Love is patient . . .

We are expecting Sophia to arrive at 1800 hr today.

John said I've been clucky ever since we gotten the green light for the adoption to go ahead. WTH, it's a bit like the pot calling the kettle cluck, I mean black.

Admittedly I dragged my feet over well-meaning friends' advice to "get another one" ever since we lost Dotty. I keep thinking - if we go ahead with "another one", we will leave Dotty behind. And eventually forget her. I just can't do that.

Sophia's adoption is a bit nasip - the Malay word for fate. We were yakking with our neighbour one fine day last week and before we knew it I was on the web and a few clicks later, John was talking to Sophia's human mom and before we could spell Shipperke, Sophia was ours! I suppose we were waiting for the right moment without knowing it. John and I are just not cut out to be empty-nesters, I guess.

cluck, cluck.

Now, what has all these got to do with the African violet you see below? Well, a year and a bit ago, I was ooh-ing over my sis-in-law's African Violet at her home when she deftly plucked a leaf and thrust it at me, saying :"There you go!" I took the leaf home, stick it in pot (with soil, of course) and waited for it to grow.

I waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And for a long time, nothing happened. Zilch, zero, not a sausage.

And then . . . one fine day . . .

. . . . a growth!

I was so happy and wore a grin the whole day long, that is until John came home, took a look at it, and wiped my grin off with a cruel, " it's a weed, dear". He didn't know it then, but John was this close to being chopped into pieces . . .

With a heavy heart, I waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And one fine day, the bona fide growth happened and . . . .

. . . . more and more leaves appeared. And then more and more leaves appeared.

. . . And for the longest time, there was just that - LEAVES.

Leaves, leaves and more leaves . . . @#$% . . . and I was beginning to entertain the idea of "give up" . . .

And guess what happened?

This morning, when I looked, there is a little shy flowering bud starting to unfurl . . .

I am so fucking happy.

I know the picture is not the best but at least you get the idea. And call me silly, superstitious, whatever . . . I believe this is a sign of our blossoming relationship with Sophia.

I do.

And here she is, Sophia.