen with their sick colleague? Mikkel let out a sigh.

A noise from the building next to Mikkel made him tense up. The area was clear of trolls, Sigrun and Emil had made sure of that, so then it must be... Mikkel went to the building, entered through the broken entrance and looked around inside the hallway.

”Emil?”

Emil was sitting on a pile of wood and stone, leaning against the wall and looking out through the window. Mikkel walked closer, stepped carefully to avoid stumbling over broken parts of what had been the ceiling 90 years earlier.

”Emil?” he tried again when he came closer.

Emil stirred, tensed up and dropped something. Mikkel heard the sound of glass breaking and Emil closed his eyes and bit his lip.

”What are you doing in here?” Mikkel asked.

Emil opened his eyes again, looked at his boots for a moment before looking towards Mikkel. The smile on his lips was forced, Mikkel could tell.

”I'm just... We're going home.”

The youngling looked through the window again and Mikkel walked closer.

”We're really going home.”

”We will be going to Iceland first, but yes, after we have been through the quarantine and made our report to the Nordic Council, then we will be allowed to return to our respective homes.”

He sat down next to Emil and Emil fiddled a little with his sleeves. Mikkel noticed one of them being slightly red.

”Home...” Emil muttered.

Emil did not sound thrilled at the thought of being allowed to return home and Mikkel looked at him. His eyes were distant and his face was slightly pale.

”Are you feeling quite alright?”

”Yeah, it's just... I just... We're actually going to return.”

”Did you doubt we would?”

”I don't...” Emil pulled at his sleeve again, then placed his hands under his thighs. ”No... No, I knew we would.”

”You missed dinner.”

”I'm sorry.”

”There is no need to apologize. If you wish to eat I can heat up some leftovers for you.”

”Thanks, but... I'll be alright.”

Mikkel got up from the pile of rubble, looked through the window and started moving towards the door again.

”Mikkel...”

Mikkel stopped at Emil's barely audible word and turned to the younger man again.

”What will happen to us? When we get back.”

Emil did not look towards him and Mikkel went up to his side again, placed a hand on Emil's shoulder.

”We will all go back to our normal lives. Back to what we had before this expedition.”

Emil nodded and Mikkel knelt infront of him, forced the other to look into his eyes.

”Are you not looking forward to it? Are you not looking forward to meeting your aunt and uncle again? Or your cousins?”

”I am”, Emil said before looking away.

”And your mother and father?”

There was a slight hesitation before Emil nodded.

”I am...”

”Or your friends?”

”Yes, my...” Emil pulled at his pants and averted his eyes. ”...my friends.”

Mikkel sat down next to Emil again.

”Is there anything weighing on your mind?”

Emil stopped moving again and Mikkel watched him, waited. The other shook is head.

”No, just excited about getting home. Yeah.”

Emil scratched his arm slightly and Mikkel let out a sigh before he once more lifted his behind from the rubble. He glanced at Emil, who forced a smile again, before grabbing his upper arm and pulling him to his feet. Emil turned to face him, confusion and fear all too visible in his eyes, and he cowered slightly under Mikkel's gaze. Mikkel tried smiling.

”Come on now, I will take a look at that wound of yours and then heat up some food for you to eat. After that I'm certain your friend would enjoy some company.”

”It's nothing”, Emil tried.

Mikkel noticed how the other tried to hide his arm behind his back even though it should be obvious for him that Mikkel had already seen it. Would reasoning be able to convince him? Ordering? Begging? Outlandish similes? Or maybe a threat to cut off his arm if he did not oblige? Mikkel opened his mouth to try one of them, but stopped when he felt Emil shaking slightly.

”It's nothing...” Emil repeated, barely audible and if there had been any other sound going on Mikkel would have missed it. He let go of Emil, stared at him. For once Mikkel had no words.

”OI, MIKKEL!”

Sigrun. Mikkel grimaced. Out of everything that could have happened... He glanced towards the window, glanced towards Emil and let out a sigh.

”I am in here, Sigrun”, he called through the window. ”I will return in a minute.”

”You can't just run off like that”, Sigrun's voice said from behind Mikkel and he turned around, looked at their captain. ”What would we do if something happened the medic?”

