LEGACY OF LOVE

The Parents I know
When I think about my parents I realize that I don’t really know much about them, beyond what I remember from my childhood …bits and pieces of memory; not exactly superficial but not enough to enable me to write a good story about them, what more a memoir.

About Mother
My mother’s name is Majmin binti Aboo Bakar. Funnily, her name appears differently in a few different identification documents. I don’t know whether the fault lies with the authorities who were in charge of generating the details on paper, or with us who should have been more cautious and should have taken greater responsibility when receiving or verifying the documents.

Her ID stated that my mother was born in Sungai Gelugor, Penang on 21 September 1923. Her father, Aboo Bakar bin Zainal Abidin was a clerk with the government department. During that period this position was considered pretty important among the small community in Sungai Gelugor. Her mother Che Chik @ Aishah, a home maker was the only daughter of a highly respected couple, Tajudin and Zubaidah.

Her Childhood
From the formative years, her maternal grandmother was a key influence in my mother’s live. Her mother died when she was twelve, and her father remarried soon after. Her grandmother, Zubaidah then took over the caring of her late daughter’s children . Word has it that this lady had a dominant character, and was a powerful yet caring matriarch not only within her immediate family circle, but was renowned beyond that sphere. Apart from being a doting mother, she spent most of her life taking care of nephews and nieces, grandchildren, siblings, and ailing relatives whom she chose to adopt when they are in need of special care. Most were said to have passed away peacefully after years of tender care – and practically everybody was considered a relation.

Her Marriage
My mother married my father Yusoff, at the age of 14; a special arrangement made by her grandmother who was also a skilled matchmaker, among her many talents. The age factor did not become a legal issue then. My father was only 20. People reached maturity faster when times are tough…I believe.

My Father
Coincidently, my father Yusoff was born in 27 September 1916 in the same house in Sungai Gelugor. They were distant cousins. When he was still a child, his father Haji Hassan bin Abu Bakar moved over with his family to the Northern State of Kedah to take up the post of a teacher in Alor Star. His mother Rathuan binti Yong Mohamad Said was believed to be related to the old Perak Royal family. She died in childbirth when my father was very young. In 1950, his father died leaving him with a step mother and young siblings to care for, apart from his own five children.

His early years
My father spent most of his youth in the district of Seberang Perak in Kedah and after completing his secondary education started work in the postal service. When he had to retire early due to a very serious ailment, he brought the family to settle in Penang. The house in Bukit Gelugor where we all grew up in is filled with a vast collection of memories - some tearful, a few terrifying instances, many hilarious moments but mostly happy ones – for me, at least.

The LOVE between them
Their love story began only after their marriage. And to this day, I will never forget how much love there was between my parents though there were quarrels and complaints. When I was still a teenager, after hearing the incessant grumblings my mother would shower on my father, I asked him once how he could continue to take it. He looked at me calmly and said, no one knows the wonderful things she has done for him…giving birth to his fourteen children, taking care of all of us and him as well. He owes her so much and can never repay her for all the things she has done and been to him. Her crabby complaints are harmless – just her way of releasing stress. Back then, being both a a hot and hard- headed teenager that I was, it did not mean much to me. But now, when I recall those words again, I cannot help the tears …what a truly, lovely man...I LOVE YOU BAPAK!