Enter the flu

 

Waking up,I had difficulty in breathing.The nose is blocked.The head is in a swirl.

Nak cakap pun dah sengau.

After six days road tour ,the flu had caught on me after 2 years of hiatus. Yes,2 years into my pension this is the 1st time that the flu has got the better of me. Mana tak flu. Dalam hujan boleh dok berjalan macam orang muda.

I still remembered during my teaching years I took precaution not to get ill. The moment I got myself in the  rain,I must wash my hair.

Once I saw a student with chicken pox  walking next to me. Dalam hati berkata,matilah macam ni.

Well ,the next thing I know I was down with the worst bout of chicken pox.

Living without your next of kin alias adik beradik sedarah ,mak bapak nearby ,have thought myself the moment you are ill, life will be a misery. Yes, my own parents and blood are more than 150 km away in the next state.

I still remembered the time I got chicken pox ,I was asked to go back home. Home? This is my home.

And my parents came running when I accidently scalded myself. I was one who took all pains in my stride. Even though when I was in confinement,all I had were the helpers. Tak ada sapa la nak pamper ke apa. I learned it the hard way.

Coming back to the history of getting myself scalded,it was a very sad affair. I was very disturbed at a the happening enfolding in my next of kin’s  family. So disturbed that I did things without taking heeds of danger.

Apalagi tercurahlah seperiuk air panas menggelegak  ke atas paha makcik one morning.

The pain was unbearable. The skin forming lesions. I was rushed to the hospital where the sleepy eyed doctor scraped the bottom of a lotion jar he applied on my lap.

I was allowed to go back much to the disbelief of another doctor. Back home the pain got the worst of it. The whole leg were in blisters and what I could do was cry.

It was the second day or was it the third that I rang up my mum. It was the first time in my life I cried because I was in severe pain.I couldnt even walk.

My dad knew something was very wrong because it was not me to cry for help from my parents. I knew they had much in their hands.

Armed with chinese herbal medicine the two people came over to Perlis. It was dad and mum who took care of me. Mum applied the tortoise oil over the my lap,shedding tears at my predicament.

The pain in itself was unbearable but worst was to come. I overheard some one saying the most awful thing in school one day:

Kalau nak cuti sebulan,curahlah air panas kat peha.

I didnt know who said it but overhearing it was a bad enough.

Rasa rasanya ,orang yang  cakap begitu, dah dapat kut apa yang dia pinta.

Yes, some people could be stone hearted.Yes.I was in Stella where most of my ills happened when I was there..Entahlah suratan ke kebetulan!