Mother of Mine

Mama sounded really tired when she called me this evening. She and Dad had just arrived home from their week-long holiday at an island off the East Coast. They really have fun those two. Eversince Dad retired last year, they have been globe trotting everywhere. How nice eh?

Well, Mama being Mama, although she's on a holiday, she calls us all the time and it's as though she never left for the vacation! For instance, before she left for this trip, she called me to say, "Mama nak pergi dah ni.. We are about to leave the house"..with seribu pesanan. "Don't forget this, don't forget that.."

Then when she gets to their first stop, she'll call again. "Mama dah ada kat xxx ni. How are the boys?". I'd answer her questions, although in my mind I'd be saying "Oh, Mom!You only left ONE HOUR ago! Nothing could have possibly changed since!"

But she's like that. Can't leave the house for a holiday, one minute after stepping out of the house, she will rindu everybody already. My sons, me, my siblings, my aunts, my Tok, her plants etc..etc..

While she was on this holiday, like ALL her other holidays, she "sms"ed me ALL THE TIME to give me an update of what she and dad have been up to.

SMS FROM MOM15/6/2005 4.39pm :
Jogged dis morning - 3km. Now HIS caddy, BERJALAN! I'm soaking wet! Tak payah mandi laut!"

SMS FROM MOM 15/6/2005 7.09PM :
How are the boys? (referring to my sons)

SMS FROM MOM 16/6/2005 12.04PM:
After yesterday's marathon, hari ni jangankan nak jogging. Nak jalan ke toilet pun seksa!

SMS FROM MOM 16/6/2005 12.07 PM : (Note: just 3 minutes after the first on that day)
Holiday with your abah is no rest you know! Now dia ajak mandi laut! ADOIII!

Hehehe! I can just imagine those two going dipping in the sea..joints and muscles all aching! But they're so romantic, in a funny way I think!

And those sms are in addition to all the phone calls I get many times a day describing what they had to eat, telling me what dad had talked about that day, telling me what dad was craving to eat that day, etc, etc, etc! No matter where she is in this world..she will always update us every few seconds. That's Mama. (I think she may have wanted to become a reporter when she was younger! aye?)

She expects me and my siblings to do the same too. When I was not married, after work, she'd call just to make sure I was ok every now and then. (Actually, I suspect she wanted to see what I was up to!) Now, she has me as her back up. I suppose she wants to be "COOL MOM" now..so she gets me to do all the dirty work. "ANEDRA, call your brother, check what time he's coming home?" Mind you..my brother is already 29. And for my sis "Telephone xxxx, where is she now? Ask her which friend she is with?"

Sigh..Mama..mama..

I suppose, she's just like any other mother, always protecting her children. Always making sure we are ok. But of course now, in this day and age..must COOL a bit lah. Hence, ANEDRA is pulled into the business!

Please don't get me wrong. I write this with all the love for my Mama. She's got the biggest heart in this world always full of love for everybody she knows. And for us, her children, there's just nothing that she would not do for us. In short, she's DA BEST!!

I am a bit worried though that her reporter-like traits are slowly trickling down to me. For, every now and then, without Mama asking me to, I'd be doing spot checks on my brother and sister, not that they've been up to anything funny! And, they have noticed it too! They always say, "you're beginning to act like mama. always asking where we are..what time we will be back..what we are doing..who we are with etc.etc.." Oh, how they moan those two!!

Is it supposed to be this way?? It's scary isn't it?

I feel like a MakCik now (no offense Mom! errr..and the other Mak Ciks out there!).

But Mama's cool apa.. and I know I'm doing this for a REALLY good reason.

And to quote Mama, "I'm only doing this because I LOVE YOU"

Oh Mom....!!