Saturday Meeting.

Late Friday evening, my sister law delivered a few durians to the house from the tree that we planted some years ago at my late father in law vacant land along the Klang Banting road. The day was the day the Thomas Cup was brought back to the Sidek house in Banting. I can now taste the fruit of my green hands. I once roamed under durian trees of my late grandfather’s dusun and I was the errand boy picking up the fruits after it hit the ground. It only remain nostalgic now as sooner the same dusun is going to transfer hand and only the beautiful memories remain between my late grandfather and me.

Saturday morning my wife ordered two kilos of “roti jala” and prepared “kuah durian”. Around noon my cousins, Dato Malek and Datin, Jeffrul and his lady and Nurul Izmi came to the house as we were on the way to another cousin house for his son wedding reception. Hari Raya was over but the leftover Raya cookies still around and supplemented with dates and zam zam water from the Holy Land. Datin Zawiyah love the kuah durian but we have nasi briyani to address later in the afternoon. We proceed to Taman Sri Andalas for the wedding reception and cousin Ismail and wife Sally was in hand to receive us and allocated special table. We met the other relatives some of whom I don’t even know their names. They came as far as our paternal kampong in Padang Tenggala. My cousins and me made a point to attend this wedding as Ismail and Sally personally hand delivered the invitation card to my house. It was a simple grand wedding and I bumped into several familiar faces. They were surprised that Ismail is my second cousin.

I took a good rest as at night I have another wedding invitation by Tamby Omar all the way at Putrajaya.

I called up Haji Roslan Yusoff, the former Chief Internal Auditor, my colleague in Guthrie inquiring about dress code and he told me “batik” to make it simple. He then suggested we could go together and asked me to meet him at his house at Bukit Jelutong. I happily accepted as I don’t have to drive all the way to Putrajaya.

We left Bukit Jelutong at 1930 hours and took the simplest route vide Elite Highway, final destination, Dewan Puspanita Sri Hendon at Persint 10. I co piloted Haji Roslan as he is not familiar with Putrajaya. Arriving at the Hall we met several familiar faces from Guthrie. Haji Mahmud was well attired in Baju Melayu like YB. I sat at the same table with Nageeb Wahab, Haji Roslan and Aziz. Tamby Omar reserved about ten tables for his colleagues from Guthrie. It was like Guthrie reunion. To name a few, Ahmad Alwi, Mac Miceal, Aziz Bakar, Zainuddin, Wahab Suboh, Mohd Mahfar, Harchan, Singam, Thayaparakananthan, Ong Tat Thim, Wong Kin Lian, Abu Hanipah, Juanita Khir Johari (Puan Sri), Chin Poh Peng, Arvind, Azhaza, Capt Tong Lye Heng and some I have forgotten their names. Few asked for my handicap and they were surprised I laid my clubs in the store room since 2003. From a distance I saw “Tongkat Ali” and I wished he did not cross my path. I also saw someone who was my former good friend and my Assistant but he was avoiding me. Who cares??

The ladies were busy among themselves catching up with the latest news (gossips). Eton (Nageeb’s wife) was as usual had plenty of stories to tell and many questions to ask. How is Darling and when is she getting married?? We wanted to go to your house but Pak Haji said it was Friday night and he wanted to go to the Mosque blah blah blah. I did not know that Eton was with Esso before she married Nageeb and Wahab Suboh said that he knew Eton before he knew Nageeb when they were together in Esso. Eton was surprised that I was with Esso before. When Harchan came to join the table, old nostalgic stories came out and the poor victim was Thabit.

By the time the food was served it was 2130 hours and everyone was hungry. By 2300 hours, the function was all over and we bid each other farewell hoping to meet at someone else wedding reception (provide invited).

On the way back Haji Roslan missed an exit and we got to back tracked. Along the way we were talking about the good old days of Guthrie and I told Haji Roslan wife that I am one of the few that can befriend Haji Roslan because I was clean all the way. As Chief Internal Auditor he was strictly on his job and we were laughing that he could only queried me about the five gallons loss of diesel fuel within a span of one year. I answered the Auditor’s query by telling that the five gallon loss was taken by the bright sunlight due to the open air storage. We were at Harvard Suasana Hotel in Kedah (Guthrie Hotel) having dinner when Aziz who was the Hotel Manager then, was standing beside us dare not even sat down because the Chief Internal Auditor was at the table. Tonight, Aziz was sitting comfortably beside the once Chief Internal Auditor. I was unsure whether it was the same Aziz and Haji Roslan replied that it was him. After both of us had retired, Haji Roslan used to come down to Port Klang for seafood or “tauhu bakar” by the water front. Now he is a single handicapper and makes Subang Golf Club as his second home.

I picked up my car at Bukit Jelutong and cruised home to Port Klang. I touched base at midnight and ample time to watch Chelsea trashed Blackburn 5 - 0.