I open the sliding door going into the balcony. The wind came gushing into my small apartment. I walked outside, the wheater looks like it’s going to rain anytime soon. Down there, the city of Kuala Lumpur looks busy with cars going hear and there must be mostly are weekend shoppers. In the horizon, the KL Tower and the Twin Tower of Petronas stood high, proud and strong.
The boy next door was playing with his multi-colored plastic truck and he was making this truck sound from his little mouth. Then, when he got bored, the truck suddenly fly, and come the sound of an airplane, except it was a truck, a flying truck.
I just kept staring at him. He in his world of no boundaries. Everything in life is simple, everyday, is a play day. Full of imagination. As if my staring distracts his imagination, he looks up. The busy KLIA stops for a moment, the flying truck in mid air, waiting for a permission to make a landing, so I guess it has to wait much longer then. He gave me a smile with a missing tooth. A smile he got back from me but not as sweet as his.
“You look like you need a milk, mister,” A milk? That sounds very child, right? What I need right now is a boyfriend little mister.
“I go and tell my mom, she can make milk for you. Milk is good, it build your bones, teeth and…and…mom…what was milk for?” He shouted it out as he ran off into the apartment, looking for his mother, looking for the answer. The truck was suddenly abundant on the balcony floor. If it was a real plane, one will say it has crash and kill hundreds, nobody survives, the nations mourned for the incident. The news will be played over and over until it is considered as outdated.
The doorbell and few small banging on the door interrupted my imagination. Voices outside. A lady and a little kid. I try to recall if I have a guest coming over, my mind sent back blank messages. Meaning that, it got no idea of any appointment. I unlocked the door and swung it open. In front of me stood a lady and a kid from next door. The lady was wearing a uniform of a fast food outlet with a shoulder bag on her left. The kid still look like the last time I saw him on the balcony except this time he has a glass of milk in both hand.
“Hi, I need a favor,” The lady broke the silence between us. “I’m starting work today and I can’t seem to get a babysitter for my boy here. Could you please baby-sit him for a few hours? I’ll pay you, my shifts end at 11, see you then, thank you so much mister…”
“Fadly, and you are?” all this time we have been neighbor, and we forgot to know each other. Welcome to KL.
“Fazilah, my mother’s name is Fazilah. Here’s your milk.” The kid answered and handed me the milk. I took it from him and off he went to the TV.
“And he is Idin.” My heart starts to beat. Off the entire name on earth you name your kid Idin? And now you want me to take care of him? I can’t take care of him, I’m lousy with people name Idin, and I let the last one slip away. Lady, hours seem like years. “I really have to go, thank you again Fadly. Hope it’s not much of a problem. The supply is all in the fridge, just get what you and he wants, here’s the key.” She started to move towards the elevator.
“Good luck,” I half say, half shouted the greeting.
“Thank you, I need that, bye!”
“Bye!”
“Don’t worry, he’s a good kid, he love and adore big guys!”
Idin Senior does that too.
I walk into the living room. The kid already on the sofa, the remote in his hand. He look up at me, I manage a ‘hello don’t be scared of me’ smile.
“Mister, can I watch cartoon?”
“Sure, is Nickelodeon ok?” I took the remote from his small hand, he let it go without hesitation.
“Yeaa…you’re the best babysitter in the whole world!” With that I receive a hug by two small hands and plus a kiss on my left cheek. It was soft and full of love and adoration that it reminds me of the same hug and kisses I usually gets from big Idin, the one I miss so much.
Small Idin place his head on my hips, automatically, I played with his smooth straight hair that smells of Johnson and Johnson baby shampoo. A smile on his face and a chuckle indicating that how much he enjoy the cartoons and my company.
Big Idin use to like it too – me, playing with his hair while we were watching TV. He will guide my hand to his curly hair and automatically I’ll know what to do. We could stay like that for hours without talking yet we felt very much belong to each other. Sometimes we had this little chat, sometimes it was just silence – me stroking his hair – silence fill the space. Just the touched of my hand skin and his scalp that implies the feeling we had for each other. For all you know, he’ll fall asleep, on my lap, peaceful, restful sleep. I always love this moment, he’ll look ever so relax as if he already found the end of his journey, and he had found me.
