Pa' Ijoi a.k.a. Ahmad Zulkifli died Saturday 21st March (30th Jamadilawal), not quiet 60.
I think it was a fortnight ago that he came to the house on his way home from Bangi. After some refreshments he took a nap on the carpet in the sitting room. I gave him a cushion as a pillow. He woke up around Asr.
Exactly a year ago he had a minor heart attack and was hospitalised at the Kuala Pilah Hospital, but for only a few days. The hospital staff had said "yours is a serious case, uncle."
In fact a few years ago Pa' Ijoi, who would kiss Dekna whenever they meet, something even I don't always do to this only daughter of mine, went for some tests at IJN, and was later scheduled for angioplasty. He never went.
Pa' Ijoi was a strapping guy with a matching love for good cuisine, who didn't give too much concern for his high bp and blood sugar. Because I have the same problems, I often advised him to watch out his food intake and not to forget his medication. God Decides when it's time; we should also take care of ourselves.
We were on our way to lunch when Idah got the call from Balkis in the car - Pa' Ijoi was "unconscious". The long lunch planned was cut short; several calls were made - to Ari, Bangdek, Kak Long Izan, Dekna and some others I can't remember now. I also called Balkis again, and this time her reply was ominous. Pa' Ijoi was foaming in the mouth and wasn't responding at all. Balkis was alone. She spooned some sugared warm water but it just spilled out from Pa' Ijoi still lips. She said several people she had called were at the house already, and the ambulance from Juasseh had been called. I tried to calm her. Then I called my brother Dr. Din at his clinic in Bahau, and asked him to have a look immediately. I found out later that he came quickly, before the arrival of the ambulance and with another doctor. But it was already too late. When I pieced the sequence of events, I put the time of death at 2 p.m. In the official Police report I believe they put it at 3. We arrived at at the house at about 3.45 p.m.
I felt specially close to him. Ai and I always teased him with "Chi oledi". It was that song by Tom Jones, and Pa' Ijoi was staying with Bangdek in Ampang Jaya, and Ai was also staying there, attending school there, I think, and the song went "She's a lady..... !", but Pa' Ijoi, not knowing English and learning the song by ear was giving it his own pronounciation ! When Bangdek moved to the Jalan Tun Razak government quarters, Pa' Ijoi followed him. They gave him the servant's room behind the kitchen that came with the quarters. Because Kak Zawiah would lock the kitchen doors quite early at night, Pa' Ijoi would go to the shops nearby for late-night snacks. To this day I don't think Bangdek knows about this. I used to bring my .22 rifle whenever we went back to the house in Lonek, and Pa' Ijoi loved to shoot and suggested I leave the gun with him. He had a firearms licence and his own double-barreled shotgun and was a good shot. Hari Rayas he'd wrestled me to get the "ang pows" I'd carry with me to distribute to his three kids. I would tease him about PAS and PKR of which he was sympathetic, and me with my UMNO ties. In fact if he was UMNO he would have been "Ketua Kampong" long ago. Ketua Kampong is Government, and paid.
When I helped bathe his remains on the house varendah on Sunday morning, his body was firm and sturdy, and he looked as if in deep sleep. We laid him to rest next to his mother's grave. Kamil, his only son, led the funeral prayers. When I arrived on Saturday, after reciting the Yasin sitting close to his head, I called Kamil and said he should lead the funeral prayers as his last service to his late father, and I showed him how to do it. Ari and Idah gave their agreement. I didn't ask Balkis, but I believe everybody was happy that Kamil led the prayers in the mosque. The practice is encouraged by the shari'ah, but is uncommon. It was 11 a.m. and for a kampong congregation, the 100 plus people attending was surprisingly large. It showed the great relationship Pa' Ijoi had built in the kampong, having opted for early retirement and returning home several years ago.
Though only a brother-in-law, Pa' Ijoi was close to me, visiting each other more often than my own siblings. Durian and rambutan seasons always meant the fruits would reach my house, one way or another. We have delicious "durian kampong" and great "budak sekolah" rambutans, and also mangosteens behind the Lonek house. Sometimes so much rambutans were sent to us, and there are just the two of us, there would be left-over fruits that would turn black in the plastic bags they came in.
Without him I don't know if I'll go back to Lonek, or if I do it would not be with the same feeling. I wish the three children well. I encouraged Kak Long to sit for her STP instead of finding employment after her SPM. She followed the advice, went to SITC in Tanjung Malim, and is now a graduate teacher in Sarawak. I encouraged Kak Ngah to open her own tailoring business and she has. I have told her husband, now that they have moved to Palong, to get a van and farm out tailoring jobs to seamstresses around the complex, and open business to the big-spending and large settlers' community. Very early in his young life, I tried to encourage Kamil to play golf: my own sons didn't take to the game. But Kamil picked tennis, like his father, but the game remains a past time. I'd wanted him to be like what Mizi, his cousin, is now - a pro golfer. Incidently I feel some responsibility in Mizi's case, too. I was the first person to bring him to see the PGA teaching pro Tony Maloney who was in Cheras at that time.
Now there are only two brothers left - Bangdek and Ari.
....................................................................................................
No comments:
Post a Comment