Not all couples are what they seem

Last month, I went to with a former colleague Ms Linda Phang to a lounge in KL Plaza. We saw a man come in with two girls. The man was in the middle and holding their hands.

He was half-bald and portly. The two girls were in their early twenties.

Linda said: "Men.. you just can't trust them. Look at his hum sup (Cantonese for "lecherous") face! He should be ashamed of himself. I bet his poor wife is at home ironing or watching TV alone. To be married to a man like him is worse than being in hell."

I said: "How do you know he is married? He might be one of those playboys. Or could be a divorcee or a widower. And has the right to go out with who he wants."

"Whose side are you on?" asked Linda.

"Nobody's," I said. "I am just being fair."

"Alright, he may be unattached, but those two girls are too young for him."

"Age is a case of mind over matter. If she doesn't mind, it doesn't matter. "

"Look, look," she said. "He's putting an arm over the the shoulder of one girl. That's disgusting."

At that moment, a man and woman came and sat at the table next to ours.

The man was young and macho and the woman was matronly and had streaks of grey hair.

I said: "Not all men are like that old philanderer over there, aren't they? Take the young man at the next table. He's spending a quiet evening with probably his mother when he could have been gyrating away in a dance club with his girlfriend."

Linda looked at the macho man and said: "Filial piety and fidelity are two different things."

I said: "I know. But if a man has a good character, then it is likely that he's good in other ways, too."

A waiter bought a birthday cake and placed it on the table where the two girls and man were sitting.

The man blew out the candles and the two girls said in one voice: "Happy birthday, Daddy!"

Linda was startled.

At that moment, the macho guy came over and said: "Excuse me, can I borrow your handphone? Mine just ran out of credit. Got to make an urgent call."

"Sure," I said. "But not for too long."

He pressed a number and said: "Hello, Boss? Steven here. My hark chai (Cantonese for "client") wants to book me until 2 am. She wants me to escort her to a par-tee (Cantonese for "party").

"How much shall we charge? Hmmm...hmmm... Hey, cannot lah. Our competitor's charges are cheaper. Hmmm... okay....hmmm... okay lah."

He thanked me and returned to his table.

Linda looked at me.

I looked at the ceiling.

/end