Mom vs Maid, Not Even A Comparison

Salam. I'd write in Malay and the English subtitle would follow in Italic.

Masa aku sibuk kulu-kilir buat keja rumah aritu, Junior ada buat statement gempak punya sambil siapkan robot dan amenda ntah dengan Lego. "Mummy sorang je tak lari. Bibik mana pun sama je, semua lari". Aku nak tergelak pun ada. Nama pun aku ni Mummy, bukannya Bibik. "Ye la, sayang.. Mummy confirm takkan lari punya..!" Itu aje la yang aku boleh cakap. Tiba-tiba je minda aku buat matematik, siap dengan tajuk2 kecik sekali..

One day when I was busy with daily chores at home, Junior suddenly made one heck of a statement while playing with his Lego. "Only mummy stay. All maids (were) just the same, kept running away". I felt like laughing out loud. That was why I was called mom, not maid, I thought to myself. "Of course dear, Mummy will never ever run away, that's for sure!" That was all I could say to him. Then my mind started to make some math, together with sub-headings...

Pergi Sekolah (Going to School)

Bibik aku dulu pagi-pagi Junior nak gi sekolah, dia sibuk kat dapur kenyangkan perut dia dulu. Kalau aku tak suruh, sampai sudah la tak ada apa2 atas meja untuk Junior. Sejak aku ambik alih, sebelum pergi sekolah Junior mesti minum teh atau milo dan makan roti atau kek buat alas perut. Dia sudah mandi je mesti tanya, "Mummy dah buat air?" Amboi....

Every morning when Junior wanted to go to school, my previous maid would be busy eating in the kitchen. There would be nothing for him on the table if I didn't ask her. But when I took over, Junior would have a cup of tea or choc drink and some bread or cake before going off to school. Even made a point of asking each time after his shower, "Mummy, have you made a drink for me?" Very well...

Kenduri-Kendara (Functions)

Kalau pergi kenduri (kawen) mana-mana, bibik aku cepat-cepat keluar kereta dan meluru ambik makanan, suap mulut sendiri. Yang majikan dia ni, pak encik temankan Junior duduk dulu, sampai la mak encik bawakkan makanan untuk Junior. Then, barulah pak encik dengan mak encik pergi ambik makanan untuk diri sendiri. Sementara itu, bibik aku sudah relax goyang kaki tunggu masa nak balik rumah.

Everytime we went to any function (weddings, for example), the previous maid would rush out of the car to get herself food and drink. As for us the employers, sir would accompany Junior at the seat until madam comes with food and drink for him. Then only sir and madam would get things for themselves to eat. Meanwhile, the maid would have done eating and waiting to go home with us.

Kain-Baju (Clothes)

Hari2 bibik masukkan baju dalam mesin basuh. Hari2 jemur baju. Tapi tak angkat-angkat. Tak maunya kering kain-baju, sebab yang basah selalu je ditambahkan kat sebelah. Jenuh la Junior nak carik matching baju tido, stoking mahupun suar kecik. Kalau takde kat dalam bakul besar tempat bibik lipat dan biarkan je gitu, mesti ada kat ampaian kalau bernasib baik. Yang aku ni, tak payah la cerita banyak, kan? Semua orang dapat rasa aura tenang dalam rumah ni. Tenang dan teratur.

Everyday the maid would do the laundry. Everyday she hung the clothes. But she chose to let them be there forever, it seemed. How to get them dried when she kept hanging the wet clothes next to the existing ones? It took Junior forever to find a pair of matching pyjamas, socks or even panties. If there were not in a huge basket where she folded and left them unattended, there might be at the drying place, if we got lucky. As for me, no need to even mention here, right? Everybody can feel the serenity in the house now. Serene and organized.     

Ok, cukup la tiga tajuk kecik tu. Mana aci bandingkan ibu dengan bibik. Sebab tu la Hadis kata, syurga tu bawah telapak kaki ibu, bukan bawah telapak kaki bibik. Bukan anak dia. Bukan keluarga dia. Bukan rumah dia. Bukan juga rumah-tangga dia. Kalau ada pilihan, dia mesti nak duduk rehat-rehat kat tanahair sendiri, bukan kerja jauh-jauh kat negara orang. 

Okay, 3 sub-headings would serve the purpose. It's not even a fair comparison a mom as opposed to a maid. That's why Hadith said that the Jannah is under mom's feet, not under maid's feet. It's not her son. Not her family. Not her home. Not even her marriage. Had she had a choice, she would've chosen to honeymoon everyday in her hometown, not slaving herself so far away in a foreign country.

Gambar2 ni aku ambik masa teman Junior main game kat Jaya Jusco dekat kawasan rumah aku. Naik pitam tunggu dia seharian. Budak2 KL ni nak ke mana la kalau bukan ke shopping complex, kan? Yang kat bawah ni aku ambik guna mesin kat tempat game tu. Mak ai, arahan mesin kut Bahasa Jepun, mana la aku paham. Tak pe je la tapinya, janji keluar gambar kami berdua, kan?

These pictures were taken when I accompanied Junior playing games at Jaya Jusco nearby my house. Felt like fainting to have spent the whole day there. Kids in KL don't have much places to go to except shopping complex, right? The printed pictures were taken from a machine there. Had such a hard time completing the process, the instruction being in Japanese. But never mind, so long as we got our pictures taken just fine, right?

That's about it, folks. Thanks for reading, appreciate it from the bottom of my heart. Until next time, Sayonara. Much love, Nai @ TPJ.