COMMENT | I asked my mum the other day if she would be upset in case she was sent to a rumah orang tua (home for the elderly) in the future.
“Why would you want to send me away when I have my own home right here?” she frowned.
I smiled, trying to ease the instant tension on her face.
“It’s a hypothetical question, Ma,” I said.
“In that case, my answer was hypothetical too,” she answered flatly.
“What if you and Dad aren’t well and I can’t take care of you?” I asked again.
“We don’t need anyone to take care of us, thank you. We are capable of taking care of ourselves.” Once again, she frowned.
“These are just a series of hypothetical questions, Ma. No need to take it to heart, okay?” I assured her.
“Good. So are my answers,” she answered while busy peeling some onions.
“What if you both need assistance and we aren’t capable of being by your side 24/7?” I pressed further.
“Nothing will happen to us. We will be okay. Allah will take care of us,” Mum said. She wasn’t about to give up.
I chuckled.
“Ma, if anything happens, rest assured that I will drop everything I am doing and be with both of you 24/7.
“But what if I cannot take care of both of you at home? What if we need special assistance from a healthcare centre or a special home?” I asked once again.
Mum stopped slicing her onions. Her eyes were watery.
“I am not crying. Don’t get any ideas,” she clarified.
I laughed as I handed her a tissue.
“No thank you, save the trees please,” she said as she wiped her eyes using her sleeves...