Dear Sisters, Assalamu'alaikum.
We try to make it a daily routine. A late nightly routine in fact. Husband and I would walk a particular route within the Taman, to keep our fats and cholestrol down. Age is catching up and health is running away. But we try to do whatever we could when we could.
The route we were taking took us to another Phase of the Taman. About two kilometers to the end of the route, which is quite isolated and dark among the end houses.
A usual walk became unusual tonight. As we turned back at the end of our route, a car came out from one of the houses, drove slowly, and stopped across us. "Who're are you looking for?", the driver, a man of similar generation, asked? A courteous enough question. But our senses said that what he was saying exactly was, what are you doing here ... that we are suspicious characters. Particularly since Husband is not exactly local in content ... and I can definitely pass for a transplant from another land ... the land of our paternal fore fathers in fact...
And I, the more Melayu one quickly said that we're taking our nightly exercise. And that we're from the neighbouring phase of the Taman. Husband added some pleasantries. "Oh", he said and drove on ...
We also moved along, with the feeling of emmmm.. not so nice about this incidence... we're talking about it. As we walked, that slight drizzle was getting heavier... I was holding onto Husband as we rushed along towards the house. By now we're on the main road, brightly lit by the street lamps ... As usual, we're walking on the right side of the road ... Sunnah, Husband said :-)
Suddenly, a car stopped on the left side of the road, going in the same direction. The driver, a young lad, wound the window down, and called across the heavy drizzles, *"Acik nak pergi mana?". This time our senses said, what he meant was, "It's raining. Can we give the both of you a lift?". Again quickly, I the more Melayu one, said,"Oh, we're are jogging, and our house is just in front, not much further. Thank you very much." With that the young lad smiled, and drove off.
And, that is HOPE. Hope for a nation that carry such caring youngs in her womb.
That my generation is getting cynical and suspicious of life (most probably due to the fats and cholestrol), the younger ones show us that there is Hope for real life still.
Translation for Sisters R(Walsall) and S(Dimondale):
Taman = Garden (literally). But in this country, most housing development are named as Taman this and that. Sounds nice isn't it?
acik = Auntie
nak = a short form of Hendak = wish = want
pergi = go
mana = where
Acik nak pergi mana? = Where do you wish to go auntie? = Where are you going auntie?
