Through Bryan's eyes

When I was young, every morning when my father takes me to school on his motorbike, I remember observing the scenery along the trip – how each tree looks like, the shapes of the trunks, the leaves, and the color. Who are the other people on the roads? I still remembered that at the traffic light junction of Masjid Kapitan Keling, sometimes I will see a man pushing his tricycle loaded with household goods. It looked as if he was pushing a MOUNTAIN of stuff, with the goods loaded way high above his head and literally spilling out from the sides & front of the tricycle. I used to admire how he managed to balance all those goods and at the same time felt pity for him, silently hoping that business will be good for him that day.

Somewhere along the way, as we grow up, we stopped seeing things as we got too preoccupied with our thoughts.

With Bryan, he notices everything. The rustling of the leaves at the garden, the birds in the sky or in the trees, the flowers by the roadside, the sunlight from the window on his bedroom wall and way the shadow moves against the light.

Last night, while waiting for LK to unpack our groceries from the car, Bryan and I “danced” to the movements of our shadows at the parking lot. He was so excited about the shadows and giggled with delight with each movement.

It was such a delight to see how his eyes light up when he sees these things. He constantly amazes me with what he is able to spot and observe.

His favorites are birds. He can spot a bird on the electric wire, from quite a distance away, and starts calling for them. He also has a particular fondness for a stray kitten who wanders along the corridor outside my mother’s house. The kitten loves to play along the dry drain pipes. Bryan will look out for the kitten each time he is near that area.

The first time I saw the kitten was more than 1 month ago. A boy was carrying the kitten tenderly. I thought the boy was going to take the kitten home to care for it. But he did not, and left it near the drain pipes. I think some kind souls must have been feeding the kitten, coz it has grown significantly. A bit thin and scrawny but looks healthy nevertheless.

If it weren't for Bryan, I would have forgotten about this kitten.