MY LIFE STORY CONTINUE - JALAN DURIAN DAUN

Dona says I am ladies man - old ladies. I can't deny it as I won their heart easily and easier than the younger women. The younger one "banyak songeh". Sorry but it is quite true.

We also have to face few bad character during the "testing" period of our life (now also Allah S.W.T. still testing us but different scenario only). This people most of the time make our life more miserable. I will relate the experience but as not to "expose" them publicly, I shall not mention their real name but I create a ficticious name for them :

1. PL - This old man always drive me up the wall. Come to think of it, I was quite close to his family and his wife. In fact all is children are my childhood friend. I also try my best to make him like me as one of his children but I believe being poor, I have no status. I am a midget. I don't mean anything to him. Most of the time, he made our slipper to develop leg and hide themselves inside the bush (sometime we couldn't locate it) or he made my bicycle tyre flat or when I went to watch television at his house, he purposely smear sambal belacan or sambal goreng on the floor so I would sit on it and my ass will be "hot" (I never tell any one about this, not even my family) or when he eats something and I happen to pass by he would say "huh, sedap, sedap, sedapnye" just to tempt and tease me or he like to put his two hands in his pockets and then shake and shake the coins inside or show the notes he has. Sometime he even insulted my late great grandmother as si pekak (yes, my great grand mother is deaf but unlike other pekak people, when you talk to her, you must face her and talk as if you are whispering as she would be reading your lips! Great! If she is still alive, she would be with Police Intellegence Team.

2. MM - This lady is very dominant. Most of the time what ever my family want to do, we have to seek her permission. Actually, she controls my mum more than anybody else in this world. She must be informed of our activities i.e. what are our plan, where we are going plus the reason, how long, even if our relative were to come for a visit! Gosh! If she catch my family did something without telling her, mum will get it. She will give a cynical and nasty remarks and repeating it for days. Sometime give a cold shoulder treatment. As for me and being the eldest in my family, my mum will assign me to be involved in her family activity - I stand as a labour ok! I hate it but what choice do I have. I did it all because of my mum. I don't wish to make things more difficult for her. She suffers enough.

3. APW,AMU,APB,AMB, - This Magnificent Four basically not only bullying my family but also my great grand mother Arwah Cik bin Kedum, grand father Arwah Abd Ghani bin Abu Bakar, grand mother Arwah Munah bin Bache' (please sedekah Al-Fatehah to this three beloved peoples of my family). My aunties also no escape. They looked down on my whole entire family. I still remember, they refuse to change their daughter wedding date even though we had earlier book the same weekend. We can't change because the invitation card has been printed. Most of our guest wrongly eat at their house as my grand mother house is at the back of theirs. The money and the gift would be theirs as you would normally give it to them before you eat and there is no way you can ask for it to be return to you. Their character is similiar to MM but got one "un-value added" - stingy. They are well to do but I don't know why they always see the small children including me like seeing thief. If they saw me or any other children pass by and keep on looking at the mangoes tree, guava, buah nona, jambu air and buah mentega, they will shout hah, tengok apa tu? If we happen to go and ask for it, they will come out with ever prepared reason as "buah tak tua, belum masak, ada orang dah pesan dan macam-macam lagi lah". If they give also, the fruit will be tagged with many condition of No, No, No, No (they can't so no forever, because poor people also have bad habit and never learn, never give up and don't know to take no as an answer and will keep on asking). Their condition goes like this "jangan makan dengan garam, kicap, gula, jangan buat sambal belacan, jangan masak kuah, jangan itu dan jangan ini. I think they are short of saying "JANGAN MINTAK LAGI LAH, BODOH, DEGIL DAN TAK RETI BAHASA PUNYA ORANG MISKIN". Mind you, the fruit hanging on the trees more than enough to feed the whole kampung but I think the SETAN keep on whispering to them not to give to people. Sadly, they obeyed. Actually, I don't know what they do with it. Thats why, when my mum managed to redeem my ancestor land (16 years ago), the first thing my brother and sisters did - plant 4 type of mangoes tree. After so many years, the tree are still around until today and still bear fruit and the fruit are in good quality and condition eventhough we kept giving to who ever pass by and ask for it - with no condition!!! Do what you like. We are not supersticious. Tak percaya langsung dengan perkara karut marut ni dan tak terbukti pun dengan kemajuan sains. We even let them pluck themselves but we only reminded them don't pluck the young fruit as it will be wasted. The fruit doesn't seem to finish. Always there. By the way all this 4 magnificient has gone to live somewhere else, far far away and never return till today. Lets sedekah them Al-Fatehah. Amin.

Before I end this chapter three, I would like say that the story above, is true but I did not have any intention to talk bad about people. I only like to share the story of my life. The experience and the history of my life and what we have gone through. When I was much younger, I use to wish that I am not the eldest among my siblings, so I don't have to suffer more than them, but I guess Allah S.W.T. Maha Mengetahui when He created me to be Abang Long in my family. Alhamdulillah, today, I have no regret because I know the reason to it. I must be thankful to Allah S.W.T. for his creation and for sending me not only very kind people but the not so kind as well. They played their role well and they made me what I am today. Allhamdulillah. Actually, this is also tribute to them lah.

If only I can wish for something, I would like to have my Nenek (actually my moyang, Arwah Cik), Atok (Arwah Abd Ghani) and Mak Mok (my fat dear grand mother Arwah Munah) back, even for 1 or 1/2 a day, so I can shower them with a little luxury in life. But I know it is wishful thinking. They are all gone at the peak of our "miskin time". They have returned to the place where they came from. "Dari tanah kamu dijadikan dan tanah juga kamu dikembalikan". But, I know Allah S.W.T. have better plan for them as He is The Greatest Planner, The Ultimate One. I believe they are in better place than any of us now. May Allah S.W.T. bless their soul. Al-Fatehah. Amin.

Whether I like it or not, sooner or later, I will also return to where I belong, the very same place to join them one day.

Chapter 4 will follow soon.