the return

on an evening of drizzle and gloom, under the glow of suntec city, a group of friends met up for a meal. a group whom had worked together to win an award, a group who had an outcast drifted away and hanging by the seams now to keep a thread of connection.

the meal was swell but it is easier for a group to feel comfortable with each other than for a group to accomodate the return of another. the prodigal son feels uncomfortable in the presence of the ladies. the aquarium around the corner allowed him to momentarily return to his place of solace, a place where he feels no worries, back to the deep blue sea.

a game of bowling was to come, to allow for some male bonding. team bonding could not be achieved as the ladies were more intrested in other things. also the tension between the outcast and one of the ladies could kill. not even an eye contact, nothing at all.

a warm up round gave rise to the team "leaders" of the 2 teams. to achieve a sense of familiarity, the outcast chose those he felt comfortable with. team 1 lead by the original team leader and team 2 by the prodigal son. the first game was slow to kick off, scores were low but soon team 1 raced into a healthy lead. helped by some coaching from the opposition team, team 2 soon came back in the race. a couple of strikes and spares later, the scores were very close. down to the final bowler and final frame of each team, team 1 lead team 2 by 3 pinfalls. both bowlers had the same score for their first bowl, 7 pinfalls. team 2 needed a spare to get back into the game......and yes! they got the spare they needed. team 1 faltered and eventually team 2 won team 1 by 7 pinfalls! in game 2, team 2 players performed well, however, team 2's leader faltered at the first frame. coupled with the superb performance of team 2 members, the game though close, was eventually won by team 2 again.

the group headed for a drink after a good game of bowling. passing through the hotel, the guys were enamoured by the christmas tree put up within that they became "woodcutters".

seeing that a pub was nearby, they soon settled down and had chatted. too many topics were discussed. the prodigal son sat back to take it in. he had been detached and just wanted to listen in.

after chilling out for a little under two hours, the group was tired. bidding each other farewell, they made their way home. the outcast then walked home from, taking it as an opportunity to exercise and also to work out the alcohol from the system. even after enjoying himself, the prodigal son was still thinking, has he really reconnected or is he self-deluding himself?