Sweet Memories with Uncle Unjie

 

(Long entry is back)

Dalam banyak-banyak bulan, bulan May la yang paling banyak pekara berlaku di persekitaran I. Lama dah I nak buat entry pasal the passing of one of our family member but I decided to hold on to it for a while sebab rasa macam it is not fair for me to write something sad and a few days later cerita pasal benda-benda yang buat I happy. Kena la respect.  

Here goes... early last month, I got a news that my dad’s younger brother passed away. Remember masa I balik Kuching two years ago and visited my uncle yang tak berapa sihat itu? Yes, that Uncle Vincent. I think I ada post gambar dia dengan I, mmm...tak ingat I. So my uncle nie passed away due to his illness. I was sad but I didn’t shed any tears because I tak rapat dengan dia but when someone that you know and tambah lagi your relatives and you pernah cakap dengan dia, you akan tetap rasa kehilangan dia. It is like something has been taken out of your chest...rasa macam ada ruang kosong kat dalam tu. That is how I feel and still is. Then teringat masa mula-mula I jumpa dia masa kita orang balik Sarawak masa tinggal kat Singapore dulu. I ada cerita dalam entry Wo and Me punya series. Let me recall balik lah... 

Masa tu kita orang make a stop over kat Kuching sebelum balik kampung Daddy. Uncle Vincent or nick name dia Uncle Unjie tinggal kat Kuching and kerja kat RTM. My first impression of Uncle Unjie nie masa first time jumpa dia, wah... chubby jugak pipi Uncle Unjie nie. With his Shaun Cassidy’s hair, bell bottom pants, kasut boot bertumit tinggi dan baju t-shirt ketat, well..Uncle Unjie was so hot during that time. Masa tu I darjah satu ke dua..tak ingat lah. Sengihan dan gelak ketawa tak pernah lekang dari wajah Uncle Unjie. Dia tak banyak cakap cuma like I said asyik gelak-gelak kecil aje. So for a few days jugak lah kita orang tinggal kat bilik bujang beliau. Rumah bujang Uncle Unjie nie macam hostel yang kat U or college. Sebilik sorang tapi share bilik mandi. First time masuk bilik dia, omg, bersepah macam tongkang pecah terdampar di tepi pantai. Kita orang terbeliak bijik mata masa mula-mula masuk bilik beliau yang sekangkang itik itu. Katil pun tak nampak apalagi lantai yang strewn around with all kind of stuff. Tersembul perkataan “apuuuu” (apu tu is an expression dalam bahasa iban yang bermaksud... oh my oh wow...kira macam tak percaya..) dari mulut kita orang hehehe...dan I dengan Wo terang-terang cakap, bersepahnya bilik uncle nie... Mummy yang pandai cover senyum-senyum je.. but dalam hati who knows la kan.. sementelah adik ipar beliau..takan la dia nak maki-maki kan.. I tell you, Mummy nie pandai bermanis-manis, itulah trait yang diperturunkan kepada Wo hehehe..

Anyway, Mummy pun teruslah mengemas bilik Uncle Unjie nie, sambil I dengan Wo buat inspection bilik rakan-rakan beliau sebelah menyebelah. Kadang-kadang terserempak dengan budak-budak bujang lelaki perempuan lalu kat depan bilik Uncle Unjie. Bila time nak mandi, masuk kat bilik mandi ada la a perempuan dengan tuala keluar dari situ sambil senyum manis. Budak-budak bujang kat situ semua baik-baik dan peramah. I teringat lagi muka one of the girls dengan rambut bertocang, pakai tuala pink, berkulit hitam manis, lalu sambil tanya-tanya I dengan Wo. Bila Uncle Unjie and daddy balik aje, terkejut Uncle Unjie sambil tergelak kecil tengok bilik dia Mummy dah kemas. Wo dengan I pun sibuk la cakap, tengok uncle, tengok uncle, your room Mummy dah kemas. Wo cakap, dulu sepah sekarang dah bersih dengan sengihan gigi depan yang sumbing itu wakaka..

