The Ipoh leg of the trip has been a rush. Firstly, we rushed to Alor Star bus terminal after Larian Bendang, not having breakfast and lunch. When in Ipoh, we settled for the first halal food shop we found instead of having what Ipoh is famous for. We then rushed to Ipoh 88 bus terminal after the Centennial run, having rushed through our washing up process in the hotel.
However, the biggest rush was when we reached Yong Peng, 2 hours away from JB. I checked my handphone and realized that I had many missed calls and messages. The first one I read crushed my heart. My cousin Yana sent a message which read “nenek dah meninggal at 1010am” (grandma passed away at 1010am). My granny has been sick for a very long time. It took a while for that to settle in but when I realized what that meant, I also felt very helpless since I was so far away. Instead, I called Yana to confirm and she told me something that gave me a bigger headache. She said that she couldn’t reach my dad. I tried calling my dad but to no avail. I called my stepmum and also received no answer. I messaged my mum, sister and brother and informed them. Tried calling my dad again and this time he answered. That provided some relief.
All I could do the 2 hours journey back was pray that I could make it on time, since the burial has been planned after the mid-afternoon prayer. If the bus made it back by 430pm, I still had a chance.
Like an act of god, the bus did reached Woodlands at 430pm. Not knowing what to do, I called my mum and she told me to go to my aunt’s place where she was at, and drive her to meet the rest of the family at the cemetery. I reached my aunt’s place at 5pm and drove to the cemetery at Lim Chu Kang. Unfortunately for me, my granny has already been buried by the time I arrived. Not to be disheartened, I made my way to her grave and offered some prayers. It was then explanation time as I had to face every member of the family and hoped they will not ask why was I not at the wake?
All this made me realized that God planned and decide everything. If I had not taken the 10am bus, I would have missed the whole funeral. Then again, if I had not finished my run in 2:08, I might not have made the 10am bus anyway. Then again, if Kak J has not been injured and Clinton had not pulled out from the trip, the possibility of me going back at 10am will not be discussed in the first place. Then again, if I had not gone for this trip, I would have been able to attend her funeral and maybe even be by her side before she died. Then again, then again, then again……….
However, the biggest rush was when we reached Yong Peng, 2 hours away from JB. I checked my handphone and realized that I had many missed calls and messages. The first one I read crushed my heart. My cousin Yana sent a message which read “nenek dah meninggal at 1010am” (grandma passed away at 1010am). My granny has been sick for a very long time. It took a while for that to settle in but when I realized what that meant, I also felt very helpless since I was so far away. Instead, I called Yana to confirm and she told me something that gave me a bigger headache. She said that she couldn’t reach my dad. I tried calling my dad but to no avail. I called my stepmum and also received no answer. I messaged my mum, sister and brother and informed them. Tried calling my dad again and this time he answered. That provided some relief.
All I could do the 2 hours journey back was pray that I could make it on time, since the burial has been planned after the mid-afternoon prayer. If the bus made it back by 430pm, I still had a chance.
Like an act of god, the bus did reached Woodlands at 430pm. Not knowing what to do, I called my mum and she told me to go to my aunt’s place where she was at, and drive her to meet the rest of the family at the cemetery. I reached my aunt’s place at 5pm and drove to the cemetery at Lim Chu Kang. Unfortunately for me, my granny has already been buried by the time I arrived. Not to be disheartened, I made my way to her grave and offered some prayers. It was then explanation time as I had to face every member of the family and hoped they will not ask why was I not at the wake?
All this made me realized that God planned and decide everything. If I had not taken the 10am bus, I would have missed the whole funeral. Then again, if I had not finished my run in 2:08, I might not have made the 10am bus anyway. Then again, if Kak J has not been injured and Clinton had not pulled out from the trip, the possibility of me going back at 10am will not be discussed in the first place. Then again, if I had not gone for this trip, I would have been able to attend her funeral and maybe even be by her side before she died. Then again, then again, then again……….
4 comments:
Shute,
My condolence to you.
Regards,
In life, there will always be a lot of "What IF".
Take care, di di. My condolence to you and your family.
Raihan,
Salam takziah from me.
Allah s.w.t loves your grandma more. There's always a reason behind everything, therefore, don't regret too much. All we could do is just look into things positively. God knows what's best for us. Stay strong ok. May her soul rest in peace & God bless.
Raihan:
Be tough,strong !
regards,
Tey
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