I miss you, abah...

+ My abah

Today I miss my father so much. He was hospitalised for 2 days last 2 weeks. It hit me hard this time around. I never knew what homesickness is all about but what I am experiencing now is beyond the feeling of homesick. All the moments with my dad came rushing into my head. At this moment I want to be beside him – just to have the feeling that I am face to face with him.

To be honest – I don’t care about father’s day so much as for me, everyday is a father’s day to me. It is all special with my thoughts towards my father. Mind you, I was never close to my father until the year I came back from UK. That was the turning point. The adulthood demanded me to keep the gap close and try to cherish the moments. And that’s exactly what I did until a point where I could ask him, "Bah, jom minum teh kek Pilah!", upon which he would iron his short-sleeved shirt and, the next thing I knew, I was with him in his favourite mamak stall in Kuala Pilah…

This is the bond I have with him now, which I am so grateful for. I can still feel the strong hug he gave me at Heathrow when I flew them in for my graduation in 2006. He left my mother behind and he rushed to hug me. I thought it was a uncomfortable experience for him to fly that long to London – but he slowly whispered to my ears that he’d never imagine to set foot in UK. That was nice.

I hardly talk to him when I call. It is always my mother. Occasionally I speak to him. It is always short, assuring me that all is well. It is always like that. But it is all fulfilled and we know that there is this unspoken bond that we have.

To abah – you will get well real soon, I know and I can’t wait to see you again this September, and we can head for our usual roti canai and teh tarik in Pilah. And not to forget, that I will drive you to Pilah to get your favourite Kuey Tiow at Pasar Ramadhan...