oleh : Azlina Dollah (77)
Jerantut, Pahang Darul Makmur
Assalamualaikum, This is the final week of 2006. My! How time flies! To you gals and guys sending your first borns to schools, good luck! Don’t forget to take lots of pics. Believe me, you’ll regret it if you don’t, like what I’m doing now. Regretting! And wishing I could turn the clock back and keep snapping.
I am spending these final days of the year marking exam papers. I love listening to music while I work. One of my favourite is Kitaro Essential Collection No 3 Track #10 which reminds me of my buka puasa days on the beach of Port Dickson. I just love watching the sunset on the beach. When both my children were staying in hostel, once a month wajib balik kampong. So during Ramadan after school on Friday, I would drive from home in Gemencheh N Sembilan to fetch my daughter in Muadzam Shah (a good 150km away) and journeyed to Seremban to get my son (about 300km) and made it just in time to buka puasa on the beach of Port Dickson. We even performed solat on the beach. It was blissful (even at the prospect of another 150km journey home). It was about 600km of driving just to break fasting on the beach under the purple Port Dickson skies.
Then on Sunday afternoon I had to reverse the journey minus the buka puasa on the beach. Instead, buka puasa was just a sandwich and mineral water while driving back alone on that Muadzam Shah Segamat stretch; a stark contrast to Friday’s journey. My friends thought I was crazy to make that kind of journey saying I should just tell my children to take the bus.
Now listening to Kitaro Track #10, I wish I could do that journey one more time.
While reminiscing about my children under those purple skies I’m reminded of lines of inspirational quotes I used to decorate my locker at SEMSAS.
Kids Are Like Kites
You spend years trying to get them off the ground. You run with them until you are both breathless.
They crash ... they hit the roof ... you patch, comfort and assure them that someday they will fly.
Finally, they are airborne.
They need more string, and you keep letting it out.
They tug, and with each twist of the twine, there is sadness that goes with joy.
The kite becomes more distant, and you know it won't be long before that beautiful creature will snap the lifeline that binds you together and will soar as meant to soar... free and alone.
Only then do you know that you have done your job.
I pray that I have done a good job.
In keeping to the theme, here’s something I put away in my folder. Something to muse over a mug of steaming black coffee accompanied by ubi kayu rebus!
Dear Daddy,
Mom got everything in place before school starts. Thought everything has completed but wonder why I still feel something is missing?
Did she forget my uniform? She even bought me few pair of nice socks.. she would never forget my uniform.
Did she forget my school bag? She even bought me a whole set of colorful stationeries.. she would never forget my school bag.
She sent me to school.. waited there the whole day.. picked me up after class ended.. but I still feel something is missing.
But what have I missed?
Yeah dad! Something I've been missing is actually.. YOU!
It's my 1st day Dad! You should know how important this is to me but you didn't even turn up.
How could you Dad?! How could you ever forget to show up on my 1st day at school?
But I thought it should be OK Dad! Mom is always there for me. She'll never forget anything and everything I need.
And Dad.. please go home! Take good care of your future baby. He/She might need you more. I just need Mom in my whole life.. more than I need you!
Thanks Dad.. for being my BIOLOGICAL DAD!
Have a good year ahead everyone and Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Adha.