Father

Comes Father's Day I am reminded of what my father said to me on my 21st birthday.He said" son,you are now on your own".That did'nt mean much at first.And then 4 months later he passed away and I realised I am really on my own. He did not leave any inheritance,no house (we lived in the govt quarters) no real estate,no bank account, no car, no insurance,nothing for us to get by. All he left was my mother and his 8 children.Yes,his brothers and sisters dished us bits of charity but for how long? At that time only my elder brother was earning,he was in the Air Force based in Kuantan. I was the second in the family so I had to take on my father's responsibility. Fortunately I got a job 2 months later.With my brother's contribution and my pay we got along as best as we could. Later on my younger brothers and sister took on several jobs to help out. With my father's gratuity and EPF we had enough funds for my mother to buy a house in Brown Garden. We were in such hardship when my father left us all because my father was not prepared for his death.He thought he could live longer than he did. My father loved life as life loved him. He never thought about himself,he always gave his heart and his money to anyone ,beggar or rich man is all the same to him.But unscrupulous people took advantage of his noble and kind personality and its the family that suffered. He was very loving and gentle with children and animals.The Malay friends who come and visit are often shocked out of their songkoks to see him patting his favourite dog sitting beside his armchair.Our cousins simply loved to sit around him to listen to his stories and to learn songsof his time.My dad loved singing .The radio was always on,but not the Bahasa Malaysia station. We only turn on the Malay station when granny is around. His father (my grandpa) died young too.He had a hard time during the Japanese Occupation,being the eldest son.He did part time jobs after school to support my grandma and his family. My father has thaught a lesson to us all,only after he is gone. Prepare yourself for whatever may come,at the same time love life. Be kind and gentle to everyone young and old.Be kind to animals and other living things. This is what I am teaching my children.