Random Sunday

It was a beautiful Sunday morning. Outside St. John’s Cathedral Bukit Nanas were droves of people catching up after the first early morning mass, mostly Pilipino, some African and the rest Malaysian. The church bells rang for the next service session, and I looked at my watch, 10.30am. “That’s my cue” I thought, rushing through the crowd as I try to locate my friend, Diego, waiting for me at the entrance.

“Right on time” he said, and we walked into the church with many others. We made our way to one of the pews at the balcony upstairs.

“It’s good to have a friend at church. It feels a bit weird sitting through the Sunday service alone” he said.

“Uhuh” I agreed.

“At least there’s someone to talk to, exchange notes and stuff. Usually, when I’m alone at church and the pastor slips in funny remarks during his sermon, I just keep it all in while everybody savors it with their friends and families; quite frustrating you know” he explained.

“Well, when you’re alone, you talk to God. That is what you do when you go to church”. I said, flashing a cynical smile.

Blimey! If we were anywhere else, we’d burst into a hysterical laughter.

Fortunately, both of us realized that we were in the house of God and kept it all in. There was plenty of time to laugh our heads off (which we did) after church; no heresy intended.

After church, on our way for lunch we chatted, updating each other on the latest happenings, about life, friends and families.

“You know, James’ been going to church every week with his new girlfriend” said Diego.

“Yeah? Haha, very much unlike the two of us” I added.

“He’s becoming more warak (Malay word for pious) it seems” Diego noted.

“If he’s warak, we must be rawak (Malay word for random)” I concluded.
And we were in stitches again.