Selamat Jalan Abah We

I met him last, at the end of September in a family function in Ayer Keroh. Before I left, I hugged and kissed him as I usually did as of late. You know at his age you never know when we will last meet. It could be that I may meet my maker even sooner than him. But we all knew, that every single day of his life then was a bonus. I went home to Tg Bidara for every single family function that I could this year, especially considering the short distance from Seremban. In fact, I was there every other month. I would have been back even more had it not for all my other family responsibilities and work commitments.  

It had been 5 lonely years for him since my grandmother passed away. But he soldiered on. He celebrated his 91st birthday last February. It was the first time he ever had a cake or even had a somewhat 'formal' birthday celebration. We all rallied around him and made him cut the cake and actually pose for photos afterwards. He was happy. We were too.   

Last Thursday, was the last time family members could actually hear him talk. He had a bad cough, a fever and difficulty breathing. He suffered a cardiac arrest while seeking treatment in a clinic with my uncle on Friday and was sent to hospital for further treatment. The whole family gathered and waited while he was under observation. Come midnight Saturday morning, he passed away in his sedated condition peacefully. Innalilahiwainnailaihiraji'un...

He definitely had 91 years of colourful life. He's the epitome of a traditional Lelaki Melayu Terakhir, strict, no nonsense man, whom adhered to a patriarch role to the core. But he's also witty, kind-hearted and very involved and on top of everything for his family. He's a very handsome man, reaching almost 7 feet tall. If he was born in this era, he would have been cast as a fashion model :-)

But that's not what made him the man that he is. He will be sorely missed for being the man that took good care of his family and protected them safely in an era where those who lived in kampung remained uneducated, future uncertain. For someone born in the 20s, he was as educated as anyone who was raised in the city can be. I was actually amazed at how intelligent he was considering the era, time and place he was raised. He fought for what he believed was right and stand true to his principles till the rest of his life.

Hari ini aku bangun daripada tidur dan teringat akan hari-hari terakhir bersamamu ini Abah We. Terasa suatu kehilangan yang aku tidak dapat kugambarkan :-(. Mungkin masa akan mengubat duka dan luka ini. Setiap kami bersedih dengan cara kami sendiri, tapi aku mahu kau tahu, tidak ada hati yang tidak terkesan dengan pemergianmu. Kami semua sayang Abah, seperti mana kami semua cintakan Mak. Semoga Abah dapat bertemu kembali Mak di sana nanti. 

Abah We tercinta, selamat jalan. Semoga rohmu dicucuri RahmatNya dan tergolong bersama orang-orang yang beriman. Sampaikan salam kami kepada Mak. Suatu hari nanti kami susuli dan In Sya Allah kita semua bakal bertemu kembali di Syurga Firdausi. Ameen.