”I am quite confident you would be able to make it the few days that are left until our ride will arrive to this location”, Mikkel went on as he tried placing himself between Emil and Sigrun, so she wouldn't be able to see the young Cleanser. To no avail. Sigrun most likely noticed his movement and leaned to the side to see what he was hiding.

”Ey, Emil! Out looking for adventure?”

Emil forced a smile, nodded and Mikkel grabbed his arm again.

”He has had enough adventure for this evening and was just heading back to the tank for dinner, since he missed it when the rest of us dined.”

He pushed Emil infront of him, quickly passed Sigrun in order to prevent her from seeing Emil's now very red sleeve. He was all too confident in Sigrun's ability to make the situation worse. Sigrun followed them back to the tank, and Mikkel could feel her gaze following him as he brought the kitchen supplies outside once more in order to heat up some food for Emil. After a couple minutes she left again, already bored at being stationary, and Mikkel let out a sigh, fetched his first aid-kit and a clean shirt before returning to Emil. Emil looked away when he approached, but Mikkel sat down infront of him, pulled up his sleeve and went to work with cleaning the wound.

WoundS, he noticed as the blood was washing off the young man's skin. Some of them were a couple of days old and mostly healed, some were new and superficial and would heal on their own in just a matter of days, but a couple of them... Mikkel pulled Emil's arm closer and grabbed a needle and some thread from the bag.

”You need some stitches for these wounds, it might hurt a little.”

Emil did not react. Mikkel started stitching, ready for any sign that Emil was pulling away, but it didn't happen.

”Do you want to tell me about it?” Mikkel asked in an attempt to distract Emil, in an attempt to figure out how the other was doing. Emil shook his head. ”It does not look like you are very excited about our return to the Known World. Are you worried about something?”

A slight hesitation, then Emil shook his head again and Mikkel knew he was on the right track. He finished stitching the other up and started wrapping Emil's arm in bandages.

”Is it Lalli?”

Emil gave a small smiled and shook his head. Mikkel frowned a little.

”You do realize I will keep guessing until I get it right. It would go faster if you simply told me what I want to know.”

”It's nothing”, Emil tried for the third time and pulled his sleeve down. Mikkel offered him the clean shirt.

”I will clean that up in the morning. Is it your family? Your father perhaps?”

Emil froze, his hand half-way to the shirt. His eyes widened , not with worry but with fear and Mikkel tried catching his eyes, tried getting Emil to focus on him again, but the other seemed to be far away. His breathing was getting faster and his hands tugged at the shirt he wore. Mikkel placed a hand on Emil's shoulder and Emil pulled away, the chair fell over and Emil landed on the ground, closed his eyes. His lips moved ever so slightly and Mikkel looked at the young Swede.

”Emil...”

Emil froze again. Mikkel knelt beside him, placed the clean shirt on his chest and waited as Emil calmed down. He knew enough to understand what was going on now. When Emil finally became aware of his surroundings again Mikkel detangled him from the chair and lifted him to his feet again. Emil quickly changed into the clean shirt, started walking towards the tank.

”Emil, please understand that you can ask the rest of us for help should you require it.”

At first Mikkel doubted that Emil had understood him, because the Swede kept walking. Then he slowed down and Mikkel was almost certain he would say that it was nothing, that they needn't worry about him or something else that was an obvious lie. Emil looked at his boots.

”...thanks.”

Mikkel had no idea what to answer, his mind had been to prepared for an argumentation. Emil hesitated a few seconds.

”...maybe I will.”

Mikkel watched Emil's back disappear into the tank, then leaned down and picked up the discarded shirt. He looked at the bloody sleeve, clenched his hand around it and then gathered the kitchen supplies again, cleaned up the site. Sigrun returned while he was cleaning and Mikkel froze when her gaze fell on the bloody gauzes he had not yet picked up.

”Mikkel?” she asked and looked at him and he hurried to throw them into the garbage can. ”What happened while I was away?”

”It was only a small accident. You do not need to worry about it, I have already taken care of it.”

She stared at him, hands to her sides, and he knew that she knew that he was hiding something. The question was how badly she wanted to find out what it was. Mikkel waited. Sigrun waited. The answer was badly. Mikkel let out a sigh, thought about it for a moment and decided that this time it would probably be a good idea to share his thoughts with his captain.