Cinut was given a 75th. birthday lunch this afternoon. Ari hosted it at "the Rebong" close to the Bkt. Aman Police HQ, KL. He was 300 poorer for it, but surely immeasuribly richer because of it.
Eight of us had "bisek-bisek" about it a couple of weeks ago. We wanted to hold a small, close-knit gathering in a nice place in KL because Cinut lives in KL. Two bisek-biseks pulled out but another two (not bisek-biseks) were pulled in, so the total of eight remained to the happy ending.
This was my first visit to "the Rebong". Ari, Wira and Idah were impressed by the place. It was "ok" to me. They laid out a lot of Negeri dishes, but there were other stuff, too, except Western. The sweets and fruits and tit bits were plentiful and tasty, not like some hotels that offer watered-down coconut milk and little stale Malay cakes.
We took what was apparently the only air-conned room there, so there was some privacy, because by 1 pm the place was quite full. Ari had asked a group of the staff to sing "Happy Birthday" and "Allah Selamatkan Kamu", and Cinut blew out some (not 75) candles on the fruit cake I bought on the way here, and Ari and I gave our birthday gifts, and the birthday party was complete !
I told Ari last week I'd like to bring a birthday cake. I told him to keep it a secret so that it'll be a real surprise. I wasn't surprised, though, when Idah inquired about it a few days ago, which meant Ari had let the cat out of the bag.
So right then I decided to go for something else. I thought of chocolates, then "Scholl" sandals, and, Tuesday finally decided on dress material, which I bought Wednesday from "Gulati's" Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman. It was 3.5 m. of fine, expensive cloth, and I bought the birthday greeting card as well as a nice gift box from "MPH Bookstore" at NuSentral, KL Sentral.
On the way to the Rebong this morning, when Ari inquired about my cake, I said I didn't buy it because it'd cumbersome carrying it in the train. I had wanted to come by train to KL, and take a taxi to the Rebong. Ari then said ok we'll stop on the way and buy the cake, now that we were all going in Ari's SUV instead. I had to agree, to hide about the gift I'd already bought, which was in my knapsack I had with me. That was why we had the cake at the party after all.
Ari and Wira had bought a nice, branded scarf, which Shima had in her house at Kota Damansara, which was why we had to go there before going to the Rebong. As it turned out, the scarf and my material matched !
I was also thinking, the cake or the chocolate would be consumed, and that was the end, but a dress would last forever, and it'd be a nice reminder.
There's a soft spot for me for Cinut, who's more than a sister-in-law. I don't always show it.
Our families, my late parents and her late parents, were friends from 1951 when we were in Tanjung Malim. In 1957 we both moved back to Kuala Pilah, but the contact was always there. So when I proposed to Idah in 1970, the two families were only too happy about it.
In 1963 or 1964, before I went to university, Cinut came to my parents' house in Tebat Kering, with Nodi, who was just a small girl in a skirt. I can't recall the reason for the visit, but Cinut did tell me she was getting married to Bang Piei. And Bang Enon took me to their wedding in Lonek, because he was invited by his school mate, Bang Piei. I remember the muddy track serving as a road. It was wet. I also remember we stopped for directions at exactly the front of Idah's house, and that person ( I think it was Idah ) pointed the way.
Later when already married, we went to Cinut's house in Johor Baru many times, both when in the police quarters and in Century Garden. Once we took the train and Bang Piei was supposed to pick us from the station but conveniently forgot about it and we had to take a taxi. When Cinut was in Kota Bharu, we went there many times, and we played golf several times in Pengkalan Chepa.
I took Cinut to Hawaii when No. 1 Son was studying there. Idah and Cinut went shopping and the Japanese-American street vendors cried "don't come, don't come!" the second day they went shopping again, because they had bargained like in Chow Kit, and the Hawaiians became alarmed !
I took Cinut to Orlando, too, when holidaying there, and we stayed for a week and went to Disneyland. Cinut cried the second day, and I thought it was because Bang Piei didn't come along, but recently Idah said it was something to do with Klemot.
I also took Cinut to Sydney when we went for No. 2 Son's graduation.
And all the time Cinut and I still are arguing about everything. My emotions got hold of me momentarily when I passed my gift to Cinut this afternoon. I had inscribed on the card "To Cinut, A Happy Birthday, with eternal rememberance, from Zainal and Idah".
We're both 75 now. I had wanted very much to make it today, once we were talking about it. 75 is a special number, a milestone. Nodi, the only "bisek-bisek" missing, that little girl in the skirt in 1963, should have come.
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