I spoke to Dad last night on the way home from Jenny's birthday party at the pool hall. He seemed quite sad. Since he's been back, he's found out Uncle Phong died in January this year in a car accident in Viet Nam. He had flown in for a memorial service for ba noi. And today, he's attending a funeral - his friend's wife passed away.
He said he's over it - he's not used to the climate anymore, and his relatives all feel like strangers. It's hard to understand how he would feel. I guess it would be as if I had left Australia, and returned to find it no longer my home. And Winnii and the girls were all older, and were like strangers. And Cathy had passed earlier this year.
He actually sounded a bit sick. Three more weeks for him.
Then this afternoon, I bumped into Leanne. Funny story. I had told her Dad was overseas, and she was like, 'Oh! That's why he never attended his retirement party!'. I was blank.
It turns out the council had planned a retirement party for him - after the one that was postponed originally, but no one was able to contact him. I don't think he even knew about it, because he didn't invite me. I was invited to the original party in May that was postponed. How odd. Anyway, she's going to organise one when he returns next month. It's good he still keeps in touch with those guys.
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