I had actually expected to meet up with Yah next week. But as I was driving home from work yesterday afternoon, I received a call from Yah. She was already at the hospital and asked if she could meet me.
Her appointment was supposed to be on Thursday next week, but since the doctor will not be around then, the staff nurse (SN) called her and told her to come yesterday afternoon instead.
So I went home, had my lunch and then immediately after my zuhr prayer, went straight to the hospital. I headed straight to the ID clinic and yes, saw Yah and her son there. When SN saw me, she was surprised.
“Mana tau appointment Yah hari ni?” she asked. I explained to her Yah just called me, to which she teased Yah, “Amboi, dah pandai main talipon sekarang ya?” SN was the one who had initially encouraged Yah to call me, back then when Yah and her husband needed help.
Yah had not seen the doctor yet when I got there. A few others were waiting outside, all solemn and quiet… except Yah’s standard one son, Abang Chik who is the playful type. In fact, I think he is the hyperactive type. Initially in school, he was placed in the same class as his sister, Kak Ngah, but since Kak Ngah performed quite well in school, she was transferred to another class for better students. Abang Chik, on the other hand, loves to just play around in class. He never pays attention. The teacher did call Yah to discuss about Abang Chik, and they both agreed to put Abang Chik in some sort of “kelas pemulihan”, together with a few other students.
When Yah was called in to see the doctor, I just waited outside observing the people around me. That’s what I always do… observing. Somebody else may be observing me, I don’t know…
Anyway, Yah needs to start on medication this time around. Her CD4 count has gone down. And since she’s just about to start her medication, she will need to come back for another appointment in 2 weeks time. That means more traveling. She has lost some weight. With all her problems, I’m not at all surprised. Her elderly mother has not been well for the past few days but simply refused to go to any clinic. “Demam biasa…”, so she said.
After giving Yah her medication slip and appointment card, SN called me. She told me there may be a new case she wanted to refer to me - a young woman who just gave birth to another out-of-wedlock baby. SN said she just went to visit the maternity ward last week right after this woman gave birth.
Her appointment was supposed to be on Thursday next week, but since the doctor will not be around then, the staff nurse (SN) called her and told her to come yesterday afternoon instead.
So I went home, had my lunch and then immediately after my zuhr prayer, went straight to the hospital. I headed straight to the ID clinic and yes, saw Yah and her son there. When SN saw me, she was surprised.
“Mana tau appointment Yah hari ni?” she asked. I explained to her Yah just called me, to which she teased Yah, “Amboi, dah pandai main talipon sekarang ya?” SN was the one who had initially encouraged Yah to call me, back then when Yah and her husband needed help.
Yah had not seen the doctor yet when I got there. A few others were waiting outside, all solemn and quiet… except Yah’s standard one son, Abang Chik who is the playful type. In fact, I think he is the hyperactive type. Initially in school, he was placed in the same class as his sister, Kak Ngah, but since Kak Ngah performed quite well in school, she was transferred to another class for better students. Abang Chik, on the other hand, loves to just play around in class. He never pays attention. The teacher did call Yah to discuss about Abang Chik, and they both agreed to put Abang Chik in some sort of “kelas pemulihan”, together with a few other students.
When Yah was called in to see the doctor, I just waited outside observing the people around me. That’s what I always do… observing. Somebody else may be observing me, I don’t know…
Anyway, Yah needs to start on medication this time around. Her CD4 count has gone down. And since she’s just about to start her medication, she will need to come back for another appointment in 2 weeks time. That means more traveling. She has lost some weight. With all her problems, I’m not at all surprised. Her elderly mother has not been well for the past few days but simply refused to go to any clinic. “Demam biasa…”, so she said.
After giving Yah her medication slip and appointment card, SN called me. She told me there may be a new case she wanted to refer to me - a young woman who just gave birth to another out-of-wedlock baby. SN said she just went to visit the maternity ward last week right after this woman gave birth.
SN needed my help to talk to this woman when she comes for her appointment at the HIV clinic. There were many patients waiting at the clinic while we talked, and this being a sensitive matter, SN and I had to whisper to each other.
Me: “Mak bapak dia kat mana?”
SN: “Negri Sembilan.”
Me: “Habis, apa dia buat kat Ipoh? Kerja ke?”
SN: “Tak, kena buang daerah!”
Alamak… not another one of those problematic cases. A few more cases like these and soon I will have more grey hair covering my grey matter!! (Oh well, at least I’ll have an excuse for the grey hair instead of having to blame it on old age… haha!)
But that’s another story. Let’s get back to Yah.
First, some good news. Yah has finally got her welfare aid of RM400 a month. Yayyy!! Although the first payment was only made in May, the approval was in April so when she got her payment recently, she was given 2 months financial aid. Yah is putting aside some it for her frequent traveling to Ipoh.
