Today is my father 81st birthday, but he left us in December last year. We celebrated his birthday during Raya last year, but we could see that he was not feeling well.In fact during Ramadan last year he complained that his stomach feel bloated, and he couldn’t eat much. The doctor diagnosed that he had a gastric, and asked him to cut on some of the spicy food and gassy drinks. But the doctor was wrong. It was not!
We going to miss him this Raya especially his famous 'Sup Tulang'. He would dragged mum to market, and buy ribs to make his special soup. He knew that his kids love his soup, and this year, we would still make it, but he won’t be there to eat it with us.
He didn’t go out much during last year Hari Raya. He only went to was my sister’s house, and my brother’s house in Bahau. I still remembered while we had fun, eating, drinking and singing, he just sat quietly in a corner watching us.
He didn’t eat much, and later he went to sit inside the car because he found it difficult to breath. We were worried with his condition. My sister, Zura, then took him back with her to KL, and sent him to see the specialist. That when we found out he didn't have a gastric, but liver cancer. He further told her it was already at stage four.
He only lasted for four months, and during that four month whatever he wanted to eat, we tried to get it for him. At one time, he wanted to eat ‘asam katuk’. My niece went all the way to Malacca to buy it, and later we found out it’s available in KL too.
Now he’s gone, every time we went out for dinner or lunch, we always think of him because he loved to eat. And when he was alive, my youngest sister, Zailin and Zura, would take him to all the places he wanted to go. He loved that very much, and when he was in the hospital, my sister, Ami and Along Norlia, took care of him. This four women are angels.
Thank you to all my sisters for taking care of abah.
‘Ya Allah, ampuni dosa ayahku dan tempatkan lah dia di kalangan orang-orang yang beriman. Amin’ - Al fatihah.
Salam.
