Questa è Enida

It was our usual kissy-kissy sniffy-sniffy session saying goodnight shortly before 8pm while waiting for Kitreena to finish brushing her teeth.

.

Mommy: Who is your best friend at school now, Monch?

Edrick: Jayden and Adam.

Mommy: Oh still those two?

Edrick: Yeah, because they’re my boys.

Mommy: What about Anooj?

Edrick: Yeah, she is too. But she’s a girl.

Mommy: That’s all right. Does she still like to kiss you at school?

Edrick: Yeah, she does.

Mommy: Does she smell good?

Edrick: Yeah. But you always have the more gooder smell, Mom.

Mommy: Oh? I do? *immediately checks her armpits and knows her son is telling the truth*

.

Read Full Post »

Kitreena: Mom, where are you going after this?

Mom: I’m going to make a blood donation.

Kitreena: Blood donation? But why?

Mom: Because it might help people who need it.

Kitreena: Oh you mean like when Grandma needed it?

Mom: Exactly! She got blood help from other people. So it’s my time to help other people’s moms.

Kitreena: But are you going to run out of blood?

Mom: Nohhh! They’re not going to suck my blood dry lah! Besides, my body will make new blood.

Kitreena: Oh! Hehe. How much are they going to take out from you?

Mom: Mmm just about as much as what your water bottle can contain.

Kitreena: Ooooohh! That’s banyak Ma!

Mom: Tak lah, it’s not for drinking. Hey, did you know we can donate organs too? You know what organs are?

Kitreena: Yeah, like kidneys and heart and stuff.

Mom: Smart girl.

Kitreena: But Mom, how are you going to live if you donate all your organs.

Mom: Hehhh! You don’t donate all your organs at once lah oi. That’s not donation. That’s giving up! Hahaha.

Kitreena: *chuckles* Oh you mean you donate your organ one at a time.

Mom: Well, yes. Maybe just one organ when you’re alive. And if you don’t want to do it when you’re alive, you can leave an instruction to your family. You write them a will to let them know you want to donate your organs when you die.

Kitreena: Oh you mean, when you don’t want your organs anymore?

Mom: Well, when you die, you don’t need your organs, no matter how much you want them. You don’t even need your body.

Kitreena: Oh yeah, because you only need your soul. But Mom… *pauses and looks puzzled*

Mom: Hmmm…

Kitreena: What does a soul look like?

Mom: It depends on your kindness.

Kitreena: What do you mean?

Mom: Kind people have beautiful soul.

Kitreena: It doesn’t matter what they look like?

Mom: That’s right, Monch. Doesn’t matter what their body looks like.

Kitreena: *pauses, looks at Mommy and smiles*

Mom: What?

Kitreena: Mom… I think Grandma’s soul is one of the most beautiful souls of all.

Mom: *smiles widely, weeps quietly*

.

..

.

Read Full Post »

It was early morning on Thursday, the first week of school. The kids were sitting in the back seat, the radio was not on. The sun was nowhere even near the horizon, prolonging the darkness much welcomed as it made it feel it was still very early.

.

Just about 200 meters after leaving home, Kitreena started humming her ‘Yippee Yai Yai Yippee Yippee Yai’ song. A few seconds after, Edrick followed suit with his Mozart’s tune he played on the piano a week earlier. And the humming went on and on and on for almost halfway the drive to school.

.

My heart was so light and easy, I thought I was flying! And I promised myself that I would never ever want to miss any day like that day – for anything in the world. Anything.

.

The radio remained on standby for the rest of the ride to school.

.

Read Full Post »

Since Edrick’s hands are still too small for guitar, I was advised to start him with piano instead. So off he went for a piano trial class with Miss Chui Yi on Friday with Daddy.

.

Mommy: How was it Monch? Did you enjoy your piano class?

Edrick: Oh yes, Mommy! My piano teacher said, I did really well.

Daddy: Oh yeah! You couldn’t stop saying goodbye and giving your teacher flying kisses on the way out, could you?

Mommy: Ohhh? Edrick???

