Friendship

He is generally a very likable character even when we first got to know him in College (MCKK) then. Being always an ardent reader of books of any kind although more frequently those of novels, he has always been a source of information on most things except study matters to which he has not really excelled since he has the tendency to take it easy on them for reasons of his own, to which we find out later on. Indeed he does not like to study. However his English is just superb - spoken or written whilst his math's is much to be desired. In those days when the College needs to produce good results at the Cambridge School Certificates level, everyone is expected to pull up his socks to meet up to this expectation. Most of us think then that he will not make it, but to he spoils our expectation and succeed.

Thus we all get admitted to the University of Malaya and our friend too. Throughout our undergraduate years he never changes his study life style. At no time is he seen with books other than novels in hand and reading them. Only this time, he cannot get away with the academics which demands reading and research in order to graduate. Indeed this time he fails, though not miserably. He attains his basic degree and later on goes on to be employed in an electronic assembly plant at Texas Instruments as its personnel and factory manager , to which post he remains till he retires because unlike most of his classmates who would move from one job to another, he is ever content with his. Thus in his quiet undisturbed world, he remains oblivious to all of us until one day recently one of us happens to hear that he is very sick and just had a bad accident.

The funny part of it is he himself tells us the accident occurs in his own farm when his foot got caught in the very trap that he has prepared to catch the intruders to the farm. He suffers agonizingly for more than two hours before someone notices what is happening and it takes a further two hours before he is set free from the contraption. By then however it is somewhat too late and his affected leg is already badly injured which renders him bedridden for the next couple of weeks. One thing leads to another he has blood pressure and diabetes.

Gathering all the classmates that are around in Kuala Lumpur, we all decide to pay him a visit.. This move by itself is a blessing to all of us who up to now have never made any attempt to get together for old time sake. Thus we make a beehive to his home in Kajang. We have all along known that he is ever devoted to his mother and has refused to be married for fear that his would-be wife might upset his mother if they happen not to be able to get along well together. He always believe in looking after and staying with his mother. Hence we continue to assume that this is how it will be with him when we visit him. Thus to our surprise we find that he is married and that happens only after his mother passes away .Double surprise to us to be informed by him that his wife is a Thai and that she remains in Thailand with her previously married daughter. Our so called married friend for all intends and purposes still leads a bachelor’s life. His justification for not bringing back his wife to Kajang is because he wants the wife to continue to look after her daughter who is still in College in Thailand. We all have a great time teasing him on this and as expected he is always in good spirit to join in the fun. That’s what makes our friend a very likable person always

We are all shocked to find that he is really incapacitated. His legs are badly injured as a result of that farm accident and added with the diabetes and high blood pressure which further impedes recovery to his health and strength, he is really in bad shape. Nonetheless he remains his cheerful self as indeed unexpected from such a sick person. We feel very glad to have gathered together to renew our friendship. That visit is a lesson to all of us. We realize that we should always keep in touch with each other.

Later on , our friend’s condition deteriorates. He is more sick and now in need of plastic surgery for his injured legs and much worse than that he needs a pacemaker for his ailing heart. This is where he needs money to pay for all these. Abandoning the need for a plastic surgery he considers the pacemaker as the priority. Not having enough money to pay for the pacemaker, he tells us that he would forget about the idea altogether and let Mother Nature takes its course. The ball is now at our feet as to how to help finance our friend’s needs.

This is where ALLAH is Great. From amongst our friends, twenty five thousand ringgit is immediately pledged to meet the thirty two thousand ringgit cost of the pacemaker. Thus there remains a shortfall of seven thousand ringgit. Of course the rest of us could raise the seven thousand but not immediately but by installments if permitted. Whilst we are contemplating on this, from an unexpected source comes a contributor to the remaining seven thousand ringgit. The "donor" is not a fellow MCKK classmate. He is our University friend who has been a very close friend of our friend during our university days. ALLAH is indeed GREAT !

Such has been the plight of our dear friend, Mohd Dalil Awin, who underwent pacemaker operation successfully on 6th November 2007 at the University Serdang and is recovering well when I write this article.

This is a true story of friendship. With this last note I dedicate this article to Zainal (Panjang), Malik (King), Amir (Kudo), Abdullah Zawawi, Mohd Khatib, Ahmad Hatta, Sabri Rejab, Fathillah (Katak Minyak), Othman (Gagui ), Nik Adnan, Rahim Aki, Wan Mohammad, Wan Othman, Mohd Said Daud , Mohd Suffian Ghani, Yahya Abbas, Rahim Ismail, Hamidin, Ibrahim (Musang). Majid and to the great "donors" Razali Ismail, Mohd Kamil, Khalil Yaakub and Khalil Arkashah without their timely financial contribution the operation would not have taken place.

May ALLAH continue to bless our friendship. Ameen

written by Tunku Farid