Now, about the house they’re staying at now. That house was built by Yah’s grandfather many years ago. The family not only rented the land for the house, but also another piece of land, a paddy field from which Yah’s father got his income from. Same owner. Now that the landlord’s son is grown up and getting to be more and more business minded, he (the son) wanted to take back most of the land leased out so he could make more money. A few other families have already moved out. The landlord is no longer letting Yah’s father work the paddy field. So, it’s no longer a source of income for Yah’s father. How on earth was he supposed to pay for rental for the piece of land he’s staying on?
For the time being, the landlord is still letting Yah’s family stay at the house, provided Yah’s father helps out with the landlord’s orchard. But Yah is not too confident. Yeah, the old man may allow them to stay on, but at any time his business-minded son may take over and decides to chase them out. Yah is not willing to wait until then to decide what to do next. That’s why she wants to withdraw her EPF, she wants to use it to buy a small piece of land they can call their own so nobody will chase them out.
But Yah doesn’t know what the procedures are and needs my help. Since she’s coming back to Ipoh in 2 weeks time, I promised to bring her around to get the necessary reports.
Meanwhile she can still stay at the present house. No urgency. What a relief…
Hopefully the landlord’s son will not overrule his father’s decision. Not just yet. Please…
Me: “Habis, apa dia buat kat Ipoh? Kerja ke?”
SN: “Tak, kena buang daerah!”
Alamak… not another one of those problematic cases. A few more cases like these and soon I will have more grey hair covering my grey matter!! (Oh well, at least I’ll have an excuse for the grey hair instead of having to blame it on old age… haha!)
But that’s another story. Let’s get back to Yah.
First, some good news. Yah has finally got her welfare aid of RM400 a month. Yayyy!! Although the first payment was only made in May, the approval was in April so when she got her payment recently, she was given 2 months financial aid. Yah is putting aside some it for her frequent traveling to Ipoh.
Now, about the house they’re staying at now. That house was built by Yah’s grandfather many years ago. The family not only rented the land for the house, but also another piece of land, a paddy field from which Yah’s father got his income from. Same owner. Now that the landlord’s son is grown up and getting to be more and more business minded, he (the son) wanted to take back most of the land leased out so he could make more money. A few other families have already moved out. The landlord is no longer letting Yah’s father work the paddy field. So, it’s no longer a source of income for Yah’s father. How on earth was he supposed to pay for rental for the piece of land he’s staying on?
For the time being, the landlord is still letting Yah’s family stay at the house, provided Yah’s father helps out with the landlord’s orchard. But Yah is not too confident. Yeah, the old man may allow them to stay on, but at any time his business-minded son may take over and decides to chase them out. Yah is not willing to wait until then to decide what to do next. That’s why she wants to withdraw her EPF, she wants to use it to buy a small piece of land they can call their own so nobody will chase them out.
But Yah doesn’t know what the procedures are and needs my help. Since she’s coming back to Ipoh in 2 weeks time, I promised to bring her around to get the necessary reports.
Meanwhile she can still stay at the present house. No urgency. What a relief…
Hopefully the landlord’s son will not overrule his father’s decision. Not just yet. Please…
10 comments:
Thank goodness for little blessings. Seems like the landlord has more compassion than his son. Then again, who am I to judge? Everyone has their way of thinking and their own agendas.
I hope they are able to stay there for a while until Yah figures out and plans her next step.
As usual Pi, fenin, fenin... Is it possible for Yah to withwraw EPF to buy land ? I thought its only for houses, hopefully I am wrong.
My prayers to Yah.
JT,
People tend to think that other people's problem is not their problem. Like the son, he probably didn't even consider the hardship all these people had to endure when he told them to move out; they have been staying there for so many years - since he was still a kid!
Yes, let's hope they are able to stay there until Yah can find a way out.
Apandi,
Yah plans to withdraw under permanent disability, based on the fact that there is no cure for her illness. That's why she needs her medical report first before she applies for EPF withdrawal.
D,
Yes, let's all pray for Yah.
I see. At the risk of soundig cruel, I think the son is just being practical. He has his objectives and those people are in his way...
I remember this dialogue from a movie where a developer is trying to aquire state land:
"But Sir, the land has trees which are thousands of years old. They are our heritage."
"Well, the trees has had their time, now its mine. Get me that land..."
Apandi,
Yes, the son was probably just trying to be practical. But surely he could practice some give and take? Those people have been staying there for more than 30 years. Some sort of compensation at least? With the amount of rental they have paid all these years (which was how the father made a living to bring up his son and gave him education), they could have actually purchased the land...
In England it is not as easy to evict people off your property, if i remember correctly. But it is not so in our homeland..i guess. Like apandi, i truly hope and pray that she is allowed to withdraw her EPF for the purchase of land...
But it seems like things are getting better for Yah..may it progress in the same direction..
salam,
Semoga Yah dapat keluarkan wang EPF and laksanakan plan masa depannya dan anak-anak.... memang Yah seorang yang tabah, InsyaAllah I doakan perjalanan hidup Yah semakin bertambah baik.
Ummi,
With the welfare money already in, at least Yah has something do depend on for the time being. The not too good news is that her CD4 has dropped. I hope she will comply with her medication.
LUJ,
Moga-moga ramai yang mendoakan. Amin.
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