Aman gave me a pleasant surprise on Sunday. We were, my wife & I, about to go to Azali's daughter's wedding when a Mini Cooper came into our driveway and honked. It was Aman, a dear friend from "old Felda" days. I insist on that adjective "old" but that merits another story.
Aman came with his now "hijjabbed" wife Salomi ( "She looks different" said my wife after they left ) just to pass me his book "Yesterday, Tomorrow ...." under the not particularly imaginative nom de guerre "Tok Man". "If I post it, it may not arrive" - not a similiarly imaginative description of the national service.
I was hugely happy to see him, and tried to hug him, but his awkward gait somehow made it, well, awkward, and I realized something was the matter. It was his right arm and right leg. It was only then related to me that he had a stroke ten years ago. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear about it."
I very much wanted them to stay longer, but they said they were in a hurry to go somewhere, and it was all I could do to serve them two glasses of cold grape juice before they took their leave.
Aman is an old friend from another time, now a lingering memory, of drives around KL (before the roads became impossible), of monthly departmental meetings of the regional officers poring over mountainous reports (before pc's and pads), of nights of jumping night-spots. I told Salomi I wasn't happy with the brevity of this visit, but I guess time we don't have control over.
Thank you, my friend, for that too quick a reunion of sorts, until another time. Take care. God Bless.
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