In Reply to: What is the strangest / most memorable posted by Stretch on Thursday, 2. February 2006 at 19:19 Bali Time:
The 3 of us - including confident 14 1/2 year old son went to Pappa's restaurant near the beach at Kuta for dinner.As usual we had hired a motor bike but we don't do the Balinese thing with the whole family on the bike so my hubby took me to the restaurant first & then came back to our hotel - the Aquarius Star on Jalan Legian to pick up our son & bring him to the restaurant.
As with most teenage boys he usually eats like a horse - about 8 meals a day is average ,the fridge & pantry are cleared out within 24 hours of doing your weekly shopping - parents of boys the same age will know exactly what I mean.Bit of background info to help the story - son has been going very regularly to Bali since he was about 8,has become friends with a quite few local guys his own age over the years,speaks a bit of Bahasa & as with most young boys his age has the hormones kicking in - also very much notices the pretty young Aussie & Balinese girls <VBG>
Well being the intuitive Mother that I am,I thought it strange that he was not eating much this night & seemed to be in a hurry to finish up & get back to the hotel.We often allow him a treat of a Bintang or a Bali cooler when we ( we found out later that he had made previous arrangements to meet up with friends ) Hubby & myself loved Pappa's so were in no hurry to eat our dinner & made it very clear to him.That is when he seemed to develop a " stomach ache " & need to go back to the hotel! Well I was very suspicious,my hubby drove him back to the hotel but shortly after my husband got back to Pappa's & I finished my meal I said I think we better go & check on our son ! Husband thought I was concerned for his health - Blimey Dad's ARE SO thick at times <LOL>
Well we had a less than 5 minute drive around the block back to the hotel.BTW - I forgot to say earler that I had over the past few days bought our son quite a few new outfits of clothes that he had been dying to wear.
When we got back to the hotel & did our usual Selamat Malam,Apa Kabar to all the staff as we walked to our room.I asked did they see our son come back to our room( It's only a small hotel )- my husband had just about 10 minutes earlier stopped the motor bike & dropped him outside the hotel.While my husband is parking the motor bike I went into our room - no sign of our son - except for the clothes he had worn out to dinner sitting on his bed & the fact that some of his new clothes were missing - Naturally a Mum gets even more suspicious <LOL>
I go & see the staff out the front & security staff tell me that they saw my hubby bring our son back on the motorbike,our son goes to room for 3 minutes,comes out again in different clothes & then left the hotel,they said they even wondered what was going on ! He just told them he was going to meet friends down the street & they told me the direction he walked in.I am boiling by now & go for a walk down the street looking for him.After walking for about 5 minutes I hear a couple of young Balinese guys say " Oh Sh--- it's Mamma Colleen" ( most of his mates know me )With that I see my son turn around & have a look of " Oh My God I've been sprung & sprung badly " He's sitting on a wall in Jalan Legian,opposite a bar with loud music playing,bopping away to the music with a Binnie in his hand & hanging around with about 6 mates checking out all the pretty girls.His mates were roaring with laughter as I approached because they obviously knew he had snuck out & that IT was gonna hit the fan.
The little devil had the nerve to say to me " Gee Mum,you were lucky you came along when you did,the guys & me were just about to go into the bar & talk to the girls & see if they would dance with us." Needless to say he was grounded for the next day & not let out of our site for 24 hours.Naturally I didn't laugh much at the time but I can now.The joys of being a parent of a hormonal teenage son <VBG>