ADIK AND THEATER

Minggu lepas Ibu minta aku hadir persembahan teater Adik di sekolah kerana Ibu perlu bawa Faim ke majlis ulangtahun kawan Faim di seberang KL, jauh dari sekolah. Oleh kerana aku memang minat teater, terutamanya yang bersifat 'experimental', maka aku pon bersetuju.

Mengikut programnya, Adik diarah berada di sekolah selama 24 jam untuk mempersiap diri bagi latihan kepada Teater tersebut yang dipanggil 24hr Theater. Ke semuanya ada sebanyak 14 mini teater yang berdurasi antara 5-10 minit. Aku dapati Adik terlibat secara langsung dalam 2 persembahan yang mana salah satunya dia memain peran utama. Dan, sememangnya aku menikmati ke semua teater yang dipersembahkan di samping cuba memahami maksud tersirat yang ingin disampaikan.

Aku memang lama ingin Adik melibatkan kegiatan seni teater dan seni lakon ini. Pada hemat aku, Adik ada ketokohan dalam bidang ini kerana dia mudah membuat kami terhibur dengan kelakuan dia semasa dia sedang membesar dahulu. Lagipun, pada aku Adik ni jenis yang suka kepada benda-benda ringan dan menghiburkan tidak seperti Abang yang lebih serius dan intens perawakannya. 

Selesai semua persembahan, aku menunggu Adik di kereta. Nampak dia berjalan dengan kawan-kawan sambil tersenyum riang dan bergurau senda. Aku dapat merasa kebangaan Adik dan kawan-kawan ke atas kejayaan penghasilan teater tersebut. Dalam kereta aku cuba mengukur sejauh mana minat Adik kepada bidang teater ini.

' Dik, that was a great show. I enjoyed it so much especially your second performance. Can you explain a bit to me', tanya aku.

' Thank you Ayah. The second one where everyone seemed to carry the boxes and moving them to different places on the stage refer to the competing demands and priorities we put on our lives. Sometimes, we put education up front. or Health and maybe security. At other times, they are at the back. Ocassionally we put two or three boxes together to show how equally important they are to us at certain particular time in our life', jawab Adik panjang lebar. 

' Oh, yea. I guess that much also. Umm will you continue with this. You can make a career out of it you know ', aku cuba menduga sedalam mana minat Adik.

'I am not sure. Maybe. But what is important is that I have done this', jawab Adik.

'You know, sometimes the play call for a kissing scene and you have to do it', aku cuba mengusik Adik dengan menambah 'inducement' yang tak lojik.

' What are you trying to say, Ayah ', jawab Adik menjeling tajam kepada aku.

' Well, at the rate you are going, that could be the only way you get a girl to kiss you. Only through a teater. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA', aku gelak sebesar-besarnya.

' Hey, that's not fair', jawab Adik sebelum tergelak sama.

TIME FOR YOU AND ME

Dua tiga hari lepas, aku balik awal dari pejabat. Saja la nak balik awal sebab selalunya aku  balik lepas Maghrib. Lepas, mandi, solat dan makan, aku duduk depan TV menonton Astro Awani. Terdengar suara Ibu menegur Faim, ' Go find something to do, don't just main komputer aja '.

Kesian pulak aku tengok Faim. Musti dia sedang bosan dan tak tahu nak buat apa. Aku pon panggil Faim naik dan bertanya,' Do you want to play Chess, Faim?'.

Mata Faim bersinar-sinar dan dia mengganguk-angguk kepala tanda bersetuju.

'OK, let's set up the board, I'll be black', jawab aku.

Kami pun sama-sama menyusun buah-buah catur dan bermain. Faim pernah dulu mengambil kelas asas bermain catur jadi dalam acuh tak acuh, ada la juga kami bermain hampir setengah jam sebelum Faim akhirnya memberi kemenangan kepada aku kerana Permaisurinya telah dijadikan santapan.

'Do you want to play again, Ayah', tanya Faim sambil merenung ke muka aku.
'Hmm maybe not Faim. I want to continue watching the news', jawab aku.
'OK', jawab Faim pendek tanpa banyak kesah.

'I think that's enough time entertaining you, right', tambah aku tersenyum.
Faim mendongak dan menjawab, 'Actually Ayah, I am entertaining you. I know you must be bored'.
Selamba Faim.

9th ANNIVERSARY RAMBLE

I have been writing now for 9 years on these pages. Of course, as other demands becoming more demanding and frequent, the quality and frequency of my jottings suffered.

