It was a nice Saturday gathering organized by some former G coy Budak Boys. I was a guest. I'm referring to the "makan" at the small dewan serbaguna near the football pitch on Jalan Permata 4, Ulu Kelang, on Saturday 23.7.2022.
Hank had invited me before the eventual organizer, Wahap Achin, called. Wahap is my kampong name for Jalaluddin , FMC intake 1961, G coy. Wahap wasn't alone, of course, but he took care of everything - the venue, the food - which are normally "everything". The hall was a bit aged but sufficed. The food was excellent, even if there was a bit too much of it. The final turnout wasn't 100% of the list. But I counted 35 people inside the small hall, with about 6 or 7 still lingering outside when Salleh opened up the welcoming speech. It was already past the 11 a.m. scheduled starting time.
I had some trouble finding the venue, driving alone from Seremban. Hank was supposed to come with me, but decided to visit IJN on Friday, and came instead from Tropicana, Damansara by himself. I was confident of finding my way because I've been coming to this Taman Permata-Taman Melawati area before. But I didn't reckon with KL's continuous physical developments. The straightforward drive through Kg. Datuk Keramat isn't straightforward anymore. The Texas Instrument factory isn't so obvious anymore as a landmark I relied on before. The numerous workshops all along the way have only grown, with vehicles lying around all over the already crowded way. And there are traffic lights where there wasn't any before. I forgot that the last time I took this route was a long time ago.
I called Hank and Wahap for help many times but they didn't answer. I even called Jimmy Ong, driving all the way from Melaka, to pass me the directions, which he did. But I'd stopped and asked at the roadside for Jalan Permata 4, and finally, thanks to his very white head of hair, I saw Hank. So Jimmy's map wasn't used. I helped myself with the help of Hank's hair, ha ha.
As always, it was just great to sit down with old friends, enjoying the good food, remembering the old days. The venue, the time, the food and drinks were all contributory, but not as important as the chance to sit down and talk again with people you studied together more than 60 years ago. Studying together, that's the key component. When we finished school, we went our separate ways, and even the closest of pals lost contact for considerable time. Most if not all made it all the way up their chosen career path. We all went far and wide in search of knowledge and professional training. We grew families. But the school days are cherished like nothing else because of the uniqueness. And when there's a chance to meet up, like this one, I for one won't want to miss it, if I can.
Salleh hit the right note when he spoke. He asked us to not forget those of us who are no longer with us. In fact the reciter of the supplication he later called upon became emotional himself because of the realization of the passing of time. But that was before Salleh said his wife couldn't come, and the audience asked "what about your second wife?", and he answered that she's in Mekkah, and I raised my hand to interrupt midspeech, and Salleh stopped, and I said "so when she comes home you'll naik hajjah lah?" and Salleh took it in his stride.
Megat asked about Khalid Husin who passed away recently. He was with me in B coy. Apparently he had been on dialysis for some time. And there are others. Even Salim who was with us now wasn't in the best of health, and he showed it. As someone said, let's meet again next year, not in two years - that's too long and risky.
Aziz Rahman insisted that his Ph D is genuine, not "in brackets" and I replied I'll tell Yazid Baba, his "good friend" in Mubarak. Mansor complained he worries about Ahmad, his son who accompanied him. I just related my theory about the fallout of Mahathir and Muhyiddin to him. It's the master plan to deny Anwar the PMship. Mansor "Bull" is known to be a friend of Anwar. And I told Jimmy Ong, he could have driven himself to Seremban and joined me, instead of paying somebody 200 to drive him here. Saujana came all the way from Cameron Highlands. He's permanently there now, not like the weekend camps the college had those days. And Rahman "Doghome" Daud is concerned with mental health. "You can't see that" I said. But his physical appearance is still good, and I told him that.
When I saw Salleh starting to "tapau", I followed suit. But I ended up with some cakes and the ubi kayu only. Salleh went to every table, including the satay on the charcoal embers. Maybe my remarks earlier reminded him of extra portions required in his case.
I took leave after a few of us had left, and there were still many inside, everybody talking at the same time. The music player playing, what else, 60's songs, had stopped. It had been almost 3 hours and I had to be home before dark. Again, like the drive coming here, I was sure the outer ring road to the Seremban exit would be a piece of cake. It wasn't. They have decided to redo that part of the roadworks, putting another tier while leaving all the debris cluttering the road. So I managed to find myself on one detour lane that took me back where I had been some miles back, and I decided to stick to the right and eventually found myself on PLUS to Johor Baru, the right way home.
It was a G coy do, but coming from B coy, I still give it an A.
No comments:
Post a Comment