I have actually wanted to write about this for a while. THis week highlights the circle of life for me. On one hand, my mother has lost her best friend to Cancer, and on the other, my friend has just given birth and the baby's life is just starting. And me, I am in the middle of it all.
Let me start with my mom's best friend, a wonderful lady by the name of Gladys Peters. She came from a poor family in Kedah, and was the oldest among many siblings. Her father passed away early and she was forced to take on the role of parent together with her mom at a young age.
My mom got to know Aunty Gladys (as we all called her) when they were enrolled in Nursing school, I believe in Penang. When? I don't really know. Both my mom and her came from similar backgrounds (poor) and I guess bonded through the years.
My mom would wistfully recollect the many things that they did together, like climbing coconut trees, scrimping on their Nursing allowance to give to the family back home. I guess both of them got into all kinds of mischief, including the time when Aunty Gladys went to see the late Uncle John (her then potential suitor) and used my mom as smoke-screen.
Aunty Gladys was the pereniel joker, and I was fortunate to be beneficiary of some of her jokes, albeit some crude ones. Some are mildly racist in nature, but all in good fun. Things that I remember from spending time with her and Uncle John , included a very healthy dose of jokes, Uncle John and trying to coax some bird he was keeping to talk, and my first stuffed sandwich - I have no clue what was the stuffing, but it was one of those that 'cook" in a contraption that .. basically made a sandwich. And she still called the ex-PM of Malaysia, Tun Dr M by his professional title: Doctor! - you see both my mom and her had at one time server under Dr M and/or his wife, Dr Siti Hasmah.
Early last week, we got a call from my brother and then from Aunty Filo (Aunty Gladys' sister) informing us that Aunty Gladys was in a bad way suffering from the final stages of CA. Details were sketchy and we made plans to travel to KL to see her. Little did we know that she was REALLY in a bad way, and finally passed away Friday morning, and we were late by about 24 hours. We managed to go for the funeral service, but it was not the same as seeing her alive, but alas, it was better than nothing.
After the fact, we found out that she had given strict instructions not to contact my mom while she was undergoing chemo, and it was only when she was finally admitted to ICU for the last time did the family finally called us. A wasted opportunity for my mom to speak to her best friend one last time.
That night after the funeral, we had coconut juice and we toasted Aunty Gladys, remembering her coconut picking skills in hey younger days. She's a one of a kind.. and that's the way it should be.
While one journey ends, another starts. One of my ex-colleague is celebrating the 1st month milestone in her daughter's life. She texted me I guess when I was in the air on my way to London late June, and when I got to Heathrow, the happy news was received. I was kinda chargrined that the little one had not heeded my request to wait until I got home from the UK before popping from her mommy's tummy.. but as they said, when you gotta go, you gotta go.
I will see the bub for the first time this Sat, and hopefully, I will see more of the little one, together with my 3 not-so-little-ones-anymore in the future.
technorati tags:life, death, birth, gladys peters, John Peters, coconut, joker, Dr Mahathir, nurse
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