When the Time Comes..

Story 1

My flight landed on KLIA airport approximately at 6.40 p.m last Wednesday. I immediately spotted my family members (Ma, Abe Yam, Along and Iwa) plus my bro's girlfriend after I left the arrival hall. Mamat was also there, waiting for Ada. We headed back to Kelantan with the last MAS flight at 10.50 p.m. It's good to be back..after 2 years. I unpacked my luggages and was disappointed to find out that most of my cups had broken (Aku bli a set of 8..tinggal 2 jek okk). Well, takde rezki nak wat cmne kan (That's what my mom said). We weren't sleepy at all, so we had a very late supper at 2.30 a.m. (Yes, my family is adapting to U.S. time, not the other way around..haha). When we're ready to sleep, my mom suddenly broke the silence..

Mom: Tau tak, Mok Jaghoh (My grandma on my father's side) dah mati?
Me: Ya Allah..bilo?
Mom: Senin arituh..
Me: Bakpo?
Mom: Keno bunuh..rumoh masok oghe cughi

I expected answers like "Sakit tua..or sakit lamo doh", but this was definitely out of question. I was shocked, surprised..after all, that was the very first news that I received after coming home. My mom said to wait until I had my food, calmly settled down before breaking out the bad news. Along (my elder sis) handed me in Harian Metro, which reported the death of arwah. My aunt's face was on the page, crying bitterly. Suddenly, I felt bitter too. Arwah that I knew was a strong woman, although she's already 84. She might have some hearing problems, but she's generally healthy. My aunt's family was still mourning, not to mention that they had to entertain the police's investigation almost everyday. Thanks God the investigation was almost over and the culprit was also arrested.

Story 2

I just met Far's mom to give her the package from Far when I received the second bad news. She mentioned that Far was already on her way to State College after spending a few days at Smoky mountain. I went upstairs to check my email and saw a message from Nisa with the subject 'bulan'. I had a few things on my mind.. was Nisa talking about Bulan, our freshman or is it a forwarded tazkirah about bulan-bulan Islam. I read her email a few times and couldn't believe it. She passed me a message that Bulan (our freshman) had passed away. I told myself that I can't receive 2 death news in a week. I immediately smsed her and asked for details. Arway tragically drown in a fall area in Smoky Mountain. I bet Far didn't tell her mom yet as the latter didn't mention anything to me. Far must be worried and sad, too...Although I'm not that close to arwah, he's still someone that I personally know. I was told that he's scheduled to fly back to Malaysia tomorrow (Thursday). I feel sorry for his family and all my Penn State friends, especially those who were in the same trip as him.

I told my mom, and she said "Bila dah tiba masanya.." Yes, when the time comes, there's nothing we could do. In both instances, nobody could have predicted that my late grandma and arwah Bulan were leaving us this way. There's no age restriction..That's one thing I learn. It's a theory that everyone knows, but most do not want to believe until it happens to people around them.

I pray for the success of my late grandma's case and hope that my family members' and Bulan's stay strong. I'll always remember them in my doa..insya-Allah. Al-Fatihah.