BINTULU 2

BINTULU 2 – February 19th to March 23rd 2005

Our second day in Bintulu, February 20th 2005, a Sunday, was bright and sunny. The kids were up early and came into our room to check on whether we were up. Dedek came and whispered softly into my ear, “Dedek want to go to KFC”. I whispered to him why? He said, “Dedek want to eat chicken”. I then asked Babang where he wants to go today pointing to my ear. He came and whispered softly, “library”. I whispered why? He said, “Babang want to read many books”. I said to them that it is still too early to go anywhere, later we decide where to go. Dedek put his right hand out in a circle and said, "No problemmmm".

Shaffik and Mini apparently had repeatedly psyched the kids about the arrival of the new baby as the kids nonchalantly remarked to us, quite a number of times too since our arrival, of which a typical dialog goes like this:

Babang: Mummy and Daddy will go to Miri, Tok Bah and Tok Mi must stay with Babang and Dedek in Bintulu ok? (Note the use of the word “must”).
Tok Bah: Why Mummy and Daddy go to Miri?
Babang: Becozzzz Mummy go stay in hospitallll
Tok Bah: Why?
Babang: Becozzzz got baby in Mummy’s tummy. Got to operation like Babang last time in Babang’s tummy.
Tok Bah: But why Mummy got to operation her tummy
Babang: Becozzzz doctor has to take baby out. Otherwise how to take baby out? (showing both his palm, eyebrows lifted and his face in earnest!! very serious!!)

Dedek would sometime go up to his mummy, right knuckle on her tummy (as though knocking on a door) and cheekily say, “Hello baby, how are you baby” and so on.

After breakfast, we went to check on the house that Shaffik is putting up for rent while he fixed up whatever required fixing, like broken window panes, curtain rails and so on. New tenants are coming into the house soon. Hopefully they will stay longer than the previous tenant who stayed for only three months but caused quite a bit of setbacks in the house, but none that is too bothersome for Shaffik to fix though.

Shaffik also showed me the route he usually takes to send Babang to school as that route is to be used every time or Babang will suspect that we have other places to go to without him and will refuse to go to school!! Even when fetching him after school we are to be seen coming from the same direction or he will throw tantrum!!

We visited Mini’s parents in their house later in the evening. The kids came along too and were up to their antics and playful selves as usual, picking on Bella, their cousin, and making everyone laugh. Since Babang has to go to school in the morning we stayed only for a short while.

Monday morning. Babang woke up early to get ready to go to school. Babang reminded me several times that morning, “Tok Bah stay in Bintulu when Mummy and Daddy go to Miri ok?” Dedek on the other hand playfully says, “Mummy and Daddy go to Miri, Babang go to school (he pronounce it as “kool” not being able to say s) Tok Bah and Dedek go Air Asia to KL, Tok Bah house and play racing car”. He said this to playfully make Babang angry!! Appeared that the kids accept the fact that their parents will be away and that they will be left behind with us.

After sending Babang to school, Shaffik and Mini got ready to go to Miri. When they were ready to go Dedek went upstairs to call Tok Mi and said, “Tok Mi, go downtair Mummy going. Tok Mi don’t cry ok?” obviously psyching himself that he should not cry when his parents leave. All the while he was naughtily laughing and playing. Even when the parents were leaving he was cheerfully waving goodbye. True enough, for the rest of the day the children were well behaved and did not fret about their parents.

MKI Ramblings Unlimited.
Bintulu