Happy Times
Few dates after that, we become much closer and I do love her. I didn’t bring her roses more than once or twice. She was not frustrated but she somehow understands my financial problems. I don't have an income. Months gone by, we met almost every weekend. We progressed to holding hands, but never more than that. Our dates usually end very early because we only used public transportation.
We had fun. We had fun together as most of lovers do, or did. We were in love. You might say it was a puppy love, but we don’t care. We never introduce ourselves to our parents simply because we were scared. We were eighteen years old. We were too young to involve in this kind of relationship.
At the end of 1991, I told her that I want to work with her at Yaohan, a family store. She was excited and introduces her supervisor to me. I’ve got the job, in the gentleman’s department, selling pants. It was good pay, RM500.00 (for someone who had never worked before this is good...) per month. They accepted me even though I told them that I can only work for a month. It was a school holiday, and I still want to continue my study. This is the ‘power’ that I told earlier about her. I do not know how she persuaded her superior, but because of her, they accepted me on their payroll.
Ironically, when I started work, she was gone. She moved to another store at Taman Maluri, Jaya Jusco. I was there alone, frustrated. The main reason I want to work there was to be near her. I don’t mind. She got her priority, and once a while she came to see me while I was working. We went for lunch or dinner, which every time she came. Mind you, not every day, but occasionally.
The start of 1992 was good. I’ve got money to spend, and a girl to spend it with. Even though my school was at Ampang, she was at working in Cheras; I went to see her almost every day. I had to travel with 2 busses. It was not a burden to me. I was glad to do it. I travelled one and half hour to get there with public transportation. In 1992 there were still no electric trains, not much highways, even a few of the busses was not air condition. She got a Chinese friend, named Yong, (cannot find her now. Until today, she still doesn’t know Siti is gone) and for the time being she was staying with her. Her house was too far to travel back and fro every day.
She was not that excited to see me every day. She said I was distracting. Once a while was okay, but every day, she felt awkward. I don’t blame her. I was disturbing her work. So I concurred. I did not see her every day. She instead posts me a miss you card every day. She even kissed and put some perfume on the card. This is how she tells me that she was crazy in love with me and even though we don’t see each other every day it didn’t mean that she didn’t missed me. I didn’t appreciate the card. I wish I did now. I wish I kept it. I wish a lot of thing. I wish I’m the one who is sick and died…
Her weekly rest day usually was on weekdays, but it was a school day for me. As I was in form six, my school uniform was also different. I wore white pants with a white shirt. Obviously badges at that time was steel with a pin, not a small cloth you stick/stitch on the front pocket. I do look old enough for people to look at me not as a school boy but as someone who is already working. As what other boy s do stupid thing when they were in love, I did it too. I skipped class and went to see her.
My father just bought a new car, a Proton Saga, so he seldom uses his old car. Even though I haven’t got my license yet, I drive my father’s old car, a Toyota KE30, and went on a date with Siti. I lied to my parents (sorry mom and dad) and told them that my teacher wants to borrow the car. We always went somewhere that doesn’t cost much; the library, museum, zoo, lakes, movies, from morning to sunset. That was our time frame, so that our parents won’t catch us as a couple (actually only my parent, Siti’s mom knows about me and her).
Almost every week I will skip my school, (sometime with the car, and sometime not) and see Siti. We never quarrel, never had a fight, never even a miss understanding. The only thing that annoyed me was, whenever we went out, everybody would stare and smile. She was a beautiful girl and tall, while I was (not bad looking myself) short. We don’t mind. We still hold hands, tighter when people staring and smile cynically. We always smile back, and when they notice us noticed them, they look away awkwardly, and we laughed.
I think my family and friends can agree that Siti have this laugh that invites you to join her. If she laughs, automatically and magically you will fall under her spell and laughed with her. The sound of her laughing, for me and my children was an antidote. Tuah always asked her whenever she was laughing, while laughing himself, (after translation) “mom, tell me why are you laughing?” and that my dear readers made her laugh more.
I love to make jokes, as many of you know me, and my favorite audience was her. I loved to make her laughed. She sometime laughed so hard until she cried. I would gave away everything (except my children) to hear that laugh again. That ‘magic will bound you in my spell and you must laugh with me also’ laugh…
I have to stop writing for a while. I am not sure where this smoke comes from but it reached my eyes. I will continue it later. I don’t want the keyboard spoiled from my watery eyes… the next part I will tell you a part of our relationship that I never told anyone but closest friends who was there for me thick and thin. For those people who knew Siti’s black past, this was the reason...
...to be continued
...to be continued
museum 1991
hafiz.... kurusnye heheheheh... sekarang lagi ensem (sikit) hehehe
ReplyDelete