Friday 19 August 2011

..the return..

..it is the beginning of those time again..when children from the cities make a beeline for their kampongs...you can feel the anticipation in the air..as Bachok braced itself for the influx of cars and people, PaRam operators take stock of the situation, knowing that in the final stretch of Ramadan, sales will, inevitalbly doubled, maybe trebled...and parents, like pakmat, await their return anxiously, praying for their safety...whilst looking forward to breaking of the fast together..

...but not all the children returned to the awaiting arms of their mothers, or fathers..for some it is a return to a memory and an empty house, having lost both parents earlier...but they returned, nonetheless, to where their roots are...and for the next few days, they and their children add laughter and cacophony to a house once bare and lonely...a house that was once a  home..and amid the joy and laughter, they are once more the children of before..treading gingerly through their memory..



..this is such a house...its owner, Mok Zah, or Mek to her children died a year ago of kidney failure..widowed more than a decade earlier, she would sit alone in front of the kitchen, awaiting any of her 8 children's return...bereft of children, a house is not a home...as this year, this house sits alone...awaiting her children to 'balik kampong'...when once more it will come alive...

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

asalam pak mat,
.alien

Wan Sharif said...

Now I know how my mother feel waiting for me to return to her awaiting arms..
nelleh air mata ambe mengenangkan....

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Abe Mat,
My Mama's maternal grandma's house is the same. It's been empty for 14 years but for those few days of Eid and the occasional kenduri kendara. It's so sad to be lonely...no matter at what age. purrr *sad giggles*

Saiful Azam said...

Pak Mat,

Salam perkenalan.
I understand very much the emotions involved, both for the mother and children. My family and I have to go through the same emotions, which at time can be a semi trauma for us, each time we say goodbye to mak. Distance has made it impossible for us to meet her more than once a year, and we are not sure if we will be there when she is called to meet our Creator.

Enjoy reading your writing, Pak Mat.

Saiful Azam

jitraman said...

As Salam Pak Mat,

Selamat menyambut Eidul Fitr, Sir.

For those who still have their pak and mak to return to, I really envy them,may Allah unite all the related hearts on this auspicious day and month.

Seorang Blogger said...

;-)

Unknown said...

SALAM,
SELAMAT HARI RAYA DAN MAAF ZAHIR BATIN ! PIHAK LF MENGAMPUNKAN SEGALA DOSA (JIKA ADA, YG SENGAJA ATAU TIDAK SENGAJA)

Unknown said...

..salam anon..peace..

Salam Ayah Wan..selamat hari raya..take car

..salam my dear cat..Ayam sends her greeting and wishes Brad a very special Hari Raya..

..salam Sailful Azam..Selamat Hari Raya..and welcome to my blog...take care..

..and Selamat Hari RAya to you, too, Jitraman..May God Bless..

and here's a smile to you, seorang blogger...drop by Bachok...take care..

..selamat Hari Raya, luahfikiran..maaf zahir..

Mieza said...

Assalamualaikum Pak Mat,

Reading this entry made me longed to go back home, saya 'set' Mache; my parents' house looks somehow similar to the picture - I think something got into my eyes...its teary.