Tuesday 8 March 2005

A chance enounter

It’s been a while since I last updated this blog. Work commitments and personal matters have kept me away from my newfound pastime. Without intention, I have abandoned my own blog.

Last week I went back to Kelantan to visit my Mother. Alhamdulillah she is okay. I will write about her in another post. Right now I want to write about an encounter with an old friend.

Last Friday night, I took an Air Asia flight from Kota Bharu to KLIA. I’m always ahead of schedule (something passed down from my Mother), and so by 8.30 pm I was already at the airport although the flight was scheduled at 9.40pm. I passed the time browsing the few souvenir shops in the airport terminal and took a light dinner at a café.

When the gate opened, I was among the first to board the plane (after elderly passengers and families with small children, of course). I took a window seat somewhere towards the middle row. Settled down, I had nothing better to do so I started observing other passengers boarding the plane.

There were not many passengers that night and the two seats next to mine were empty for while. Not long before departure, I lady boarded the plane and took a seat at the front row. But then she saw the empty seats next to mine and started moving towards me. Something about her was familiar and I was sure I had met her before but I just could not locate the place and the time when we met. I kept staring at her but my memory failed me.

She stored her luggage in the overhead compartment and sat next to me. I almost expected her to say hello to me, but obviously she was occupied with other matters. She sat there and closed her eyes, and I noticed her hands were gripping her handbag tightly.


I tried to concentrate on the book that I was reading, but curiosity got the better of me. I just knew it, that I must have known this lady before.

So I started a conversation and she was forced to open her eyes and answer my questions. I asked whether she was going to KL for a holiday. She told me that she was attending a conference in KL. Then she asked whether I stayed in Kelantan. When I told her I was back to visit my ailing Mother, she got interested in the conversation and as it turned out, she’s a doctor at the Kota Bharu General Hospital.

I was still clueless about the lady so I asked whether she’s a Kelantanese. Her answer that she’s partly Kelantanese and partly KLite didn’t help. We continued talking about my Mother’s illness in general. Then I told her that my niece, SA used to work at the GH. She said SA worked under her and that SA is a very good doctor. After numerous compliments thrown at SA, she said that SA was quite new at GHKB.

Obviously she got the wrong SA. I told her my niece worked there in 1999 – 2001 before she was transferred to a district hospital in Machang. When she heard this, she said, “Oh you mean that SA. She’s XXXXX’s niece, right?” Well, that XXXXX turned out to be my name, so in my surprise I said “I’m XXXXXX. How do you know me?”

Her face turned to disbelief and then to recognition, while I was still clueless about her. Then she told me that she’s NA, my good friend for five years at boarding school! Then I realised the familiarity.. the eyes, the smile. How could we not recognise each other? It’s been almost 16 years, but surely we have not changed that much?

NA has grown into a beautiful woman and she looks just like her mother. She has gained a few kilos from her schooldays but the extra weight adds to her beauty. She was also not as dark as I remember her. As for me, NA said I looked so young that she thought I was still a student in the early 20s. She took a long look at me and said that if she looks closely, she could see the old me, though I have gained a few kilos myself.

We chatted non-stop, catching up on old times and old friends. NA is still single and she’s now pursuing her masters degree at HUKM. Unlike me, she keeps in touch with many of our old friends.

Finally the plane touched down at KLIA. We exchanged our contact numbers and had a long hug before parting ways. I don’t know when we’ll meet again, but it was sure good to see an old friend. Something tugged at my heart
but outside, my family was waiting.

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