According to XUAN解忧树洞, a 30 year old woman, known as J, has shared the story of a secret relationship she had with her husband’s close friend during the MCO — a memory neither of them ever openly talked about again.
Three years ago, J met T, who was one year younger than her, at her husband’s bar. At the time, T was already in a relationship, but the MCO had forced him and his girlfriend to live apart.
T frequently visited the bar to drink, chat and watch football with friends. Initially, J and T were simply part of the same group. But gradually, their conversations became more frequent, until they were often the only two talking.
One day, T mentioned that he was thinking of returning to his hometown because the MCO showed no signs of ending.
A few days after he left, J unexpectedly drove all the way to see him.
T showed her around, taking her to try local food and drinks before bringing her back to her accommodation. J invited him upstairs, where they drank tea and chatted on the balcony.
Later, T went into the room to turn on the air-conditioning and lay on the bed. J followed.
He hugged her and quietly asked why she had come all that way to see him.
He also reminded her that he had a girlfriend.
J knew.
Yet neither of them could explain why they had become so drawn to each other.
Nothing happened that night. T only kissed her forehead before leaving.
When T eventually returned, they acted as though nothing had happened. He continued visiting the bar, drinking and watching football with J's husband.
Then one night, T became drunk for the first time in front of J's husband, who asked J to send him home.
On the way, T suddenly suggested going to Melaka together the next day.
J eventually agreed.
The trip became a memory she would never forget. They wandered around, laughed, took photos and behaved like a couple experiencing the excitement of a new relationship.
That night, after checking into a hotel and buying beer, they finally crossed the line they had previously resisted.
There was no force and no elaborate plan. They simply became two people who grew close at the wrong time.
But daylight brought reality back.
T was still someone else's boyfriend, while J was preparing to marry her current partner.
Soon after, T returned to Singapore for work. J sent him off at the border, quietly saying goodbye as she watched him leave.
Eventually, J married her current husband, while T also married his girlfriend.
Today, they occasionally cross paths.
He stands beside his wife, while J stands beside her husband.
Neither brings up what happened during the MCO.
Some memories, J seems to believe, are not meant to be revisited.
They simply remain quietly in the past, a chapter that happened once, changed nothing on the surface, and yet can never truly be forgotten.
Jovy Jing (ndreagoh@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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