Apples and Oranges

It happened in a HDB flat, somewhere in Punggol.

J and I were visiting a couple (literally) of old friends who'd recently become parents. J and the new mother had known each other for years, while I'd met the proud father during my stint in the army ages ago.

Another couple, friends of theirs, had also come along to visit the newborn girl. We'd all met and been introduced before, or so I was told. (My memory was a little fuzzy on this one, so I tried to pass off little nods of agreement. It seems to have worked.)

The two other guys, being in the same career path, got down to talking about business. So polite conversation was made between the three ladies, as it always is during these unnerving little get-togethers (where A knows B and B knows C but A and C don't really know each other, and it would be pretty impolite to B for A and C to ignore each other). Up to a point where the topic turned to houses, and inevitably, to where J and I lived.

"Ohh we went to view that place too, it's very nice", said Ms Visitor, giving us the evaluative once-over Glance. Both of us were wearing tee-shirt and shorts, quite plainly Not Dressed For Sunday. The Glance was followed by a very pointed and calculative Look. I could guess what was coming up.

"How can you afford it?"

I couldn't think of anything pleasant to retort with, so I just sat there with a wry smile on my face, while my brains hastily scrambled to find an excuse to leave.

Later, J would tell me that the woman was a practising lawyer who'd come from a rich family, and that the comparativeness was to be expected from someone with that kind of background.

I really don't know whether this behaviour should be expected or not. But I'd take great pains not to recognize said person in public - it might be catching.