Mamah/granny remembered

I'll always remember mamah fondly for the advice she gave me on her sick bed back in the village. "Once you have chosen your path, never look back! However, do not forget your family ." That was more than 4 decades ago and she is no longer around yet her words are fresh in my mind. God bless her soul. I love you,mamah.

We kids liked to gather around mamah for all the fascinating Thai folklores that she told. We looked forwards to her return from the market with the bakul/basket on her head. After selling her home grown produce, she would buy home some kuih/kek or fruits . Since there were so many of us, mamah would usually go for quantity instead of quality when buying fruits as I recalled. I had no complaint as mamah would always lovingly peel and cut the fruits with us kids eagerly awaiting infront of her on the anjung/varendah. She made sure everyone has a share.

I never have any memory of mamah ever scolding us kids though we were always mischievious. Of course she would nag every now and then, but mostly about the adults, not us kids. The other adults were kongkong/grandpa, pa and ma, pa'younger brother and his wife and pa's younger sister. Mamah's five other children set up home in other parts of the state. They would only visit on occasions. According to ma, mamah was the only child in a well to do family. So she was rather 'manja' and did not like to do house work. However, she was thrifty and like to do small business.
That accounted for her daily trip to the town market. Her goods were 'pinang, sireh, ulam-ulam'.

Mamah was bed ridden after a bad fall. She was putting the goats out to graze when her legs got caught in the rope. She was in her 60's then. Twenty years later she passed away.

I'll always speak fondly of mamah to Abang and to our two children. I will keep remembering how her advice guided me through my 36 years of married life and gave me strength through my ups and downs in life. Mamah, you are one of a kind. I love you.

Childhood 1-'Lork'

One late afternoon, Sis and I were told to buy some 'budu'/fish sauce from a shop about 1/2 km from home. With a small aluminium basin in hand we walked through the rubber smallholding. The dried rubber leaves made squeeky sound under our feet. The sun light squeezed through the florage and casted shadows here and there. We hurried through the rubber trees and jogged along the dirt path. Hard luck. The budu was out of stock. Disappointed, we made for home.

Reaching the rubber smallholding, gradually, sis quickened her steps and overtook me. In return, I made the same move. The squeeky sound under our feet sounded eerie. The shadows were 'flying' among the rubber trees. After several attempts on our part to overtake one another and about 100 meters from home, Sis let fly the basin. We ran the fastest 100 meters of our life while yelling at the top of our voices.

I fell into the arms of Koek ( father's youngest sister) who was bathing by the well. Ma came running from the kitchen. Sis and I were speechless. We were panting away. It took a lot of coaxing from the adults before we came forth with some explanations. Colours returned to our small faces amidst laughters from the adults. We were told it was an episod of ' lork' or autosuggestion/self-scare. Ma and Koek went to recover the basin.

Anyway, sis and I developed fever for the next few days.