incidentally

After a long time of not hearing from him, my female owner received a long distance call from Functional Fren. Such a warm feeling to hear his voice again. It is so different from using MSN. No matter what season they are going through (good or bad), he never fails to make my female owner laugh. Even the way he grumbles brings tears to her eyes.

Their friendship started incidentally. My female owner was tasked to head a research project on youths at his workplace. Youth was also his area of passion. He knew about it and on his own accord, drew out a concept map in different colours for her to help guide her research. My female owner later playfully referred to it as his “love letter”. Over the next couple of years working in cousin organisations, he had been a great source of support for her, in an insane environment. With similar values, mindsets and crankiness, no wonder their friendship grew... functionally.

Functional Fren is also one of the few people who have gained access into my female owner’s vulnerable inner world. Perceptive and observant, he is able to pick out her anxieties and fears without her saying too much. He also has no qualms about confronting her when he sees her drowning herself in self-pity. That’s the way he is to many people around him and my female owner supposes that must have been tiring for him, which explains his aloofness at times.

Ah, she can’t wait to go back to Singapore to meet up with him and the rest of her Impromptu Frens. Sounds as if they had been having tonnes of fun recently.