The whole thing felt like a dream. A beautiful one… but also a very complicated one.
The first thing on my mind wasn’t the presentation, the competition, or even the possibility of winning. It was mak.
Mak wasn’t well and had recently had a bad fall. Leaving her alone at home was not an option. That same week, my brother and his family went off on a holiday to Korea, and my sister was in KL. My sister suggested I leave mak at her place but that idea didn’t survive long. She lives in a penthouse, no lift, only stairs. Mak climbing stairs? Absolutely not.
Then came the suggestion to fly. Also a no. Mak can’t walk long distances, and just imagining myself dragging luggage while holding on to her already made me tired.
So, after much thinking (and overthinking), I decided to drive to Malacca.
Now, for context...my sense of direction is… questionable at best. I can get lost even in USM... The furthest I’ve ever driven in my life was to Taiping, to my sister-in-law’s parents’ house, and I’ve never driven to KL... Not once. So the idea of driving all the way to Malacca felt slightly ambitious… and mildly terrifying...
And there I was, planning to drive to Malacca...
I tried booking a room at Bayou Lagoon Park Resort a day earlier, so that I wouldn’t have to rush, but all the rooms were fully booked...So, we had no choice but to travel on the day of the event itself, 27 October 2024 (Sunday).
I prepared everything I could think of to make mak comfortable....pillows, snacks, stops along the way, and a lot of silent prayers...Honestly, I don’t know where the courage came from. Maybe when you’re alone and there’s no one else to help, strength just… shows up. You don’t have the luxury of fear...
Using Waze (Alhamdulillah for technology) and after a few rest stops, we finally reached Malacca. I searched for a proper place for lunch and found one... Mak and I had asam pedas ikan merah with vegetables...it was simple and very Malaccan.
By the time we reached the hotel room, it was almost 3.30 pm. I was exhausted. My whole body ached. Throughout the event, I kept leaving mak in the room during sessions, then rushing back to check on her. I ordered food to be sent to the room so she wouldn’t have to move much. Alhamdulillah, the food was good, and mak was comfortable.
Although I didn’t win at the national level, the experience itself was priceless.
On the last day, I wanted to take mak sightseeing after the closing ceremony. After all, this felt like a once-in-a-lifetime trip. I had never driven this far before. However, mak was in pain and couldn’t walk much, so I cancelled the plan.
On our way home, mak mentioned she wanted a coconut shake. Alhamdulillah, somehow, I managed to find Klebang coconut shake and even keria gula Melaka for her. We also stopped at an R&R, where mak bought fruits and ole-ole for my aunts and uncle.
Those moments with mak...small, quiet, ordinary... are the ones I hold closest to my heart.. And for that, Alhamdulillah always...
MLPML 2024