Edrick: I still love you Mom!

.

.

.I should not have taken it to heart, but suddenly I felt like crying.

.

Read Full Post »

Monchies and I were waiting impatiently patiently in the CRaVy late Saturday afternoon for Bibik who ended up arriving five hours later, when we saw a man with one leg shorter than the other.

.

Mommy: Do not stare please!

Kitreena: I’m not! I’m just… emmm… looking… secretly, Ma.

Mommy: That is soooo lah staring okay. He can see you looking at him like that!

Kitreena: But I’ll look away if he looks at me.

Mommy: Stop staring Monch! I mean it. It’s rude!

Kitreena: But… but…

Mommy: Okay you can look now. He’s walked past our car. Look and be thankful to God that you have a good body.

Kitreena: I am thankful. But it makes me sad. I’m sorry his legs are like that. It must be hard for him.

Mommy: Of course we feel sad. But don’t be sorry. He’s fine. He might not have good legs here in this life, Monch. But if he has a good heart, God will give him the most perfect legs in heaven.

Kitreena: But he won’t need perfect legs in heaven Ma.

Mommy: Hah? Why?

Kitreena: God will give him wings there.

Mommy: *is thankful to God that she already has a heaven in her car*

.

.

.

Read Full Post »

The car stereo was going a tad too loud, the traffic was going a hundred tads too slow, my mind was running a million tads too fast and Kitreena was speaking in a voice a thousand tads too soft. The moment I turned to look at her in the back seat she was already in tears.

.

What did I forget, Monch?

.

But my gentle-hearted Monchy was a tad too frustrated to repeat herself. I turned the Red FM off despite dying to finish listening to that depressingly negative “…but it’s alright because I like the way it hurts…” song.

.

Come on baby, could you say that again please? Did I leave something at home? What did I forget? Come on sayang. I am listening now…

.

My hugs, Maaaaa!

.

Ohhhh tedahhh! Sayang Mommy. Mujhe maaff karte, Booty.

.

My tears came rolling down a million tads faster than the traffic on Jalan Ampang.

.

.

.

.

.

____________________

To beat the morning rush and stay ahead of time, Monchies and I have made an agreement to exchange our hugs at home, before taking off for school. And because dropping them off now is just a drive-by – they are escorted from the car to the gate – I don’t have to leave my steering wheel. Hence, no hugging smooching Iloveyou-ing seeyouattwoo’clocking scenes at school anymore. But today we missed our hugging session at home. (We hugged and kissed in the car, though.)

.

That’s it! I am waking up earlier tomorrow.

.

.

Read Full Post »

Approaching the Jalan Duta toll plaza on our way to Rawang, I heard and then was dragged into this conversation between Monchies (that naturally turned into an argument and a commotion).

.

Edrick: Kaka, I’m thirsty.

Kitreena: There’s your water bottle, there’s your water. Drink it then.

Edrick: But I already finished it.

Kitreena: You can have mine. *hands her water bottle to the brother*

Edrick: *drinks, chokes and coughs* Kitreena! Your water makes me choke!

Kitreena: No, it didn’t! You didn’t even say thank you! And now you’re saying my water makes you choke? Huhhh!

Edrick: Yes it did!

Kitreena: No it didn’t! You were drinking too fast. It went to the wrong pipe.

Edrick: But how many pipes do I have?

Kitreena: How many pipes do we have in our throat, Mom?

Mom: Two.

Kitreena: You mean, one for air and the other for water?

Mommy: Yes.

Kitreena: What about for solid food, Mom?

Mom: Goes to the same pipe where water goes, Monch.

Kitreena: There you go! Two pipes Edrick.

Edrick: But which pipe did the water go to?

Kitreena: It was ‘posed to go to your water and food pipe, but you were drinking too fast. It went to the air pipe.

Mommy’s GPS: “When possible, make a U-turn.”

Edrick: Mommy, can the water make a U-turn from my air pipe and go to the water pipe?

Mommy and Kitreena: Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

.

Read Full Post »