Friday, March 7, 2008 - A day before the 12th General Election. At at 6.30 a.m. while I was getting ready to office as ususal, the voice of the Japanese Girl living in my hand phone prompted me of an incoming SMS.
The sms “Bang, Pak Long meninggal Suboh tadi”. Sender, Ogy, my sister.
Immediately I called Ogy and spoke to her briefly.
Apparently, Pak Long died in his sleep before Suboh on Friday, March 7, 2008 at the age of 68.
I also called my youngest sister, Non. As her husband is away, I offered to fetch her together with her three little childrens. The journey to Mak Pet’s house in Pulau Gadong, Melaka, where our dear Pak Long’s body lies took us just 1.5 hours.
Pak Long little lifeless body placed on a mattress in the living covered with “kain batik lepas”.
The first 2 “fardhu kifayah” i.e. “mandi dan kafan” will be done at Mak Pet’s house while the “solat jenazah” will take place after Solat Jumaat at Masjid Pengkalan Rama (our own very kampong where Pak Long was born, breed and spent most of his younger days). Immediately after that, we will send Pak Long to his final resting place – JALAN DURIAN DAUN. Familiar name of a place…………?
Pak Long real name is Abdul Wahab bin Abd Ghani and the eldest surviving uncle of mine. He was born normal and healthy until high fever affected his brain. He became retarded (after this I will drop the word retarded and replace the word with “less”)
Even Pak Long is “less”, he is still consider more and lovable to many to compare to many other “enough” peoples that I knew. He is very popular in our own kampong and few nearby “kampongs”. If he is free after helping to do some simple house chores (he is “less” but not stupid or lazy unlike some of us), he would go “jalan-jalan cari kerja”. In return to his “work” people will pay him a dollar or two. Sometime, he manages 5 to 10 ringgit. He doesn’t know the real meaning and the value of numbers as he never attended any school. But he know in order to get something in return from shops or kedai kopi, you need to present money. He only knows money by its colour i.e. biru, hijau or merah and to him “duit merah” is the highest value of all notes. He carries this thought until his last few months with us………..
In the mid 80’s, Pak Long came to live with my aunty in Kuala Lumpur. In fact I also live with her during my early days in Kuala Lumpur. When he is in the mood, me and my other cousins sister always tease him just to test how high his IQ go go to. Normally, after that we all will burst in laughter.
I like to share with you one funny event of teasing which took place some 20 years ago.
I used to have a beautiful grey Persian cat called Regent. Everyone in the house adore and love him. One evening we test him :-
Tipah,Su,Remah & Me : Pak Long, mei le kejap
Pak Long : Haah, nak apa?
TSRM : Pak Long, Pegi amek si Regent kat atas katil.
Pak Long : Nak buat apa?
TSRM : Pegi buang dia kat tong sampah besau kat depan.
Pak Long : Eh nak buang Regent? (he looked puzzled)
TSRM : Ye lah, pagi buang dia. Mak Nyah yang suroh (my aunty)
Pak Long : Betol ke? (He frown and look reluctant)
TSRM : Yeaaaa, pegi buang dia……
Pak Long : Alah, bohong……….Tak kan nak buang…….Sayang…
TSRM : Ye lah, pegi buang dia. Kita suma tak nak dia lagi lah….
Pak Long : Bohong nie. Tak nak la…..Suma sayang…..
The sms “Bang, Pak Long meninggal Suboh tadi”. Sender, Ogy, my sister.
Immediately I called Ogy and spoke to her briefly.
Apparently, Pak Long died in his sleep before Suboh on Friday, March 7, 2008 at the age of 68.
I also called my youngest sister, Non. As her husband is away, I offered to fetch her together with her three little childrens. The journey to Mak Pet’s house in Pulau Gadong, Melaka, where our dear Pak Long’s body lies took us just 1.5 hours.
Pak Long little lifeless body placed on a mattress in the living covered with “kain batik lepas”.
The first 2 “fardhu kifayah” i.e. “mandi dan kafan” will be done at Mak Pet’s house while the “solat jenazah” will take place after Solat Jumaat at Masjid Pengkalan Rama (our own very kampong where Pak Long was born, breed and spent most of his younger days). Immediately after that, we will send Pak Long to his final resting place – JALAN DURIAN DAUN. Familiar name of a place…………?
