In 1996, Hong Kong Players performed an improvisation play called Suspect. The cast comprised a hot potch of the usual Hong Kong lovely-types with egos as tall as the buildings here. Dilip became an intricate part of our team as chief groupie. He attended every dress rehearsal and every performance (except one) throughout the run and made us feel like stars. I shall never forget the night when the cast got together for a party in South Bay at our director’s apartment. Marion and I recant the story every time we meet and have been doing so over the past eleven years because it continues to make us laugh. We all decided to take a swim. Subsequently, one of our lead actors decided to have an intimate moment with another member of our cast in the pool. Trouble was, actor number one was the live-in partner of our director at the time and the pair were soon discovered in a clinch that Marion and I often allude to as two killer whales mating: water was splashing everywhere… Dilip, being the calm old soul that he was, was sitting completely unphased by the pool smoking and observing the whole scene whilst Marion, myself and her rather buttoned-down, homophobic work colleague (who was, incidently, blabbering with shock) swam rapidly to the other side of the pool and leapt out of the water. We were trapped at the end of the pool, whilst Dilip continued to sit at the head of the pool calmly smoking observing the whole scene. Then the director arrived poolside and all hell broke loose. The next part is all a bit of a blur as things moved so quickly, but I can remember that there was a lot of running, yelling and, at times, screaming. We arrived back at the apartment to discover, the director, the actor and Dilip locked in the den. We could hear furniture being thown and glass breaking, but no one would let us into the room. Marion’s colleague begged us to leave. So we left the rather sheepish other actor in the lounge and quickly exited. Over the years, Dilip has never ever mentioned what went between those four walls that evening. But that was Dilip. He never gossiped about anyone and took many things at face value. He was tremendously discrete and kind. Last I heard the director and the actor are still together and living happily together somewhere in Canada. I can’t help thinking that Dilip saved a relationship that night. God bless him.