Yesterday, we had a beneficiary visit to a certain primary school. It was not the first time we went there. Anyway, that is not the point of this post. It was the conversation during the car ride to Ang Mo Kio for a LAN gaming session.

Girl A, asking all 4 guys in the car, “Do you have girlfriend?”

A chorus of “No.” came.

Next question was directed at Samantha, “Do you have boyfriend?”

“Yes.”

One of us then said, “Wow, now there is an awkward silence.”

OK, there was a silence, but it was not that awkward. But I do wonder why it is the case of girls broaching the subject and yet there will not be much of a pregnant pause, but it is in the case of the opposite gender?

We later shared about the effects of National Service on relationships. There were two distinct profiles.

Guy B: I hate National Service because it broke my relationship with my ex.

Guy C: I like National Service because it helped me to recover from my relationship with my ex.

Now, the difference comes about because National Service was one of the major contributing factors to the break up of Guy B’s relationship. Both did not have the time for each other, and they drifted apart. From the way it sounded, it was quite a reluctant separation. In Guy C’s case, the breakup came way before National Service started. It happened just a couple weeks before the prelims started. It affected the A levels examinations for both parties. National Service helped as there were many guys in camp to support him and help to take his mind off the relationship through the endless antics they performed. Regardless of whether National Service was a pain in the ass or a help, there was still pain in both guys’ voices; a mark that betrayed the scar they hold within their hearts.