The boy next door was playing with his multi-colored plastic truck and he was making this truck sound from his little mouth. Then, when he got bored, the truck suddenly fly, and come the sound of an airplane, except it was a truck, a flying truck.
I just kept staring at him. He in his world of no boundaries. Everything in life is simple, everyday, is a play day. Full of imagination. As if my staring distracts his imagination, he looks up. The busy KLIA stops for a moment, the flying truck in mid air, waiting for a permission to make a landing, so I guess it has to wait much longer then. He gave me a smile with a missing tooth. A smile he got back from me but not as sweet as his.
“You look like you need a milk, mister,” A milk? That sounds very child, right? What I need right now is a boyfriend little mister.
“I go and tell my mom, she can make milk for you. Milk is good, it build your bones, teeth and…and…mom…what was milk for?” He shouted it out as he ran off into the apartment, looking for his mother, looking for the answer. The truck was suddenly abundant on the balcony floor. If it was a real plane, one will say it has crash and kill hundreds, nobody survives, the nations mourned for the incident. The news will be played over and over until it is considered as outdated.
The doorbell and few small banging on the door interrupted my imagination. Voices outside. A lady and a little kid. I try to recall if I have a guest coming over, my mind sent back blank messages. Meaning that, it got no idea of any appointment. I unlocked the door and swung it open. In front of me stood a lady and a kid from next door. The lady was wearing a uniform of a fast food outlet with a shoulder bag on her left. The kid still look like the last time I saw him on the balcony except this time he has a glass of milk in both hand.
“Hi, I need a favor,” The lady broke the silence between us. “I’m starting work today and I can’t seem to get a babysitter for my boy here. Could you please baby-sit him for a few hours? I’ll pay you, my shifts end at 11, see you then, thank you so much mister…”
“Fadly, and you are?” all this time we have been neighbor, and we forgot to know each other. Welcome to KL.
“Fazilah, my mother’s name is Fazilah. Here’s your milk.” The kid answered and handed me the milk. I took it from him and off he went to the TV.
“And he is Idin.” My heart starts to beat. Off the entire name on earth you name your kid Idin? And now you want me to take care of him? I can’t take care of him, I’m lousy with people name Idin, and I let the last one slip away. Lady, hours seem like years. “I really have to go, thank you again Fadly. Hope it’s not much of a problem. The supply is all in the fridge, just get what you and he wants, here’s the key.” She started to move towards the elevator.
“Good luck,” I half say, half shouted the greeting.
“Thank you, I need that, bye!”
“Bye!”
“Don’t worry, he’s a good kid, he love and adore big guys!”
Idin Senior does that too.
I walk into the living room. The kid already on the sofa, the remote in his hand. He look up at me, I manage a ‘hello don’t be scared of me’ smile.
“Mister, can I watch cartoon?”
“Sure, is Nickelodeon ok?” I took the remote from his small hand, he let it go without hesitation.
“Yeaa…you’re the best babysitter in the whole world!” With that I receive a hug by two small hands and plus a kiss on my left cheek. It was soft and full of love and adoration that it reminds me of the same hug and kisses I usually gets from big Idin, the one I miss so much.
Small Idin place his head on my hips, automatically, I played with his smooth straight hair that smells of Johnson and Johnson baby shampoo. A smile on his face and a chuckle indicating that how much he enjoy the cartoons and my company.
Big Idin use to like it too – me, playing with his hair while we were watching TV. He will guide my hand to his curly hair and automatically I’ll know what to do. We could stay like that for hours without talking yet we felt very much belong to each other. Sometimes we had this little chat, sometimes it was just silence – me stroking his hair – silence fill the space. Just the touched of my hand skin and his scalp that implies the feeling we had for each other. For all you know, he’ll fall asleep, on my lap, peaceful, restful sleep. I always love this moment, he’ll look ever so relax as if he already found the end of his journey, and he had found me.
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