I texted Ate Dez when I got out of the Elephant & Castle Station. She asked me to catch the bus and get off the nearest stop to her place.
Ate Dez is one of our cousins, eldest daughter of Mom's sister Aunty Felma who passed away a few years ago. Ate Dez moved to London, acquiring a nursing job and eventually Kuya Cyril, her brother, moved there with his wife and kids.
She just got off night duty that day and was still feeling a little bit sleepy. I saw her waving from the stoplight across the street. It's been 6 years since I last saw her. WE hugged each other and she helped me with my bags. She bought an apartment in the city (Zone 1) and has been living by herself since she got separated from her ex-husband.
It was so good to catchup with her. Come to think of it, that was the first time that me and her bonded. I told her I didn't need to sleep in the other bedroom, rather I opted to sleep on the sofa as I found it really comfortable. She decided to sleep on the sofa too. So that got us talking and updating each other until 5 am in the morning. IT was hilarious coz I was so surprised when I saw sunlight peeking through the windows. I asked her if what I was seeing it right. And of course, summer..... so sunrise was so much earlier.
Technically all we did was sleep (for a few hours), talk (for so many hours) and eat for an hour. Although the lack of sleep made us feel dizzy, I didn't mind. I told her I didn't really want to be shown around London. I wanted to catchup and have quality time. And that's what the visits were all about.
It was around 5 pm the following day when we decided to have a break from the stories and updates. Kuya Cy was coming soon with the whole family. Ate Dez and I decided to start singing on the Karaoke for a while whilst waiting for them.
Kuya Cy and Ate Lenet (his wife) arrived around 6 pm. She was looking big with their 3rd son who was scheduled to come out in a few weeks time. Chinchin the eldest and Kayel the second one were very playful. I remember 6 years ago it was just Chinchin who I met. The second one was a big handful just like what ATe Dez said. But I found him sweet and cuddly. ChinChin was the big brother with the responsible personality.
We went out for dinner at a Filipino restaurant just closeby. They had buffet for the night and of course served dinuguan which I really like. We stayed there for an hour or two until we were full to our bellies. Kuya Cy has to finish the left over of the kids as he'd usually do. They decided to drive around after dinner until we found ourselves a parking building for an hour (on a reasonable rate).
Destination for the night >>> M&M's.It was blazingly colored in the night and the crowd was still hyper around Trafalgar square and the surrounds. People were all scattered, locals and tourists alike. We walked in M&M's and explored each floor. Of course photos were taken with the whole family and cute poses were made. I enjoyed every minute of it coz It's been years since I've seen all of them. I recall the last time was my first visit to the UK, enroute my Kenya volunteering program.
Ate Dez and ATe Lenet bought me chocies and a magnet souvenir. I felt really bad getting the items as I'm not really used to it. I normally like buying people stuff rather than me receiving, but that's when I've got enough budget to do so. But of course, I accepted it as I knew they meant well and wanted me to have a memorabilia of that night.
We got to the parking lot just to find out Kuya Cy lost the ticket. It took us an hour, until the parking warden charged us twice the price instead of the daily rate. Thank God he was kind enough to do that or else 35 pounds would have been stupendous. Kayel was so cute when he showed the receipt of his M&M item, asking the warden if that was okay for the parking ticket. Obviously even though they were kids, they were picking up that their parents were in sort of a dilemma regarding a "ticket". I found that as a very good sign of the boys protecting their parents. Very sweet.
Kuya Cy and family dropped us off at Ate Dez's apartment and picked up the stuff that they left at her place. We then said our goodbyes. I promised I'll visit them when I get back to the UK, just right in time coz Ate Lenet would have given birth to the third one by then.
Ate Des and I continued to chat on my last night at her place. But this time I slept earlier and ahead of her.
The following morning we woke up a little bit early. Had to tidy up the place in preparation for the property assessment. He arrived around 11 am and viewed the place, took measurements and went on his way.
My last few hours of bonding with Ate Des was in the center, where she accompanied me to buy my jeans. I couldn't bear the idea of traveling further without jeans, so she decided to take me to one of the shops for a good price.
Around 5ish we were on our way back to the apartment where I collected my items. I hugged Ate Dez goodbye and said I'll see her again before I left Europe.
I was then on my way to meet Alf at Hammersmith.
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