[Willamshakspear]

[Fiction] :- It was in the early morning hours & I was very drunk after a late night with friends at a pub, so decided to walk to a nearby HDB void deck with seats to sleep than to drive home. I managed to find one, but there was a couple seated on the chess table nearby whom seemed to ignore me, deep in conversation. Just before I slept on the seat nearby, I checked my phone for impt msgs, & inadvertently left my phone on voice record as I slept....

Man:- Hi Jane, glad we could meet up.

Woman: Hi John, good to see you. We have to meet to resolve the financial issues now between you, me & our sons.

John: I understand. But just to let you know, I had been in touch with my lawyer & there is no requirement to pay anymore than I need to when judgement was made on alimony by the Court 10 yrs ago.

Jane: That's true. So too had I been in touch with my lawyer & advised that I can apply for more financial assistance thru the Court, as I had not re-married & had faithfully provided for our 2 sons over the years with my meagre salary. They are at the age when they need to further their education to be successful in life, & so my request for more funds, to help them in tuition & Uni admission fees, more so now that with inflation, everything even basic necessities are up in prices.

John: I am aware of that. My sons are my flesh & blood. I want them to be successful in life too, far better than me, but there's only a limit on how far we parents can afford to give. I agree that costs are up, but my salary no matter how hard I work, is still limited & there is absolutely no way I can afford the kind of education & living fees to help them.

Perhaps, we need to face up to realities, that in Spore, it is not absolutely necessary to get an UNI degree to be successful in life. Opportunities abound in Spore. Even some of our most successful local biz men do not have even have a PSLE pass to their name. It's about perseverance, commitment, dedication & hardwork to a job that will make one rise in the corporate or govt services ladder in life, such as military, police or civil services.

Jane:- Not true. Dick who is my nephew just graduated with an engineering degree & along with his classmates were interviewed for a job in the finance industry. In just 6months, they now each earns a salary of $60,000 PER MONTH.

John: That's good for them, but are our sons are as capable as them to be able to graduate as engineers? I know them. Maths & science are not their best subjects.

Jane:- That's true, that's why I need more funds for tuition to help them.

John: I know where this is going. It is the hope of all parents, & a belief that tuition will help. But it's only a belief, & not necessarily true. Some even with tuition still fail, after all the costs involved. Let's look for alternative:- If our sons interest & motivation are that narrowedly focused as yours, then they will have to PROVE it in their studies - be the best in classes on their own merit & get education grants from societies & govt.

Jane:- You still don't understand. They need tuition to help them get the results.

John:- Ok Jane. I understand your concerns. They are my sons too, under joint custody. Rather than we fight it in out court which we will only lose thousands of dollars in legal fees, why not we work out something more sustainable;- I help out where ever I can in terms salary rise, bonus, govt grants, etc?

Jane: I have no access to your accounts nor salary statements. How will I know & how committed you are in the long run.?

John: I can take on additional part time jobs, to try to earn even more than what i can earn now, but how will I know that I would not die from exertion & over-work? I am no longer young & should I die the next month, then WHO will fund our sons education?

The night was so silent, that my phone recorded a tear dropped onto the surface of the porcelain table, splattering itself into even more tiny droplets....just as phone battery ran out.....[/Fiction]