At 21, fresh out of UPM, an unbelievably intelligent and beautiful girl won a scholarship to study in the US. Back in the early 70s, that was a major accomplishment for somebody from where she came from. Even if she did come from a serene old kampung in Melaka, she is far from the allusions of a demurely dopey lass, thanks to her headmistress mother and tuan guru father's upbringing. It is no wonder she got her way by insisting that she gained her path to Glasgow, Scotland where the love of her life was waiting. With a MARA loan, she got a place at Strathclyde much to the dismay or contentment, I forget, of her parents and the entire kampung. She was to leave for the UK so soon that it called for drastic measures.
To soothe parental insomnia and prevent mini cardiac arrests, a nikah gantung was quickly organized. This means the lovebirds were married in a simple solemnization ceremony without the whole shebang of a reception. By kampung regulations, the marriage was not supposed to consummated until after the kenduri. So off to the land of shortbreads, haggis and tartan the newlyweds went.
Naturally,she had little care for pills and lack of aptitude for discipline(she's from the flower power generation), she forgot that certain pills are supposed to be taken everyday, failing to do so will result in either disasters or potential change in the direction of their lives. That fateful day, when she discovered that she was indeed heading towards the family way, she had mixed feelings. Not only the love of her life lacked the celebratory mood; very much unlike those she had seen on films, she was faced with the inevitable challenges of pregnancy and a hectic student life, thousands of miles away from her mother.
Any astronomical dreams of a magical fairy tale wedding was crushed, as were the hearts of the people back home in Melaka. All preparations had to be halted and invitations retracted. Then began the topsy turvy rollercoaster ride of motherhood for this young girl who did not know any better back then, that her first born was going to be a great big headache from the moment of her conception until God knows when.
As easy as being pregnant while doing a degree in horticulture can get, and dealing with the realities of wifely duties, she gave birth to a very bulat and pinkish baby on a Thursday, twenty ninth day of May, 1975.
Today, the baby is still somewhat bulat, still very much alive, thanks to the bullheadedness of my mother that her decisions she had made in my upbringing made me who I am today. The final weeks of my twenties were spent introspecting and I found that I have pretty much everything I needed to be happy.
I have love, family and friends. One of whom has dedicated me a sweet entry on her blog. I am reduced to tears for her generosity and how highly she thinks of me when in truth she and her awang are the ones I idolize. Thank you Kak Teh for this unique gift. Thank you also for redirecting traffic to my new blog. Very good gimmick. I am sure many of your fans are left boiling with envy. Nyeh nyeh nyeh. I didn't get my Belgian Chocolate Haagen Daz because my people organized a durian party at the inlaws'.
Apart from the gifts I received from my family,which include a whole new wardrobe( I hypnotized Anwar into a trance and he brought me to Paragon, Kakteh), some blink blink and new silver for my tea parties, KakTeh's tribute is by far the best in the tear jerking category.
I am indeed very lucky.
The beginning of my 30s, which marks my acceptance of adulthood, starts off on a very happy note. I am very grateful to my family, friends and notably KakTeh for guiding me through my hiccups, trips and bumps, walau tak pernah bersua, Kakteh bak bondaku jua. In the short time that we have known each other, it really feels like we share a special bond. I hope we will be this tight for many years to come.
Thank you one and all for your prayers and well wishes. Some of you I have not even met personally, yet you treat me like family. I shall remember you in my du'a.Insya Allah
Somebody told me horror stories about the days before reaching 30, that everybody will experience something bizzare and scary. I am happy to report that I had swimmingly happy episodes before and during my 30th birthday, plainly because I have been sheltered and surrounded by generous and loving people. Let's pray that henceforward, my days and yours will continue to be this happy.
Jazakallahu khairan kathiran.
Allah Hafidz
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