A FATHER'S LOVE

 

My old man was never showed favouritism among his children. He was a fair man. As we grew up, it was “Discipline! Discipline!” Just like the Maharaja said in Walt Disney’s Jungle Book. Still, he was a good father and began more relaxed after we graduated respectively.

A few years after I graduated in UK (without his sponsorship it was impossible because MARA UK according to him intentionally made it extremely difficult for me to apply on time) he called and handed me a file to keep or dispose of whichever I pleased.

It was an old LLN file and when I opened it, I was stunned. It contained (other than my academic details I gave him before I left for UK) all the letters I wrote to him from DAY 1 until the last before I returned. I did not expect it and asked why he didn’t just throw them away after he read them but he didn’t answer. I then realized they meant everything especially from the family rascal, the one who got the most caning. For one who had poor tertiary education results, I know as money was sparse, it was a great relief for him to hear I graduated. In fact, the principal told me he was surprised my father was the only one among the Malaysian students’ parent who wrote to him annually and enquired about my educational progress. I said knew about it because he told me every time he did which stunned the principal because he thought negatively and assumed our father-son relationship was not closely knit.

With the old fox gone, these letters are now more precious to me than ever. They remind me of my yesteryears in UK, the pressure I was in because unlike Malaysian scholarhip holders who did, I could not repeat and how the ink dried up in the nib in winter if I left it opened too long but more importantly, a father’s love even though at times,  letter writing was bi-annually as I preferred to talk directly to him. Long distance calls were very expensive those days but I did every Christmas after my landlord chitchat with him for a healthy period of time.

I still continue to visit his grave annually and update him on yearly progress, the least I could do and I know he is always waiting for the latest news. (So far, no 4 ekor from him though🥴)