I started going to school in 1965 when I entered standard 1 at Jasin English School. I was there until 1970 when I completed my primary education. During the six years there I met my first friends outside my kampong circle. Those days mixing with others outside your neighbours is a luxury. The school was about 6 kilometers away from where I was staying with my grandfather but it seemed very far. The only means of transport was the local bus service which ply the route about once every hour. Taxi service was available occasionally but beyond our means. We only use taxis in times of emergency.
Back to my primary schooling. I spent quite a bit of time in school since there is nothing much to do at home. It was in school that I met a lot of new friends. One of them was Yusof. We called him Yusof Mamak because of his dark skin. Actually he must have been of Indian origin. His family had a shop in Jasin town selling curries and related foodstuff. During the time when most of our parents were rubber tappers or farmers, having a parent who is a shopkeeper must have put Yusof on the "well to do" group. Despite that Yusof was "one of us". I do not remember being in the same class as Yusof but we met often enough (especially on the field during games) to consider him as a friend.
We were separated when we went to secondary school. I and a few others were given the opportunity to go to Melaka High School while Yusof continued in Jasin Secondary English School. However, we still met once in a while especially during the school holidays since he lives in town and we need to get to town to catch our connecting buses. After secondary school I completely lost contact with him but I still "keep track" of his whereabouts.
Then we started working, having families and these made it more difficult for us to meet up. I came to know that Yusof has moved out of his parents place after marriage but still live in Melaka, so it must still be quite near. After all, the furthest distance between two places in Melaka cannot be more than 60 kilometers.
About 2 years ago I was told Yusof was involved in a bad accident. I think he was riding a motor bike. Yusof was known to be a fan of big bikes and he must have owned at least one big bike. I was told he was bed ridden after the accident. Me and a few friends talked about paying him a visit but we never got around to actually doing it. Last week, I received an sms from Mokhlis (a friend who always find time to keep track and inform everyone of our friends' activities) that Yusof is in bad shape and is being transferred from Melaka to HUKM. Over the next few days I received updates about his conditions. Still I did not find the time to visit Yusof at HUKM, though it is only a short drive away. On Wednesday, 7 Oct., I received this sms from Mohklis,
"Innalillahi wainnahi rajiun... Al fatihah.... Dari Wahid... Sdr. Yusof Mamak telah kembali ke rahmatullah pada pukul 1:45 pagi tadi. Will inform details once I got it."
I've lost another friend though I cannot consider him to be a close one as I've not seen him for quite a while. God has given me a lot of opportunities to do some good deeds by visiting Yusof while he was sick (more than 2 years, if I was not wrong). In fact in his last days, God made it even easier for me as Yusof was transferred to HUKM from Melaka. Still I cannot find time for a friend. What kind of friend am I?
Al Fatihah for Yusof. Moga Allah cucuri RahmatNya ke atas roh Yusof.
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