One of my good friends here in Bentong died last month. He and his wife, Anthea, were some of the first friends I made. I met them almost accidentally in a coffee shop the first week I was in Bentong. They invited me along to their Sunday evening Scrabble game at Ted Miles' house, another friend. I have been playing Scrabble almost every Sunday ever since. Santa almost always got both v's and at some point in the game would have an excessive amount of vowels. Santa was a very kind man. He was a peacemaker who smoothed out other's rough edges or bridged gaps of misunderstanding. Ted, Anthea and I still play Scrabble every Sunday. I'll remember Santa whenever we sit down together, especially whenever I draw 2 v's or 3 i's.
My dad was close to Santa and Anthea. When we were kids they came with the kids and their live in helper who was just like family. We adored with ice cream being the motivation. It was in Kelantan during school vacation which was convenient as dad was a headmaster. Santa and his trade laughter was sure to brighten any dark forbearance.
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