Some Like it Haute

too many wrongs.

my cousin's wife recently suffered a a rather severe stroke that caused the left side of her body to gradually paralyse. last weekend when my parents and i went to the intensive unit care at nuh to visit her as she had just undergone a major open-heart surgery to remove a pontential fatal growth. she is only 29.

before you draw out any sympathy- don't because she does not deserve it. perhaps i sound undeservingly harsh but believe me when you hear of how awful she has been, you will be seething like my dad right now.

let's call her C. C has a very strong personality (unlike my cousin who is inclined towards being ineffectual) as a result, C has always been the dominant one in the relationship and the inbalance of roles continued even after marrisge. i come from an extremely warm extended family yet she has never bothered to acknowledge our presence or gotten to know us better, preferring to stay out of family gatherings. ok fine, no strings attched whatsoever. apparently we even received news that things were not well between the married couple.

yet after her stroke, we thought C knew better. my parents initially were unsure of whether to visit her at the hospital as we had not been close and apparently, she was extremely displeased when my other cousins went to visit her as she accused them of 'going FOR SHOW'. yes, this happened when she was LYING in the hospital, her body slowly failing on her, you would think her personality would have suffered a beating. TAHHH- WRONG!

yet my aunt (another aunt, not her mother-in-law) who had been visiting her EVERYDAY, convinced my mum to visit her saying that C realised that we cared for her. so we made the trip.

BIG MISTAKE. when my parents and i entered the icu ward, i stood in front of her and received such a frosty stare, for a split second, i was taken aback by her hostility. she took a left glance at my dad and turned away wordlessly without any sign of respect or acknowldgement. my dad gave her the benefit of doubt that she was still weak from her heart surgery and decided not to pursue the matter.

however, later we heard that even though she could not talk, she was able to write and demand for a drink on a mini easelboard. "demand" because 1. she had written exclaimation marks all over and boxed up the word "NOW" when requesting for a drink and 2. get this- she wanted ICE LEMON TEA!?! all this from a sick patient who had only returned from the brink of death that very morning.

i should not be washing dirty linen in public but i really have to say this (if you are not already feeling anger)- my cousin (her husband) came across her smses (while in the hospital) and realised that she had actually been planning to go to japan this sunday with her -boyfriend-. i guess my cousin already had an inkling seeing how he was not invited since she claimed before "it was a collegues only."

i am trying too hard not to use the R-word on her but mark my words, it is all about karma.