Of road trip and conversations

Abah : Kenapa tak bagi tahu Abah dari dulu? Kalau Abah tahu, dah lama Abah suruh putus. He took advantage of you. He wasn't serious. Rupanya awak ni banyak rahsia dari Abah.

Moi : Urm, I didn't know how. That was why I was so stressed before. I was always so nervous and jumpy. He made my life miserable.

Abah : Sebab tu lah ada Abah. Itu lah guna nya Abah ni. For you to tell things to.

Moi : .....

I love going on a road trip with Abah. Because that's the only time that I can actually have a real conversation with him. We went to Caen this afternoon. So, as usual, we talked about a lot of stuffs on the way there. And this part of the conversation started when he asked me about 'he-whose-name-shall-not-be-mentioned'. As the answer to his question, I told him everything that had happened during the six-long-painful-years of my life. I even told him why Angah hated the guy. I knew I could always tell Abah everything, but sometimes, I have my doubts. There are stuffs that I do not dare to tell him. Abah has always been very strict when it comes to guys.

It all started when I was seven. There was this boy, two years older than me, who called me every night before he left for his 'mengaji' lesson. He didn't exactly called me himself, he used his sister to get through to me, just in case my parents answered the phone. Mama found out about this and she got really mad. And that, ended when I moved to England. In England, I didn't really have much trouble with boys, I guess it's because my parents understood that it was a much different culture than ours back home. It started again when I was 10. I was in an all girls school in Sitiawan. Home hadn't stopped ringing with calls from boys that I didn't even know. Abah was really furious. I remember the day I turned 11, I got beaten up by Abah just because of a call; a boy pretended to be a friend of mine, wanted to speak to me and lied to Abah. When Abah asked me who it was, I told him I didn't know and he thought I was lying, so as a result, I was beaten up by him. What a way to celebrate my 11th birthday, eh? But I guess he must've forgotten it by now. Things stayed that way until I reached 13. I finally entered a mixed school. From that moment onwards, things changed, bit by bit.

Abah today, is a much more relaxed and understanding person. He knows that his daughters are all grown up and are entitled to have boyfriends; but, with one condition, he needs to know everything; who they are, what are their intentions, how serious are they, etc. I love the way Abah handles things. He tries to understand us most of the time, without forcing or pushing us to do things that we do not like. He is strict and still has his limits but he knows when to give us space. After what I've been through as a child, I think it was worth it. If Abah wasn't hard on me when I was little, I don't think I'd turn out to be the way I am now. I didn't really have an easy childhood, Abah and Mama were really tough on me. They didn't always let me have things my way. So, I guess saying that I am such a spoilt brat is a bit unreasonable, don't you think? As I worked really hard to please my parents and I didn't get everything I want without making any effort. I was always taught to earn something in return, is to strive for it. Because life isn't going to be constantly easy. There are times when you have to work hard to get the merit. So, to put it all in a nutshell, I am very grateful to be brought up the way I was even though it wasn't always a bed of roses because life ain't always gonna be one too.

Juliette xx
p/s : Does anyone have any idea what to get for my parents' 25th wedding anniversary which is tomorrow?

Listening to : The Hard Way - Keith Urban