Anyhow, the kids have really grown up and have their own story to tell.  So, I have actually been spending more time with Ibu. My faithful companion and friend who I know will always be there for me. The one I share all my joy and happiness as well as sorrow and worries for nearly 20 years.  Humm... that would require another separate blog. But, never mind that now.

Abang has already left for his study abroad. He is coping well with his studies and the challenges of living on his own. Though, there are occasions when he would skype us about things that he wasn't sure about, Ibu and I would try very much to help ease his process of self-determination. I realise that his outlook on things and life has also undergone a little change here and there. Well, that should be expected, although sometimes as parents we feel a bit hurt when he really express his personal thoughts, but I always remind Ibu that we should not be worried so much but continue to give advice that hopefully would be accepted. I personally don't want to control his thoughts process as long as the original design on the white cloth are still neat and unblemished. In one of our conversation, he let us know that we are a pair of conservatives parents compared to his progressive views of the world. We just nodded.

Adik is the big brother at home now with Abang gone. With his teenage mood swing and his coping with the high school academic demands, Adik can be a tough challenge at times. However, after going with through with Abang, I know that I can handle Adik with a better and wiser approach. I have decided to allocate dedicated lunch sessions with Adik on most Sundays where I try to moderate his thoughts and behaviors. I know he is aware and trying very much to see our extra attention to him as something positive. I know that Abang occasionally chat with Adik on skype and give some wise words as well. He's playing my role, thank God. Nevertheless, Adik remains a bubbly boy and well loved by his friends. And definitely by us.

The smallest boy. Now that is another story. Nine years old this year. Baby Faim. He is the baby of the house though he is no longer a baby. Cheeky, mischievous and impish all in one. Loving and caring, always reminding me of his mom. Always eager to try something new. Swimming, piano, basketball, wipeout obsctacle course, fishing and boy does he love all the games on the computer. I no longer try to work on my PC on weekends anymore. I am certain that he is like Ibu in many ways when Ibu was that age.

Adik and Faim are the two boys at home now. As boys they will quarrel endlessly and they would be best of friends at other unexpected times. I learned to cope with their own created quality times.

As time goes by, I realize that I am more attached to them than they are to me. I am really looking forward to weekends and spending time with them. I would also ensure that I could take a day or two leave from work every month so I can see them on weekdays too. I enjoyed just taking a day off to send and pick them up from school just so I can spend those times with them, undivided. It is no longer them looking for me to spend some quality family time, but the other way around.

 I am sure that by next year, I may not even have time to write very much what with the children having their own issues to deal with in their ever growing world. I just hope they would keep some small space for me and Ibu. but, these boys are my boys and I love them so much.

LETTING GO

Shazzam(aka Chitty to others in the house) had once again displayed her canny ability as a predator cat. If usually, she would bring back lizards or moths home to show us, today she brought back a sparrow or 'burung pipit' to some of us nationalists at heart.

Ibu and Faim who saw Shazzam, quickly chased her away and forced her to drop the almost still bird. Faim nearly cried looking at the bird while Ibu examine the bird and saw some puncture marks on the bird's chest. Quickly Ibu took the all purpose super elixir, minyak gamat, and rub it all over. Impatient Faim kept asking Ibu if the bird was still alive. The bird was barely alive. We have the technology to make it first bionic bird. 

Ibu instructed Faim to put the bird inside Shazzam carrying cage and hide her in Nenek's room. Just in case that dastardly Shazzam cat would come again and snuff it out for good. Ibu is definitely unhappy with Shazzam's showing off her natural talent and scolded her at every opportunity with Faim adding more reprimands immediately.

Anyhow, by the next morning, the bird appeared well enough and started to move around in the cage. Faim, the unappointed care giver, busied himself gicing bird seeds, water and warm cloth for the bird's comfort. By mid afternnon, the bird, a she according to Faim, has a name already. Lucy although Faim insisted it is spelled Luse. Faim started to miss his hourly dose of cartoon network on TV and minecraft on the computer.  He doted on the bird and nearly sleep with it in bed.

On the third day, the bird was seen eating and drinking properly. Faim was happy but. Shazzam was still lurking and looking for opportunity to finish off his thwarted effort two days earlier. Finally, when Faim was in the toilet, Shazzam managed to show her face to the bird causing havoc inside the cage. Faim came and chased Shazzam away. He understood the bird would be in constant mortal danger from Shazzam. Maybe a heart attack from seeing Shazzam face could kill her anytime. So, he came to Ibu and asked to release Luse in the park.

And she was freed that afternoon in the hot sun.