Pagi tadi saya pergi kenduri Aqeqah rumah anak saudara saya. Saya diminta duduk di meja utama dgn Datuk Mufti N9. Saya sgt keberatan sebenarnya tapi anak buah saya mendesak, maka terpaksalah juga duduk. Datuk Mufti sampai agak lewat semasa imam sdg baca doa. Apa yg saya nak cerita ialah akhlaknya sebagai seorg ulamak yg berjawatan mufti. Apabila sampai, dia terus duduk atas tikar berhampiran pintu pagar di luar rumah di mana kasut selipar berterabur. Dia ambil lauk yang berada di hadapannya shj walaupun lauk kambing turut dihidangkan. Saya lupa nak pusingkan benda alah tu kerana ingatkan dia tak suka kambing. Bila akhirnya saya pusingkan utk ambil gulai labu, secara kebetulan kari kambing berhenti bertepatan di hadapannya, barulah dia ambil. "Tadi tak nampak", katanya. Yg paling menarik ialah perbuatannya bila nak basuh tgn lepas makan. Dia bangun menuju ke arah teko tempat air basuh tangan selang dua kerusi dari tempat saya duduk. Kalaulah dia minta atau beri isyarat, saya akan segera menghulurkannya. Semua tingkah lakunya mengambarkan akhlaknya yg tinggi. Dia tidak mahu orang membesar2kan dia dan dia juga tidak mahu menyusahkan orang lain. Sayangnya saya terlupa bawak henfon. Kalau tidak, pasti saya tunjuk gambar berselfie dgnnya.
Bila umur sudah melewati 60an, perasaan cepat sensitif. Misalnya bila mendengar lagu Paul Anka bertajuk 'Papa" di bawah membuat saya tersentuh. Walaupun ia sebuah lagu lama (1974) tapi baru akhir-akhir ini saya rasa demikian. Masa muda-muda dulu tak rasa apa-apa pun.
Terutamanya bila tiba kepada rangkap berikut, saya terbayang barangkali inilah keadaan yang akan saya lalui nanti ..
When she died
Papa broke down and he cried
And all he could say was, "God, why her? Take me!"
Everyday he sat there sleeping in his rockingchair
He never went upstairs
Cause she wasn't there
Sekali lagi jantung ini bagai direntap dan tanpa tertahan air mata saya mengalir laju bilatiba ke rangkap ini pula ..
And don't worry. I'm O.K. alone."
Memang ada lagu versi Melayunya yang dinyanyikan oleh Allahyarham Latif Ibrahim tapi ia tidak meninggalkan kesan kepada saya kerana liriknya sudah diubah 180 darjah dan persembahannya tidak 'sampai'.
Berikut adalah lirik penuh lagu nyanyiam Paul Anka:
Everyday my papa would work
To try to make ends meet
To see that we would eat
Keep those shoes upon my feet
Every night my papa would take me
And tuck me in my bed
Kiss me on my head
After all the prayers were said
And there were years
Of sadness and of tears
Through it all
Together we were strong
We were strong
Times were rough
But Papa he was tough
Mama stood beside him all along
Growing up with them was easy
The time had flew on by
The years began to fly
They aged and so did I
And I could tell
That mama she wasn't well
Papa knew and deep down so did she
So did she
When she died
Papa broke down and he cried
And all he could say was, "God, why her? Take me!"
Everyday he sat there sleeping in a walking chair
He never went upstais
All Because she wasn't there
Then one day my Papa said,
"Son, I'm proud of how you've grown"
He said, "Go out and make it on your own.
Don't worry. I'm O.K. alone."
He said, "There are things that you must do"
He said, "There's places you must see"
And his eyes were sad as he
As he said goodbye to me
Every time I kiss my children
Papa's words ring true
He said, "Children live through you.
Let them grow! They'll leave you, too"
I remember every word Papa used to say
I kiss my kids and pray
That they'll think of me
Oh how I pray
They will think of me
That way
Someday
