Anyone who sees De Cruz will describe him as an aging Indian fella with his stomach hanging over his belt, his gruff exterior akin to that of an alpha-male type gorilla. His side burns hail from the day of Elvis, but his wit and sense of humour are razor sharp.
All this brings me to the tales (tales? Stories? Fantasies? Fabrications? Re-caps? Who knows...) he used to regale us with in Literature class. Not that of Juliet and her Romeo, nor that of Little Scout and Dennis Bergkamp (ala To Kill A Mockingbird movie), but that of a young, passionate, skilled, highly-talented, extremely versatile sportsman that was he. Meaning a younger De Cruz.
The description of De Cruz as a sportsman will raise a few eyebrows, simply because of his current appearance and the multitude, or should I say large body of, evidence that seems to suggest othewise. But no... Here was the wondrous teen who represented his kampung, his school and Singapore (he seems to hint...) even, in football, karate, boxing, high-jump, long-jump, javalin, weightlifting, cross-country and many others, balancing that along with a whole array of academic extra-cirricular activities.
Oh the tales... Of football matches laced with black magic 'The goalkeeper just stood by the post, and our strikers would keep hammering away, and the balls would fly right towards the open goal, and go STRAIGHT UP and over!'. Of how he beat the school bully at boxing 'Why he was twice my size. I was a skinney little fella, who'd never boxed before. But I kept at it, and he punched me so many times that up till today, one side-burn is shorter than the other. But I tell you, eventually I whacked him so hard that he never touched me again'. Of how he guided his daughter in adjustments that led to her winning the long-jump nationals, 'I raised my fingers, and she understood, and took 3 steps furthur back for her run-off.'.
Ok ok more on this tomorrow. Perhaps the medical problems that he liked to tell us about. Cibitis (aka Chicken backside syndrome) anybody? Hey guys, you really have to back me up here man. Don't wanna get sued for slander.
