Idris's betrothal in Rompin.

Sunday 23rd. October 2016.

Taking the highway to the Alor Gajah-Tampin exit from Seremban took all of one and a -half-hours to the Rompin mosque. Rompin Bahau, that is, not  Pahang.  This was for Idris's engagement at Kampong Baru Rompin this afternoon.

In fact this is the second one I've done for him. Hopefully this time he'll consummate the union. The first one at Rembang Panas several years ago didn't last because the future f.i.l. demanded the early dowry payment. That torpedoed the engagement and, what else, sunk the planned marriage.

Everyone from the big family came, except Calit. He excused himself because of car trouble, he said. He could have joined me if he'd bothered to call.

After the brief ceremony I returned to Seremban by the same route, planning to stop at the new mall in Alor Gajah. But the car dashboard lights suddenly went kaput, and being a Sunday, I didn't want to have anymore problems with the car, and drove straight home. I'd have stopped and checked if I was alone, but li'l Wafa was sound asleep at the back, after climbing all over the place in Rompin, and I didn't want to disturb her nap, because she'd  go into one of her tantrums. Once home I switched the car off and on again, and it was fine. Only the dashboard lights were still out. I'll call Sam tomorrow.

I didn't catch the future f.i.l's name, but he seems ok. He was with Felcra all his life, all spent in Johor. He knows Kamarulzaman Majid, who was with me for a brief period in Felda. I know he left because he was unhappy with a promotion excersise when he was left out. I think he took a pay-cut because Felcra paid less than Felda then, but went on to become the Deputy GM or something, so that was ok, I suppose. He's a Muar boy.

Padir also met Ibrahim at the Rompin function, only Ibrahim remembered him first. He was with Felda but took optional retirement and joined a private estate or something. Ibrahim is a "muallaf" - a convert. He has two wives, just like Padir. Except he has kept them both, concurrently. Padir's case was consecutive. But both past and present wives came just now. 

It's a small world.

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