I met my very first best friend when I was.. 3? 4? 5?
I don't really remember but we were family friends. Close enought that we call her parents Mummy & Daddy while she calls mine Mama & Abah. We weren't really neigbours but we must have me up often enough because my childhood is filled with memories of her with photos to prove it.
We met again in Standard 1. She was among the first to talk to shy little me. Both our fathers worked in the same school in USM and we hit it off in no time. Her parents bought me my first pembilang when Abah refused to buy one for me (he thought it was a waste but we really did need to use it in class) saying they had an extra one.
When we were in Standard 3, I welcomed my new long-awaited sister into the world. I was so giddy with excitement that when Cikgu Noerida asked me to tell the class what my new sister's name was, I was still speechless. It was this very friend who excitedly answered for me because, of course, she was the first to know and she memorized my sister's name because she knew it was important to me.
Each year from Standard 2 to Standard 4 we'd vow to wear the hijab together but being kids, it usually lasted only a few weeks since we were always misplacing our tudung or more often than not, burnt it while trying to iron it 😂 During that time, it wasn't that easy to find a kids white hijab so we'd sheepishly wait for next year to start the debacle over again until I finally wore it for good in Standard 5 😂
In Standard 5 and 6, me and my best friend were always on the phone right on the dot at 3pm. I don't even remember what we talked about but we almost never missed our 3pm phone call to each other.
In secondary school, we were in the same class. She was talkative and really smart. I was, well, not appreciating my full potential then 😅 I got to know her Mama & Mak and always felt welcome at her house.
She was one of the cutest beings I have ever met and seemed shy at first but once you get to know her, jaga² lah tudung tu. We both had a crush on the same celebrity and fought over him macaaaamm la the said celebrity kenai sgt pun 😂
She kept my secrets, and I kept hers. We sat at the back of the class, never really wanting to sit with anyone else 😁
After SPM, she worked at an arts & craft store. So unlike her.. What was more unlikely was that she developed an interest in it. She made me a turtle plushie and made my sister a fabric photo frame. Now, she makes bags as a hobby and side income. 25 years ago, none of us would've believe this haha..
We planned our studies together when I was accepted in UiA with the same course as her. But our joy was shortened when Abah told me to send an appeal to USM. I begged him to reconsider but he didn't want to so that night, we cried together knowing we weren't headed the same way.
Then in my first year, we met again as Geometric group members. When we realized we were both from Penang, I guess that just sealed our fate for the next 3 years. She introduced me to the Chicken Soup series and to her dear, dear parents. We had classes together, chose the same major and all. She always laughed at me at my reluctance to go to my English classes (I was the only freshie in that class.. Stress!) sbb I was always bernazar if the class was cancelled, I'd fast hahah.. Aci ka main dgn nazar camtu? 😅
We repeated classes together. Getting C- or D at first than both getting A+ the second time around 😁 Sometimes we'd go watch movies together when we had free time on our hands. This was one girl who I can share anything at all without hiding the trurth.
When she got married, I was the pengapit bidan terjun during her nikah. We thought she didn't need one then masa tu sbb it wasn't for the kenduri and since I was there, they told me to fill in. I wasn't ready and the photographer even laughed and asked us, "Awat muka pengapit lagi merah dari muka pengantin?" 😂
She was always there for me when she's near. We're different, like night & day and more than once have I had people ask me how come we are friends 😂 During my postgraduate years, when I moaned about not having enough money, this cheeky girl would actually sit in front of my bookcase and calculate all the money I had spent on books.. Ewaaahhhh kauuu 😂 But that shut me up quickly 😂
When I got my heart broken, she could be there in person for me since we were 200km apart, but she sent me a heartfelt card that I still keep till now.
Once when we were separated by the Selat Melaka, she messaged me. Told me she had dreamt of me and felt that I was sad. I'll never understand how she knew but I was so grateful for it. I didn't want to talk to anyone then but somehow with her, I let it all out.
Till now, she has that knack of knowing something about me even when I never told anyone. Most recent was a few years ago when she reached out to me because she felt in her heart that something was wrong. I was keeping things bottled up inside, distracting myself with outdoor activities but she somehow guessed and more suprisingly, she guess the 'who' too.. She even said she was gonna ask her dear hubby to go pukul the said 'who' and that made me laugh.
When I was getting married, I had the misfortune to not be working at that time due to the lockdown. I was panicking a bit since I didn't really have much savings and I had to pick and choose what I could have for my nikah instead of being able to afford everything I wanted.
Know what my bestfriend did? She secretly ordered a beautiful cake for me as a gift to us. What I didn't know was that Mama also wanted to sponsor my cake when she heard that I might not have a cake for nikah (I could only buy ONE cake so I chose one for my engagement 1.5 hours before the nikah. Tu pun last² tk byr sbb my sweet lil' Ija just gave it to me 🥹) In the end, instead of no cake at all, I had 3 😁
If you've read till this paragraph, I think you've already realized I'm not talking about one exclusive person. I'm talking about almost all who have been my best friend at different stages of my life. I say almost because there is so much more to share but if I do, I won't finish this post by today 😅
But to each and everyone of you, I'm sending a great big hug and a big chunk of my heart to let you know how much you mean to me. My life would surely be dull without you guys 😘
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