The photos shows me (right) with my three younger sisters. Left is Rai (Zuraimah) the youngest in the family, my younger sister, Anah (Zurainah) and my immediate younger sister, Ani (Guraini).
My younger sisters are so different from me. When we were young, they behaved like girls, ladylike and obendient to my parents, whereas I was more like a boy, free-spirited and rebellious. Next to me is my younger sister, Ani. Her name was registered by my father as Zuraini but when her birth certificate was lost, her new certificate showed Guraini, much to my parents' dismay. Ani was not happy too but she got no choice and has to stick to it. To us, she is Ani or Mak Utih to her neices and nephews.
Ani is quite a favourite with my parents and brothers. She is gentle and as a young girl, she and my other younger sister Anah are the ones who helped my mother - cooking and cleaning the house. So they were much more appreciated than me. She attended the Malacca Girls High School, Malacca and completed form five. At home my mother did not have to ask her to do housework as she would do it voluntarily.
When she finished form five she went to stay with my second brother, Bang Fudin, in Kuantan for a while. There she got a job in Telekom and stayed on her own with her friends. I remember visiting her there when I was in my second year at University Malaya. At that time going, to Kuantan was a big deal as road was not good and transport was difficult. At one time she had an admirer - a British army sargent, Bob, who was so keen on her. On hari raya day, she came back to Tg. Kling with Bob who stayed at a motel in Kelebang. By then my parents have become more relaxed and not so strict as he was with me before. The kampung folks also have changed somewhat in their attitude, especially when I went to university. So, when Bob came for raya, my parents packed for him ketupat and rendang to be taken back to his motel. The next day, I was tickled pink when Bob said that he ate the ketupat without getting rid of the daun kelapa. He didn't know how to eat it in a proper way. He enjoyed the rendand even though it was hot for him. Poor Mat Saleh! We took it for granted that he knew how to eat ketupat and rendang and didn't bother to explain how. But my sister, Ani, was not really keen on him as she has met another guy, Rahman, in Kuantan who later became her husband.
Tall, fair and good-looking, Rahman was quite a romeo. The marriage was good at first but turned sour years later. I knew Ani was being abused by her husband but she was so protective over him. I used to get so irritated by her total devotion to him. Many times while she was complaining on how Aman treated her shabily, but the moment Aman came she became all meek and ready to serve. I was so disgusted. She let herself being trampled over and over again until now.
He is bed-riddeen now and his young second wife abandoned him. She demanded divorce but he couldn't even pronounce the divorce. Padan muka! That's the result for prostituting herself with another woman's husband. I definitely do not admire my sister for her blind devotion but feel sorry for her. I would have kicked him out of my life the moment he abused me. At our family gatherings or weddings, Ani was not able to attend because of her bed-ridden husband. We missed her. All of us feel that his second wife should take some responsibility too. Now Ani's in-laws realised that my sister is an angel. They have been badmouthing her before and supported their brother for taking a second wife. Why don't his brothers or sisters take over the caring? At least Ani has time for herself. Nobody wants to offer help but good at finding faults. I would kick out not only the husband but also the whole family!!!But that's me and I definitely have done exactly that. But Ani is always the soft one and I am the hard member of the family. Tolerance, patience and faithful are her positive qualities.
One instant that I remember well was when Ani wanted to quit her job to stay home raising her children. Knowing her husband, my mother cried and forbid her from quiting her job. She said her income gave her freedom to do what she liked and not to have to beg from her husband. 'Husband is easy to find but job is hard to come by'. That was her saying as she had an inkling on how her daughter was being ill-treated by her husband. Thank God, she listened to my mother's advice.
Now, she has retired and I hope she will find happiness in her own way. I love her and want the best for her.
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