Uwais First Dinner at Hotel Pan Pacific with Tok Wan, Tata, and the geng
Dear Blog,
It has been a while since I penned myself here. Today I would like to share with you a story about my mama. Mama was a very loving but stern mother. Only in her later age that she toned down a bit and she became more like a friend.. a very close friend..my best friend. Throughout our (my sisters and I) time growing up, ayah and mama were so busy earning money for our living and savings. Alhamdulillah we grew up with proper clan and group of friends. There were no such thing as free time in our little dictionary of life. Since mama and ayah were so busy, mama especially made sure that every single day we were filled with activities from Monday to Sunday from tuition classes (as early as 5 years old) to piano classes (since mama didn't get the chance to learn due to her family financial state, mama put us up for piano classes) but both my sisters dropped out before grade 5...hahah I won the grand piano..Mama promised once, to those who managed to successfully complete the levels, the grand piano (RM25-30k) belongs to that daughter...HAHHA YES!!!, speech and drama classes, quranic and fardu' ain classes, taekwondo, choir, and many more. But all these classes and teachers were mama's friends, so any bad reports regarding our performances and attitudes will definitely reached her two sharp ears...then we will be forced to attend her COURT of DISCIPLINE....waaaa takutttt! Seriously, when she open her big eyes, boleh sampai terkencing. Dont play...play...But those were the days...as we grew up, mama tend to be more like a companion to us..but mama was surely a strong wheel-powered woman.
Mama was a superwoman! Before getting married, she managed to win the heart of her future in laws and parent in law...my dad's father was a sri lankan army...all his sons were afraid of him...but mama managed to win his heart! Superb! Menantu lain semua duduk belakang tabir/ belakang suami... Mama hold on to what arwah Tah used to tell her children..."When u marry a person, u marry his/her family..not only him / her"...She nailed it successfully alhamdulillah! Her in laws and parent in law loved her and appreciated her so much! Since then, mama had been reminding us and when it was time for me to move on in life, mama reminded me the same thing over and over again. After getting married, mama reminded us both to do the same and to learn and love each others' family equally.
Back to mama's story....why did I say mama was a superwoman?? When it was her first anniversary, ayah gave mama a present...not jewelery, or handbags or necklace like other normal couples...ayah gave mama a 1 tonne lorry filled with office stationary, company sign, building keys and facilities. In a so called 'romantic' manner, ayah said, "The present is... for you to start up a company..Malays are lazy...so I don't want you to be like them...I want you to put effort and start up an empire like most Malays can't"..she took the challenge! When mama was at her 36 weeks, she was supposed to be prepared for labor, but do you know where was she??? She was driving a cold storage lorry (her company's lorry) to deliver a consignment of medical supplies to a doctor. There were no drivers available at that time and ayah was away on an important meeting. (I cant remember where this occasion took place). But according to mama, as she arrived, the doctor was shocked and asked her when is the due date...when she said "today Dr...with a smile on her face"...The doctor squealed..without thinking twice, he drove her to Assunta Hospital to deliver my eldest sister. Phewwww! Nasib baik sempat kak oii...kalau tak...awak lahir dalam lorry...kahkahkah....and through out her three experiences delivering all three of us..ayah was not there. She delivered alone in the labor room filled with her doctor and nurses. Subhanallah what strong wheel-power!
From my observations...to mama, marriage was not a ticket for her to rely on ayah..she was married to ayah ..yes..that's true..but she was definitely independent...subhanallah...but all these did not come easy...Allah tested mama with people around her feeling jealous and they wanted to see her family and business fall..it was not easy for any of us...mama was so in pain physically, mentally and emotionally..but she surely didn't say a word about it.When she sees us everyday...she'll put the sweetest smile on her face...we couldn't tell that she was having problems or in pain. Once in a while, when we misbehaved, she would tell us about how she was suffering at that point of time. Kesian mama...She was a strong person inside and out. I see those values in kakak and adik...but more in kakak. Kalau nak cerita, banyak penderitaan mama...tak tercerita...boleh bengkak la jari nak menaip...anyways, mama I appreciate you so much...we love you so very much! All your nieces and nephews love you so much! Mama was a very generous person...to mama...money has no values if you don't share and segregate them to those who needed them...Subhanallah! But people see that as her weakness..orang ambil kesempatan! Nasty!
I wish I could be as independent as mama, as strong as mama...as generous as mama...When mama got to know that I was pregnant..mama was certainly the happiest person in the whole wide world! Tau je..terus beli macam2...this didn't stop until the little baby boy was born...it was a continuous process...I bought for my little uwais only once a year..the rest of his books and early education collection, toys, clothes, and all the baby items...semua mama kautim!..Lucky uwais! She was so fond of him..Mama loved uwais so much! One day kalau tak call 10 kali tak lengkap hidup mama. Uwais bukan cakap pun..dengar je tok wan cakap...then sengih2. Tok Wan was happy indeed with the fact yang uwais dengar pun jadilah suara tokwan tu.
To be continued.....
