the story about her

"leka nk apa, bgtau, makchq beli". that is what she said to me when i was sulking, wandering around at some mall. i was a kid, full of anger. i was alone. literally. like hell i care.

"haa..? xpayah la.. hehe" turning away. back to being ignorant and blurry. slow motion and stupid kid. "why did i have to come here, not that i can get anything, i dun have my parents here. whats the point?", i said to myself (p/s: after translated to english). i had to come here with my aunts and my cousins to buy them things.

i was looking at a pencil case. a lonely-have-to-stay-in-that freaking-house 7 years old kid liking a cute pencil case was normal. but, what could i say, i couldnt buy it. i dun have my parents with me! and i was freaking mad to my cousins. i was mad to my parents, i was sad, i was jealous. i was only 7 years old!

"leka suka? makchaq beli na?" me looking away, wanted to rebel everything. no need. no need. i dun need other's sympathy. "dak aahhh... xpa,.." answered me, people parents buying me things instead of my parents. oh how i hate this f**king place.other kids excited when they went out with their mom and dad to a mall, me?? i wanted to go home. i hate this house. why they had to sent me here?!

when we were home, my aunt called me and gave me the pencil case. and smiled. i loved the smile. really.


******years passed*****

yes. this story is about her. my aunt. not just any aunt, but my mak chaq. i remembered when i was "mentally tortured" in the house, she was the only one who smiled at me, loved me.
if it came to english, i would ask her. and gently, she would answer it. i hated my years there. i cant remember any memories there except her. memories of her. she was the only strength i had. and when she moved from there, i felt like a cripple. when my friend from london wrote me an english letter, i would run to her and ask her to read and translate it for me.
she would stop her work and read me my letter. the way she read something, looking above her glass, i loved it. i like the way she explains something.
i liked the way she never scold me like everyone else scolded me for being so stupid.
i liked the way she said so politely and gently.
i like the way she supported me whenever i'm about to fall down.
i liked the way she praised me in everything i do when others see me like a freak.
when others never praised me.
i liked the way she said "makchaq xdk ank pompuan" and smiled at me. like she wanted to consider me as her daughter.
i liked the way she never bad mouthing people, she never saw people's flaw. everyone is flawless. i swear she never whining or complaining. never. the most optimist person i've ever met.
not optimist, but the greatest. the greatest person in this farted up world, the greatest mother, the greatest aunt.
her sons were so lucky to have her as their mother.
she was so strong to raise all her 5 sons by herself without her husband.


you know that i didnt like to be a teacher because i dont deserve for it. and for some part, because teachers are suck, they never believed their students, they always shitting around about how bad their students are, they act almighty, they think they are right, they judge people without asking the truth, they believe all stupid bitches, they are bias, they are not even trying to be close to students,they never put hope for hopeless students, and more importantly, they just want money, they never want to sincerely teach knowledge, give their knowledge. but all they give is shit.

yes, makchaq was a teacher, an english teacher.


******when i was in kmkn.*****

mak chaq was so sick. i didnt have the chance to visit her. not once. she was starting to forget people's faces by the time i was in kmkn. my mom said that they went to visit her, and the first thing she said when she saw my parents was,

"mana leka?"

i was nearly cry when my mom told me. i was like, oh, mak chaq's gonna get well soon, i will visit her when the holidays start.

one night, when i was studying for my exam, i suddenly missed her.

"hello, ngah? mak chaq cmna?? ok ka dak??"

"owh.. mak chaq dok kt hospitl.. xtau la, ngah nk p tgk pon, wan sapa nk jga??" her voice changed and i smell something fishy.

"tu la, leka pon xtgk lg.. mak kta, mak chaq tnya psl leka, dua kali dh mk ngan abah p, dua kali mkchaq tnya leka." i dont know why, but suddenly,i started to cry.

silent.....

"xpa la, ni dh lwat dh ni" and i swear, i heard ngah's silent cry. ang she hung up on me.

i was crying, i really dont know why.

********

"mak chaq dh xdk" that was the sentence when my brother texted me. i was walking at that time. i collapsed.

*********

"tolong la, cikgu. dpa nk simpn mak sedara sya esok. saya nk mintak sehari ja cuti, lpas kelas saya p, saya xkn ponteng kelas!"

"nak wat cmna, saya terpaksa ikut prosedur, tulis surat pengecualian dan saya akan pertimbangkan permohonan kamu"

fart you. fart you.

********

the moment i saw makchaq's body, i broke down. people were crying.

*****

when many people crying over a person's death, it means that the world is losing someone who was great and kind. the kindest.

2009.. Salmah binti Ismail


************today********


this morning i went to their house. cleaning stuff because they are moving. when we clearing things, we found something that belongs to makchaq.
a card, an old card that have been bitten by rats given by her former student 2 years before makchaq's death.

"assalamualaikum. pertama sekali saya ingin ucapkan selamat Hari Raya buat cikgu yang senantiasa dihargai jasamu. di kesempatan ini juga ingin benar saya memohon ampun dan maaf kiranya selama 17 thn yang lalu ada saya menyakiti dan menyusahkan cikgu... hehehe... mungkin cikgu dah x ingt lg akan anak murid cikgu yang satu nie.. tp saya tetap akn ingt 'cikgu Salmah' buat selamanya... kerana jasa cikgu lah saya dapat menjadi diri saya sekarang nie... jasa cikgu akn dikenang selalu... cikgu Salmahlah yang pertama merotan dan menarik telinga saya yang nakal nie.. teringin benar rasanya nak berjumpa dgn cikgu.. insyaAllah ada rezeki, dapat juga sya berjumpa dgn cikgu Salmah.. akhir kata, sambutlah aidilfitri ini dengan sempurna. terimalah salam hormat dan kasih drpd anak muridmu yang nakal ini...-mohd hafiz bin ramli."


not knowing that her beloved teacher had already gone.


i was touched the first time i read this. i was like, the teacher that i only saw in TV is actually existed. was. the kind of teacher that teach students, and students remember them from their primary school, until they've gotten old. mak chaq was the most favorite teacher in her school i think because she received zillions of presents from students every time teachers' day came. even from her former students. three buses of her students came to her funeral.


i respect her. can i become a teacher or perhaps a lecturer (insyaAllah) like her??