At 12, entering River Valley High School for the first time alone to buy text books and school uniforms and holding tightly to the $100 (the biggest note you ever saw) your mother gave you, was a really scary experience.
I had just received my secondary school posting and was lost yet excited.
Then I met Pauline in front of the school auditorium. She was recruiting for the National Cadet Corps. I remember she had this smiley face and told me I could shoot air rifles if I joined the NCC. So, I signed-up. Pauline became in-charge of our Sec 1 platoon, and apart from shooting air rifles, we also got to shoot the M-16, climb some mountains, attend lots of horror camps and did a lot of push-ups in the scorching sun!
I lost touch with Pauline for years after she graduated. One day, I saw her on a poster at the MRT station and found out she was a fitness instructor at Amore. Then, a few years later, I received an email from her, to shoot her wedding. So, we met again, not in our awkward nurse-like school uniforms, but she as a bride, and me as her photog.
Incidentally, Pauline’s two sisters and her mother were all also from River Valley High. How lovely!
What came out strongly during the wedding was Pauline’s moving speech, thanking her mother, for being first and foremost, her best friend, sharing her joys and supporting her in every little way.
Some pictures to share.
by mtan2
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