There was one night, since Wo and I were so bored and we got nothing to do, yelah kan.. I tak ingat ada tv ke tak bilik Uncle Unji, makanya Wo dengan I pun pegilah menziarah bilik budak bujang sebelah bilik Uncle Unjie. Masuk je, tekejut I dengan Wo tengok wall dia penuh dengan gambar perempuan bogel dengan berbagai pose itu. Since masa tu kecik lagi and perasaan malu pun tak ada. I dengan Wo tengok satu persatu and hairan kenapalah perempuan-perempuan omputih nie mengangkang bagai dan ada bulu-bulu, masa kecik mana la ada bulu pubic lagi kan. Tapi sempatlah I cakap, eh.. tak malunya perempuan nie. Budak bujang tu gelak aje. Tak lama kemudian, Mummy datang cari kita orang. Bila Mummy jenguk je, Mummy buat-buat senyum bila tengok dinding, Mummy cakap,”suka letak gambar yea.. hobby eh?. budak bujang tu cakap, “yea” sambil tersenyum-senyum malu, merah muka dia. I didn’t understand the “exchange” back then, bila dah tua nie baru I faham. Rupa-rupanya uncle tu segan kat Mummy. Then Mummy ajak kita orang balik bilik Uncle Unjie. 

Next day, Uncle Unjie bawak I dengan Wo ke tempat dia kerja, iaitu RTM Kuching. Bila colleague dia tanya, siapa dorang nie Vince? Uncle Unjie cakap, “my anak or my daughters”, dorang cakap, “ish tipu la”, I pun cakap, bukan, “he’s my uncle, my daddy punya adik”. Uncle Unjie senyum-senyum and gelak-gelak je. Dia bawak both of us merata-rata and introduced us as his daughter, last-last, I sampai malas nak explained, I cakap bukan and senyum aje. Now that I realised, he was so proud of us and show us off to everyone and even mengaku anak dia... (tiba-tiba I jadi sebak). There was one place, bilik rakaman and it was so cold and ada cermin. I tengok ramai budak-budak sebaya I dengan Wo kat dalam tu, I think dorang tengah nyanyi kot. I cakap dalam hati, I should have been in there “hmm... suara I lagi sedap”. I kecik-kecik lagi dah perasan bagus you wakaka...  

 

 (Nie la rupanya gadget itu, tapi the colour is orange but style semua sama even the cover pun)

Bila time nak tidur, Uncle Unjie tidur bilik kawan dia kat sebelah, I think yang ada gambar perempuan bogel tu kot. I tak ingat. But sebelum tu, Uncle Unjie belikan I dengan Wo, gadget yang bila tarik je bunyi lelaki ketawa. So kejap-kejap I dengan Wo tarik, sampai Mummy fed up and suruh kita orang jangan main lagi. Next day tu, we showed it to the girls bujang yang menyewa kat situ and one of them cakap, “ingatkan apa malam-malam dengar bunyi orang lelaki ketawa, takut dengar sambil tersenyum-senyum. Wo dengan I apa lagi gelak sakan, yelakan berjaya buat orang gerun.. ah, the simple toy/gadget during the 70’s. After that we went back to the kampung and leave Uncle Unjie. I dengan Wo sempat pesan, “Uncle nanti , mesti bilik Uncle bersepah balik, jangan malas kemas tau...” Uncle Unjie gelak besar. Mummy cakap,”ish mulut korang nie”... hehehe..

