As an after-thought, I think I will change further memoir posts (the first one here) as my mother’s instead. Which is only right, as the stories are told by my mum anyway. That SAJ is mum’s initials.
Anyway. I went back to see mum again a few days back. It was a short and an unplanned trip. We chatted over tea on the patio. Serving and drinking afternoon tea with kueh is a tradition at mum’s. A must. Almost sacred if I may say. It could be 40° degrees outside, but tea will still be served (and you aren’t getting any iced lemon tea either; ah-ah, this is hot, piping afternoon tea. A very civil affair, let me tell you). Throughout my life all I see my mother drinking only teh ‘o’. Only lately has she added anmum to her morning tea.
Her topic that afternoon was about weddings in our family. She said Abg Nan (my eldest brother) kawen kat rumah lama tu (pointing to our old-er wooden house. We have the old house and the new – baru pun dah 30 tahun dah rumah tu - concrete house. The patio joined the two houses together. I wish I had photos. I love the house). Hujan masa dia kawen tu ,my mum added.
Rumah ni (the new-er one) dah siap masa Abg Ki & Tiah kawen (that’s the second and the third). Depa kawen sekali. Yang lain semua kawen kat rumah ni la. Leli (she's the 9th in the family) tak, said mum after a pause (my sister’s name is Laili Mazni; which had prompted my son Ilyas asking me many times, kenapa nama dia sedap? Ala like nama mama dia tak sedap. I always tell him that by the time I was born my mum had run out of naming ideas already! *note – I come from a big, big family). Leli kawen kat dewan sebab kenduri tu buat sekali keluarga perempuan & lelaki. Masa tu pun arwah ayah dah takdak, mak sambung lagi.
When I got home I noticed my mother is having the old house re-painted. Yang kelakar nye the towkay painting the house is as old as my mum! He said he is 76 and laughed when I asked how much longer he is going to continue working. I told him towkay ni pun dah tua macam mak saya la! He said he only do work for his old (pun intended here) customers.
I thought my mother looked healthy that day, but she herself said she feels leee-tih sangat. Memang dah tak larat. Hari2 macam ni, mak tarik buku je lah baca kat sini (I wondered how I would be at her age - if I live to be her age, that is).
When I was leaving, my mother gave me a small box wrapped in a white tissue paper. She said ni barang mak, ambik la buat kenangan (sedih pulak menulis pasal nih). Jangan la bukak la ni, mak kata. I opened the box in the car. She had given me a pair of her ear rings. A traditional design not unlike bunga tanjung. I remember seeing her wearing those in her younger days. And she had looked pretty too.
There is only one thing wrong with her gift – I cant show you how pretty they are when worn.
Pix : mak & arwah ayah when young (I must ask her how old she was when this was taken).
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