Unexpected....

Gaping wide opened mouths, wordless and stunned expressions greeted me when I told my colleagues that I made a trip to Kuantan and back all in the same day yesterday. They must have thought that I was crazy to do that and I also thought so too except that I was glad I made that trip with SLing, Din and LGin. When I explained to them that I went there to attend to a funeral sit-in, they were even more surprised. This time they thought that I must have lost a few nuts that was holding my brains together or even lost my marbles along the way and probably on my way to the shrink office sooner than they expected! Well, I was glad that I made the trip. There is no way that I am going to miss that funeral sit-in. It was Vive's father funeral sit-in. I may not know Vive's father personally but I know Vive & Sathy well enough to warrant them to be in  my family circle. 

Vive & Sathy have always been there for my family and I. For me, I have the greatest respect and love for the both of them. They are more than family to me. So, I would be inconsiderate and a fool if my wife and I did not attend the funeral sit-in. Upon hearing the news of Vive's father death on Saturday evening, my heart goes out to Vive & Sathy. I did not know what to do or say. I sent a word of condolence through the phone. I know that no words could comfort them at the grieving hour but to be present would be a greater comfort to them. That's why I made plans to drive up to Kuantan early Sunday morning and then try to make back in the evening which I did eventually. We ( SLing, Din, LGin and myself ) left at about 7.45am and by 11.00am, we were at Vive's house - that too with a stop for Tangkak pau & drinks for breakfast. It was good to see them and to be able to offer our condolences and hugs were essential for us too. We greeted Joe, Chitra, Kumar and finally Vive's mom. Din and I then paid our last respect. I guess, Vive & Sathy looked very tired by the all night driving since Saturday but they were serving people who came by to pay their last respect to uncle. There was a never ending stream of relatives and friends who came by the house amidst the blistering hot sun. Within a few minutes later, BA, Jessy, Kuna and Cheng arrived at the house. Mind you, these people drove 8 hours from Penang  ( Imagine - 8 hours !!! ) just to be there to pay their respect to uncle and to comfort Vive & Sathy at this hour of grief. Yeah, that's what friendship is all about and how lives are touched by Vive & Sathy. We greeted each other and chatted up easily. Then, about 30 minutes later, Steven, Wan Sin and Eddy from KL arrived at the house. It wasn't long before Bro.Chee Keong and his family arrived at the house later on. It was a gathering of good friends and once again, we chatted up easily. I was told that Siva and his family are also on the way from Penang to Vive's place while Sathy's family are also on the way from Banting. What friendship! What honour indeed!

As uncles, aunties and more relatives dropped by, more things were said to Vive and more headaches to handle. Anyway, I am glad that Vive stood very firm on a lot of matters and it was a good thing. Anyway, I just shared with him on my own experience in handling my dad's funeral matters and that he should stick to what is best for the family and just do it minus the unnecessary "input" from relatives and what not! Somehow, relatives that you have not seen for 25 years or more who are giving you ideas on what should be done and what not to be done can be quite a challenge to handle. So, SUMO it ( Shut Up and Move On ) is what I will say. Anyway, my heart aches knowing that Vive & Sathy would feel the loss but at least, the comfort is that uncle would not suffer anymore. You see, Vive's dad had been quite sick for some time now and it was very taxing for them to travel frequently from Penang to Kuantan. Yunno, it was never easy for uncle too as he breathes his last few days on this place. Somehow, I personally think that at least, uncle is at a better place right now!

Though it was a 3 hours journey for me to travel back, it was worth every penny, every ounce of strength, every piece of energy and heart. Yeah, I burned some rubbers on the road!  I may be exhausted from the driving and drained mentally, I was just glad to have traveled there. My only regret is that we could not have stayed to give uncle a good send-off as today is a working day for all of us. I do hope that our presence had been a comfort to both Vive & Sathy! That's the least we could do ~.