A Grand Affair -- An Odyssey to England

I was greeted by pleasantries under the overcast skies on the day I arrived, in the Kingdom far, far away. The summer climate was exceptionally cool. It was below 20 degrees Celsius, if I predicted correctly -- a refreshing change from the ferocious humidity of the City some 3016 nautical miles away.

The year was 1882. The year I left the New World in search of the Old World. In search of the Royal Family.

The time was perhaps 9:00pm when I got out of Clapham South Station. The journey had been long and arduous, but very pleasant, indeed. As I surveyed the land, I was amused by the visual juxtapositions. On my right resembled rows of public housing of the old Tiong Bahru era, characterised by red bricks, green window panes and potted plants on dark, narrow -- and perhaps dank -- corridors. On the left were neat rows of houses of a different architecture boasting of a somewhat luxurious lifestyle. The paintwork was crisp and white, windows tall and clear, and cars smartly lined the sidewalk.







Queen Sylvia was already waiting at Hazelbourne for me, looking as glamorous as before. In less than a minute, I was already ushered into the palace with Princess Danielle in her dreamworld, and King Dennis out attending to administrative matters. It was a charming residence, and throughout my stay, I was constantly given red carpet treatment and royal hospitality, something I was not used to, especially in the New World where a futon was my bed, and the living room of a tiny Harlem apartment my private space.

I was surprised to hear that another royal family had gone to the New World during the same period that I was there, but their affair hit the newsstands.





While some celebrities and royalties crave for public attention, my royal friends remained modest, and avoided the paparazzi at all cost. Their lifestyle was admirable, and I do take my hat off them, especially with Queen Sylvia taking on many hats to look after Princess Danielle, bringing her up in the way she believed was the best, being involved in her education and social events, preparing nutritious meals for King Dennis, and still looking chirpily energetic to entertain me, their guest and longstanding friend.

Two things made my stay highly memorable. One, developing a friendship with Princess Danielle. She is a bright and highly intelligent young lady, destined for greatness. Her pure London accent is music to my ears. I remember our roller-coaster drive through the streets of London into the Chinatown area, keeping her entertained. She laughed hard, and her joy was immensely beautiful and innocent. I suddenly miss my nephews, Jevan and Nigel. By the time I return home, I would have missed out on most of their childhood, sadly.

Instead of an afternoon English tea, Queen Syl treated me to the most delicious, frothy coffee. Princess Danielle had her Baby Chino instead.




The next best thing was the rekindling of friendship between Dennis, Syl and I. We had an intimate evening sharing about ourselves, reminiscing good old days, problematising dreams and goals, and engaging in some idle chatter about a certain friend of ours we all loved dearly. A heart-to-heart conversation always nourishes the soul, and impassions the spirit.

Though the time was short-lived in London, the memories would stay forever. It was the beginning of my two-month odyssey into different parts of the world, and meeting up with my friends was -- and still is -- the most beautiful experience I had encountered so far. It felt 'home' to me. I had given my friends honesty amidst some inconvenience, but they had given me their love and acceptance, warmth and hospitality -- and that, to me, was an affair of royalty and grandeur.


To: Dennis, Syl and Danielle
Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart.

Love,
Ed