Potassium Hydroxide

When we first met, I was working at a club as a cashier at the door and he was there because his friend was the door host for the night. I wasn’t attracted to him in any way although he was cute and according to his friends, he was on the way to writing his life story.

“Talk-a lot” has always been one of my flaws and of course, being a gentleman, he entertained me while his friends went into the club to get drinks.

I knew I was going to see him again. And he told me (months later) he knew he would see me again.

A couple of days later, while waiting for my date to pick my drunk self up from St. James (that’s right I was seeing someone else then), I received a notification on my phone that someone requested to be friends with me on facebook.

Drunkenly, I accepted which was not the likes of me.

The next time, instead of nursing that hangover, I immediately recalled that I consent to a facebook request. To the laptop I go to check out the profile of the newly added friend.

I don’t know why but I remember his cute but shy face vividly. I heave a sigh of relief while typing: “Chey, I thought I accepted who last night. It's you”.

Then, the thing about his life story came to my mind too. After exchanging a few comments, he asked for my msn, which I gave without a thought (again, unlike me).

We chatted for a while and he needed to go. He got my number (and till this day, we cannot, for the life of us, remember how he got my number).

3 days later, with reference of the U.S sitcom, HOW I MET YOU MOTHER where the rule states one should wait 3 days before calling the girl you want to get to know, he texted me:” Did I tell you I caught a really big fish?” Yea, he loves fishing (and I don’t see the fun in it).

At that time, I was at a party with my friends at Orchard towers and supposed to stay over at one of their place after. But, I was really bored and that party… lets just say it wasn’t my scene.

Technically, he won half of the battle by finally asking me out (on such short notice) and taking me away from where I was. That was not without at least 10 texts of hints. That poor boy has just come back from a 3 day fishing trip and was dying to play his new Xbox game yet still ask me out. How sweet!

So I took a taxi to his place to pick him up then head to RSYC, which was around the corner. He paid for the entire ride and brought home made drinks. By this time, I was already had ample enough to drink and ya, again, I talked a lot. We both honestly do not remember what happened that night at RSYC. I just.. talk too much and he just listened. He was too shy to look me in the eye though. I know I wouldn’t care less about the surrounding.

I got tired and since his place was like a 10-minute walk away, we walked back to his place to put his things down. I ended up taking a 10 minutes nap on his bed.

We decided to go get breakfast at McDonalds. McDonalds had the Hello Kitty rings as Happy Meal’s toys. He got it for me and put it on my finger. Instead of going ‘aww’ or ‘huh’ or whatever appropriate emotions, I just went “thank you”. Like I’ve said, I wasn’t attracted to him at all.

On the way back, when walking, he suddenly held my hand. That, gave me butterflies in my stomach. I am pretty sure it was despite the fact that beer and McDonalds might not go well together.

That was how we met and had our first date. How my potassium hydroxide and I got to know each other. That cute shy gentleman is call Eugene Koh and I’ve the weirdest habit of calling people by their surname. KOH = Potassium hydroxide.

When we first started going out, we both know that I cannot commit and after 28 days, he got really insecure. He told me “not to waste our time”. I got really scared and I know I had to do something to cheer him up.

Thus, with a yogurt in hand, I surprised him at his place. In tears (because he was touched), he asked me to be his girlfriend. No men that I know have ever dared to cry in front of a girl! I was really taken aback but that showed that Koh was not afraid to show me his feelings.

He wanted to ask me on our 20^th date but because of the yogurt(I think), he decided to just go ahead with popping the question. He said he knew he wanted to go out with me for real.

It’s been a year and half. For the both of us, this is our longest relationship and also the one that felt so right. I did cheat on him but was honest about it (see, commitment issues) and he forgave me. Because of him, I learnt to not play around (I was also unsure of my future) hence decided to settle in a field of study and him.

Despite all our heated arguments that involves tearing up photos, throwing pillows and unkind words exchanged, you are no doubt who I want to grow old with. You paint the pictures in my black and white colouring book with everything a girl would ask for. Thank you for never giving up on me. Happy 17th.