For the Love of Samosas

Prologue

Today's post is short fiction in honor of all the hassled parents trying to keep their angsty teens in line.

"Bye mum! I'm not coming home for lunch today. I'll be going to Mac's with Kelvin and his buddies before we head to his house to study for a test." With that, Adam Lim careened like the Flash out of his humble HDB abode.

Lai Fong sighed. She knew that Adam wouldn't be home for at least 4 to 5 hours once he said that he had to 'study.' Teens being their quirky selves, studying was the least of their preoccupations.

She set about getting the ingredients for chicken rice ready for dinner. Adam's grades had gotten into free-fall mode lately; letting him continue going to a friend's home for school projects was far from an ideal solution for getting them back on track. Yet, wrangling with the angsty teen was only going to worsen the situation. His younger brother, Alfred, was no better off - the younger teenager was due to sit for a major exam that would determine his fragile future, but video games were the only study materials he had on his mind.

As if to make the old adage ring with truth, things got worse before they got better. Adam began failing tests in earnest; befuddling phone calls from teachers began flooding her answering machine. Alfred was, of course, in a tizzy, with exam preparations overwhelming him.

"Mum, leave me alone, " was the terse response whenever she tried to confront him. Neither boy would dream of letting her into their lives. "Mum, I have to go," was the closest to a verbal response she could extract from them.

The cogs of the homemaker's mind revolved at lightning speed. Having grown up in a lower middle-class family, Lai Fong hadn't much education. However, she had homemaking skills that few could bolt past. She also understood her sons more than they thought she did.

What could she offer them that their dubious friends and soul-drawing video games couldn't? Cooking flair. Neighbours in the housing board neighbourhood knew Lai Fong for her ability to generate 'wok hey," that special aroma that accompanies Chinese stir-fried noodles. The skilled homemaker cum chef had won more than a few cooking competitions at community centres in Singapore in her day.

She also knew how to conjure the snacks that would make her sons drool. Toying with her trusty spatula one afternoon while vainly waiting for her sons to make their way home for dinner, Lai Fong hatched a cooking plot.

Samosas. A spicy, crispy delight that was sure to make Adam salivate, with six inches of drool pouring out of the sides of his youthful mouth. Curried potato and crispy, fried pastry would work wonders for the young man.

And what about his younger brother, Alfred? Oh, Lai Fong was ready to steal the teen's heart with kueh tu tu, little floured delights filled with sugared, grated coconut that would tease his senses.

The stay-at-home parent put her culinary plot into action. She started leaving plates of samosas and kueh tutu surreptitiously on the kitchen counter.

The boys' friends and other school activities enwrapped them, so they didn't notice any changes at first. And then -

"Hey, mum. Do you still have some of those samosas? That workout our Physical Education teacher put us through this morning has made me starve. And the queue in the canteen was too long this morning for me to buy anything."

Lai Fong simply smiled. She dutifully pushed a plate of samosas that she had prepared in front of her son. Of course, they vanished within minutes.

"Hey, leave one for Alfred, at least," She playfully nudged the young boy's shoulder.

"Nah. He would've eaten his fill," Adam replied, rubbing his stomach with a flourish.

As an odd coincidence, Alfred burst through the doorway. "Mum, where's my kueh tu tu?"

Lai Fong shook her head and grinned. "You're lucky I saved some. Here you go." She pushed a plate over to him. The boy guzzled the floured miracles in a matter of two minutes.

The curried samosas and kueh tutu soon became routine. The boys gradually confided in their mother about their relationships and academic challenges.

"Mum," Adam barrelled through the kitchen one day. "That girl in the front row of my Maths class is hot." He drew the requisite shape in the air.

"Ok, cool down then," she pushed a chocolate milkshake, prepared using her secret ingredient blend, in front of him.

Dinners became rowdier, with laughter filling the dining table. Family conversations were more profound.

For the love of samosas. And a simple stay-at-home parent.