wonderment

It’s a dream that every girl has.

A dream that leaves a smile cloying on the lips even long after one wakes up.

A dream of fluffy white chiffon, chains of luminous pearls, lacy gloves, dainty hand wearing a sparkling diamond solitaire making sun rays dance.

And I’ll live happily ever after ….

I met Sylvia Kho, one of the first female entrepreneurs in Singapore and also the lady who started up the wedding industry in Singapore. Her gowns are so unique and timeless that the National History Museum had a whole collection of them on exhibition earlier this year. At the grand old age of 90, she’s still making exquisite wedding dresses for blushing brides even though she can’t read her own handwriting.

Well, the whole story began when my boss kept nagging at us to bring her to the station for an interview and to get him out of my hair, I agreed to do it this week. Chop chop finish so that no one gets a rankling. Her birthday is next week and Mrs. Boss wants to make a CD to give as a thank you gift.

However, when this octogenerian looked at me with her piercing black eyes, I was hooked. She talked about what she did during the war and how she witnessed through her wedding gown business as though it only happened yesterday. Suddenly you forget the war has been over 60 years already. Peppering her perfect English with Malay colloquialisms, she came alive from the wheelchair and it was no more a 90 year old woman talking, but a 25 year old lass running through the forest in an oversized baju and soot smeared on her face.

Before she left, this lovely lady gripped my hand, peered into my eyes and said with all seriousness, “When you get married, come to me and I’ll make you a wedding dress.” Yes, that’s the photo up there when I’m laughing so hard you can’t see my eyes. Dreams come true all right.

As the car turned out of the driveway and I waved good bye, she turned around and put a finger to her temple as if to say “Remember”.

I’ll remember. Please be at my wedding.