That was the last time I saw Uncle Unjie until we move back to Sarawak many years later. One day, we went back to Dad’s kampung, Wo came to me and told me Uncle Unjie is bringing his GF or fiancee (both of us are not sure) to meet up with the family. She was a teacher and berbangsa Bidayuh. I dengan Wo pun sibuk la pikir macam mana muka GF or tunang dia itu. Then bila dia introduced Aunty Ann (Anna) to us, eh..I tengok macam muka melayu aje, ditambah dengan kulit dia yang hitam manis (I’m not saying all melayu kulit gelap or sawo matang sebab ada juga melayu yang kulit putih but generally). She has a beautiful huge eyes, very sweet but reserve and a bit quiet. Mestilah kan, baru berkenalan. Dia panggil inik (nenek kita orang), mummy, sekalikan bila Aunty Ginjah dengar, terus la dia kutuk-kutuk Aunty Ann behind her back, Aunty Ginjah kan banyak mulut and dengki kat Aunty Ann masa tu. Bila I dengan Wo dengar, makanya si gossiper dua orang ini terus bagitau Aunty Ann. Aunty Ann bengang la kan tapi dia diam aje but from that onward, Aunty Ann panggil inik, Indai (Mak dalam bahasa iban). Tapi sebutan Indai, Aunty Ann lain sikit, instead of Indai dia panggil Inai (Wo dengan I apalagi gelak each time dia panggil Inai, bunyi sengau and after diperbetulkan barulah dia panggil Indai). Oh lupa nak cakap, on the way nak jumpa kita orang, both of them terjumpa one cat warna kelabu and terus bawak ke situ. And that cat became Mbo’s pet and kucing tu kita orang panggil kelabu and can always be seen lying down or sitting bawah buaian Mbo masa Mbo kecik but after that we don’t know where is the cat has gone too...dah mati ke merajuk lari... tak ingat I.  Then I heard they got married or registered the marriage but I'm not sure if they have any wedding ceremony/ocassion or makan-makan.

There was one time, me and Aki went to visit Uncle Unjie and Aunty Ann when they lived in Sri Aman. And then we lost touch with Uncle Unjie and Aunty Ann until both Wo, myself and our Aunty Helena came to visit them at Kuching. I think we only spent two nights at their house and hang out with our cousin Melvin Crista, Uncle Edward’s daughter ( Uncle Edward is Dad’s eldest brother – Daddy ramai adik beradik, 9 orang termasuk Daddy). Melvin Crista or fondly call Endun stayed with them because she was taking a typing course in one of the school. Kat kampung mana ada such course during those time. Uncle Unjie has two kids, our cousin, Andrew and Cherrie Marie. Those two were so naughty and likes to disturb Endun. Uncle Unjie yang memang pendiam langsung tak bercakap with all of us and send us to wherever we want to go. And I don’t see any laugh only a hint of smile from him. Kalau balik kampung during apa-apa occasion, we will just exchanging smile and greet, “Hello Uncle” and dia akan jawab, Hi Dek and that’s all. After that I didn’t see him anymore except for a few gossip among the family about his marital problem and his drinking issue. There was one time, I heard that he was admitted to the hospital due to his liver issues and something to do with his drinking. Our cousin Bedi was crying and visiting him and told him to stop drinking or else he will die soon. The last time I saw him was two years ago when I went to visit Mummy and Mbo and family in Kuching. I was shocked to see that he look haggard, not as vibrant and cheerful as before. He look so weak and can’t hardly speak. Seeing him like that, broke my heart. I was crying inside and all of the sweet memories came rushing to me but I try to control myself because I don’t want to make him sad. But I know he can read the expression on my face. I nie kan susah nak sembunyi akan perasaan yang sebenarnya, memang terserlah di wajah I ini..

We stayed in their house for about an hour, talking and catch up with all kind of stuff. When we were about to leave, Uncle Unjie look so sad, I know he want us to stay longer and he even said, “kenapa sekejap aje, I still want to talk to all of you?” I pun memang masih nak becakap-cakap and bermesra dengan cousin I Cherrie Marie and Aunty Ann, tak puas hati (memang sekejap pun, the reason? I can’t share with you guys because it was tensed and embarassed at the same time.. let’s just say someone that we didn’t expect to come showed up in his house and making all of us feel uncomfortable and awkward, I really want to tell and share with all of you from my first entry masa I pegi Kuching dulu but I can’t, maybe someday). You know, my life nie penuh drama dan wayang, yang apa-apa I share kat blog nie cuma 2% aje, yang I tak share..huiii...it will make a good soap opera or tv series... Dallas (yang ada bapak JR zaman dulu bukan yang baru-baru nie) or Dynasty (budak sekarang takan tau punya) pun kalah. Belum lagi I nak cerita pasal secret or kisah setiap ahli keluarga on my dad’s side or kisah keturunan nenek moyang I..., sure kena sue haha...

Anyway, that was the last time I saw Uncle Unjie until I heard of his death from Mbo through Whatsapp last month. I didn’t go back to visit or pay my last respect to him but he is always in my heart and part of my life/memory. Goodbye Uncle Unjie, till we meet again...

 

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