Thursday, April 10, 2008

Makcik oh makcik (translated Aunty oh aunty)

36 years old on Saturday. Alhamdulillah.
I forget sometimes that I am approaching 40 soon. I don't feel any different from how I was 10 years ago. I guess that must be good. The occasional gray hair (but I've always had a bit since I was a teenager.....I put it down to too much studying....) and the wee wrinkles I call smile lines and lines of wisdom. Nothing too worrying. I also have this 'babyface'......chubby and round, and being only 4 foot 10 does add to the effects of 'youngness'. I even got away as being a university undergrad student while I was at the mechanics a few weeks ago.....But I have days like the one I'm about to tell to remind me of my age......
Once upon an afternoon, as I sat on my swing with my daughter, enjoying the late afternoon sun and the light soothing breeze, my relaxing moment was disturbed by a rolling white object that came to a rest near my feet. It was a football. The neighbourhood boys were playing football in the field behind my house, and one extra enthusiastic boy had kicked it over the wired fence into the compound.
The boys, young teenagers, looked my way and waited for me to respond. Oh, ok. I guess they wanted their ball back. I picked it up contemplating whether I should kick it over the fence or throw it back at them. Since these boys are my son's friends, I thought I'd do the motherly thing and not kick it. I threw it over and the boys thanked me.
"Thank-you MAKCIK!"......ei? You talking to me?
"That's Makcik-ster United to you!"* I thought..... I suddenly felt 20 years older.......
Dang!

*with special thanks to Aquamatt for making this story possible.

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