Tok Ayah's 77th..

The 15th of this month was my Ayah's birthday. He turned 77 on that day.

It's been a long time since he'd taught as a school teacher. When he turned 55, they retired him. He has been retired for 22 years. If he'd gotten another job when he was 55, he would be retiring again!! He is healthy, alhamdulillah!

I have fond memories being with him especially since I was his firstborn child, he'd take me everywhere on his Lambaretta, when we were stationed at the school he was teaching, at Ulu Sepetang. Later, when he moved to Tengku Mentri, he'd take me to his Boy Scouts meetings and even a campfire they were having one weekend.

After I won a place at Malay College, he'd often take the family to visit me during weekends. One Friday night, he surprised me by visiting me at my hostel with a few durians. It was raining terribly and as he'd come by bus, he had to walk in the dark of night to the KK bus station which was a good one mile away. That was one of the mysteries I'd never understood to this day. It's not like he didn't have a car...

I also remember Speech Day 1979 when he dropped by the function with a surprise. I had attended a scholarship interview earlier that semester. When he found out that I'd won the scholarship, he took the next bus to KL to personally get the letter from MARA HQ, and then stopped by KK to show it to me. That was one of the best days of my life!

Even when I was in the USA for my studies, he'd send me words of encouragement in his letters. When I received my Bachelor's Degree, I sent my parents a copy of my diploma with a note on the back thanking them. He was instrumental in my marriage to Pah, too.

When I returned to Malaysia and began working as a teacher, I tried to repay his kindness in many ways, but I knew that I could never match his kindness to me. He'd had a hard and difficult life both during the WWII and the peace that followed, and he wasn't about to let anything like that happen to any of his children. That I know for a fact. So while he was kind to me, he was also benevolent to his other offsprings. That's the mark of a true Ayah.

I always have my Ayah in mind. The physical distance we have between us might be too far, but he's never away from my heart. Thanks for everything, Ayah.

Happy Birthday!
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