Papa met a respected acquaintance recently- one he hasn’t seen in a few months; and the first thing that came out after the greetings was- “Semakin handsome, nampak.”Don’t you look ever the more handsome”"

Now, this actually meant- “My…my… don’t you look extra chubby since last we met.”

Or, as Papa would put it (diplomatically)- “You are looking very ‘prosperous‘ indeed!”

Well, unfortunately, it’s all true. Prosperity does exude from Papa’s well-rounded nature- lol. It not that Papa is a glutton- although it has been rumoured he’s a bit of a piranha, when there’s an feeding frenzy… but alas, this is a family trait which only exhibits itself during elaborate private family feasts. As these meals have gotten well spaced-out, to preserve the pockets and also so the pants that holds them can still fit the waist that they go around; this cannot be the reason behind the prosperous facade.

The actual reason is quite simple actually. Something of a tradition handed down from generation to generation, though more so through the male lineage. Being head of the family comes with many great responsibilities and its share of benefits. From the glamour of being the “boss”, right down to the very unglamorous role of being the clean-up crew. Yes, you may know it better by the synonym “Dewan Bandaraya” (though lately, this sould be revised to “Alam Flora” or the likes…

It is the job of the responsible Papa to finish off and clean up after the family. To set a good example of waste not… want not. Papa did his job well… too well. This was from today’s trip to 1U, beginning with lunch at Chilli’s and ending with deserts a few hours later at Gelato Frutti.

All in all, Papa cleared his own plate of BBQ Beef Ribs, 1/4 of Haris’ cheese pizza, a couple of spoonful of Shahira’s Mac & Cheese, several bites of Mama’s Chicken Fajitas, and not in the very least half of what was left of the Molten Chocolate. This was off course well topped off by 2 big glasses of the Bottomless Ice Lemon Tea and a child-sized equivalent belonging to Alisha. Oh! How we fathers suffer for our loved ones!

Before going home, however, Shahira had the brilliant idea to have ice-creams. This started the rest of the brood wanting one themselves. So, it was a mixed-cup of mango and dragonfruit/ orange for Shahira, watermelon and pineapple/ orange for Haris; and even Alisha on the pretext of sharing with Papa, had the raspberry and green apple half-and-half mix.Feeling he had pulled more than his fair share of weight during lunch, Papa brilliantly (or so he thought) went off into one of the stores to while the time away, hoping that Mama would help sort out things by the time he returned.Imagine his horror, when upon returning 10 minutes later, he did not find a motley of happy kids with full tummies and Mama busily wiping their hands and mouths; but instead a Mama who was just sitting down minding her own business, and 3 kids standing up on their seats with only at most a quarter of their ice-creams eaten. Oh! Come on!

“Mama, wants to go to Home-Fix for a bit”, she said. “Look after the kids, ok? We don’t want to waste time waiting for them to finish.” And off she went (secretly delighted, Papa suspects).

So, on again came Dewan Bandaraya, until at last he had to call a ridiculous halt to this absurdity, prior to having to finish off the half full remains of Haris’ cup. This was after he forced the kiddies to eat a few more mouthfuls. “Tak sedap… dah kenyang..”It’s not nice… we’re full”" were their chants.

So, the next time you see Papa and want to give him your views of just how healthy he looks. Have pity and don’t. Just say… “Oh! You brave and good man” instead.