Pak Long real name is Abdul Wahab bin Abd Ghani and the eldest surviving uncle of mine. He was born normal and healthy until high fever affected his brain. He became retarded (after this I will drop the word retarded and replace the word with “less”)
Even Pak Long is “less”, he is still consider more and lovable to many to compare to many other “enough” peoples that I knew. He is very popular in our own kampong and few nearby “kampongs”. If he is free after helping to do some simple house chores (he is “less” but not stupid or lazy unlike some of us), he would go “jalan-jalan cari kerja”. In return to his “work” people will pay him a dollar or two. Sometime, he manages 5 to 10 ringgit. He doesn’t know the real meaning and the value of numbers as he never attended any school. But he know in order to get something in return from shops or kedai kopi, you need to present money. He only knows money by its colour i.e. biru, hijau or merah and to him “duit merah” is the highest value of all notes. He carries this thought until his last few months with us………..
In the mid 80’s, Pak Long came to live with my aunty in Kuala Lumpur. In fact I also live with her during my early days in Kuala Lumpur. When he is in the mood, me and my other cousins sister always tease him just to test how high his IQ go go to. Normally, after that we all will burst in laughter.
I like to share with you one funny event of teasing which took place some 20 years ago.
I used to have a beautiful grey Persian cat called Regent. Everyone in the house adore and love him. One evening we test him :-
Tipah,Su,Remah & Me : Pak Long, mei le kejap
Pak Long : Haah, nak apa?
TSRM : Pak Long, Pegi amek si Regent kat atas katil.
Pak Long : Nak buat apa?
TSRM : Pegi buang dia kat tong sampah besau kat depan.
Pak Long : Eh nak buang Regent? (he looked puzzled)
TSRM : Ye lah, pagi buang dia. Mak Nyah yang suroh (my aunty)
Pak Long : Betol ke? (He frown and look reluctant)
TSRM : Yeaaaa, pegi buang dia……
Pak Long : Alah, bohong……….Tak kan nak buang…….Sayang…
TSRM : Ye lah, pegi buang dia. Kita suma tak nak dia lagi lah….
Pak Long : Bohong nie. Tak nak la…..Suma sayang…..
TSRM : HAHAHAH… Kau ingat dia bodo ke? Kau org lagi bodo.Hahahah
And true enough he knows we just out to bluff him. So, the moral of the story is, he is “less” but he at least know what is the real meaning of love………
The second installment will come next week.......Be patient.
5 comments:
The value of 'duit merah' remind me of one insiden last raya which made me had a big laugh. He still wanted a 'duit merah' even RM gave to him is more than that.
The 'less' is for ahli syurga. Alfatehah.
Ur Bro...
Al-Fatehah for him(really make me sad)...so much to remember on him that can give a bad image of our own self...he really knows how to earn his own living,I still remember that I also manage to tumpang few cents from that "income"just like u said..."lurus",do what ever we ask him without any question,eat whatever we give him(remember-he will request "kuah lebih"..and we called it like itik makan),sleep wherever we tell him...but one thing we must remember my bro...InsyaAllah his going to heaven bcos of he is "less"-meaning=very2 less soal kubor....we are "more" and "advance"(nothing to be proud of)...a lot,lot,lot of soal kubor....so in this case-his lucky....moga Allah merahmatinya.
to aziah :
very true. i always look it this way : there is at least one lesson i could learn i.e. be satisfied in life (syukur) in what i have to offer and what i really get in life. but again, i always fail........
razak majid
Yes, very true.I am sad too.As somebody who is much lesser than us (in anything - looks, educations, thinking, etc.),he makes us look really bad.We are always very ungrateful to what we enjoy in this world – most all the time.I also managed to “eat” few precious dollar from his hard earned money.He spent his whole entire life by only complying to what we order him and never at any point of time he complicate it! You are very right about he eats what we serve in the plate for him, he wears any attire we take out from the cupboard, he sleep any corner we place the mat for him.
On the day of his funeral, before I left the graveyard, suddenly I thought what would his grave be. We know a grave could only be 2 scenario - One of the garden of heaven or One of the hole of hell. I believe “Allah Yang Maha Penyayang dan Maha Pengampun dan Maha Bijaksana” will give him the scenario number 1. Very much less "soal kubur" and a very breezy movement during Mahsyar and place him in His Jannah. InsyaAllah.
Al-Fatehah for our dear Pak Long. Amin.
razak majid
....sometimes we might think it's better for us to be born like that...but Allah SWT knows well what to do...He created us like what we are now,so we must accept that...only the "process of fulfill" our life should be very different than Pak Long...so much thing(amal)to do with very little times left(we must always think our ajal will come at any condition and time)...moga Allah merahmati kluarga kita and help us to the jalan yg dirahmati...
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