Adel Abillar is a lawyer, which he considers his reincarnation and second coming. Before that he toiled for two decades of frustration and embarrassing salary as a writer. He was almost resigned to his fate, ready to throw in the towel but marriage and fatherhood happened too fast jolting him back to his senses. Thank God, or his family would have starved. Becoming a lawyer was the last-ditch stan
d that miraculously showed him the way to survival. To be a lawyer is to be instrumental in making justice into a real thing and more than just a comforting word. With that realization and finding his salvation, he was just too glad to pay his dues for every humbling lesson and every act of kindness he owes the world. He now lives in eager anticipation of the elusive quiet life with Arlene and the kids somewhere amid greeneries and in the company of books and music.
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I used to love that my initials are AA which gives me first crack at almost anything until one day I dreamt being chased by an aardvark. Aardvark... you know, that insecure egotistic anteater whose pictures you always see first in volume one of every encyclopedia. Being always first must be tough on him and developed into a serious anger management problem. I hated my name since then. But I love life though and everything about it that makes people smile and feel good. My 88 year old mother is an extra-terrestrial alien invader who I suspect has hidden antennas to intercept every gossip in the neighborhood, and be the first to start the gossip-fest mornings when the weather is clear despite the fact that she is too old to walk farther than our front gate. The last item on my bucket list that I happily crossed out recently was the one about my wish to deliver a speech during a political rally. I did during the Million Man March. What a proud moment. I am looking at publishing my first book as my next would-be bucket list mission accomplished. God knows where I will get the money or the publisher for that book project. My retirement plan is already laid out for me. I will teach, and if I'm lucky enough not to get insane or demented yet, I would probably write a column. Cut down on my fluid intake so that I wouldn't pee on my pants a lot, when I'm 90. My daughter Sining said she would buy me a fancy race car but I will be happy to settle for a comfortable rocking chair to feel cozy chilling out while waiting for the sunsets in the afternoons or when watching Voltes V reruns when it rains like crazy and you don't get to see the sun. So goes my life. It's been both fun and occasionally embarrassing.
