Its been a while since i last update my blog . and its all due to time constraint , mostly visiting tok ( a nick for grandpa in malay ) in the hospital . this entry gonna be a long one . So , bear with it .
I badly wanted to type this story of mine with tok . so here it goes .
Flashback . When i was very much younger , we often slept over at Tok's place . My sister (Yana) and me would slept with him , he being in the middle on the Queen bed. nenek ( grandma) would slept on the floor . in the middle of the night , when Yana and me couldnt sleep , Tok will advise us to recite some prayers cos he said that by reciting some prayers, it could make us asleep. On the very morning when nenek have left for work , Tok will be the one making breakfast . Boiled water to make milo / tea for us and he then will read newspaper for the day .
When he went to work , which is only about 15mins walk from home , we would wave to him from above . There were times when we went over to Tok's working place at West Coast Recreation Centre and play at the playground . We were so young back then.
Tok was a man of few words . He was a very nice and kind man I've ever met and known . Nenek on the other hand , wants us to go home as soon as evening arrives but Tok understands us more . Because he loves company , he'll siding us . No matter who the person was , Tok loves when people came to visit him . And when we wanted to go home , he would sadly said " why so fast , u want to go home ? "
Despite these , Tok was an emotional person especially when watching dramas or movies that touched his heart . He would cry .
Few years ago , Tok was bedridden and suffered gout . There was nobody to look after him . I cant recall why I was the one who took care of him but somehow , Im glad that I did . It was months of difficult time for me . Nobody knew how hard it was to be me at that point of time . As soon as the clock strikes 7pm , he would shout for pain . Family members who came to visit will massage his legs to ease the pain . And when they went home , i took over until the very next morning. 2am , i would carry him to the wheelchair myself to bring him around the house and back to his bed . Continue to massage n recite prayers for him until 7am . Bathe him , help him wearing his clothes , feed him . He slept during the daytime and awakes at night . It was unforgettable until a maid came by .
He dont talk much as nenek . But he loved to share history with everyone . His family history , and how he experienced World War . He can speak english , malay , boyanese and japanese . Mind you , he was a great joker too ! That was my Tok .
A week before he pass on , i have been diligently visited him in the hospital . Seeing him with so many tubes being inserted to his body , was painful in sight. It was worst when he was in coma 3 days before he was gone .
This was sadly , my first , experiencing death in my family .
Tok will always and forever be in our heart . We love you . We miss you .
You will always be in our prayers.
Ameen .
Haji Hori Bin Matrais 1927-2010
No comments:
Post a Comment