THEY WILL ASK thee as to what they should spend on others. Say: "Whatever of your wealth you spend shall [first] be for your parents, and for the near of kin, and the orphans, and the needy, and the wayfarer; and whatever good you do, verily, God has full knowledge thereof." - Al-Baqarah (2:215)
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Wednesday 2 January 2008

Lin's story

As mentioned in my previous posting on 2007 recap, I didn’t include Lin as a new client in 2007 as she just contacted me at the end of year and I had yet to meet her. I also said that Lin would probably be my first client for 2008.

Well, true enough Lin is my first client of this year.

While I was in my office this morning, Lin sent me a text message, asking if she could meet me today. Initially we planned to meet next week when she comes to Ipoh for her blood test. But Lin just got herself a job (as a shop assistant) and her off days are on Wednesdays, so she may not have the time to meet up with me when she comes next week.

Since my office work is on a half day basis, I agreed to meet up with her after 2.30 pm. I told her to call me when she reaches the bus station so I could fetch her there. I also gave her my car registration number so she could look out for me. We have never met each other before so we don’t know how each other look like. I will have to depend on her to give me the signal when she sees my car.

Right after I gave the details (where & when to meet) via SMS to Lin, another text message came in. I thought it was Lin again confirming that the arrangement was okay with her. But when I read the message, it actually came from Yah. She wanted to tell me that she has to pay Abang Chik’s schooling needs herself. I replied her SMS telling her to pay first and then give me all the details so I could arrange for reimbursement. Unless she has finished all her EPF money on unnecessary things (like karaoke maybe??); she should be able to pay first. I don’t want my clients to think of me as their banker who’d simply give them money as per their request anytime.

What a coincidence that Yah’s SMS came right after Lin’s. Macam tau-tau they’re now both the main stars in Pi’s Twist… :)

I had estimated that Lin would reach the bus station about 3 pm. As I was driving just a few minutes away from the bus station, Lin called to say she was already at the bus station. Told her to wait at Medan Kidd across the road so it would be easier for her to look out for me, and for me to look out for a person who looks like she’s looking out for me… (ah, Pi with her typical twist!)

I then took her to a food stall so we could minum-minum and makan-makan while we talk.

Lin is a very pleasant person to talk to. Although in her first SMS to me she said she felt depressed, I think all she needed was someone to talk to. She looked relieved having had the opportunity to talk to me. She was not shy to talk about herself and I didn’t really have to dig for details. She just talked without hiding anything.

With the details given, I was doubly sure that her ex-husband is indeed Mr. Darling (yes, EX husband. They are divorced). And I got to know of Mr. Darling’s dirty little secrets since during his early marriage days. He had actually started going out having fun ever since the couple had 2 kids. Sometimes he didn’t come home for 3 nights without telling. Many times he’d come home at 3 or 4 am; smelling of alcohol and with lipstick marks on his shirt. There was once when Mr. Darling was caught red-handed in a lorry with another lady – by the lady’s family members. They threatened to report him to the authorities. Mr. Darling came home, admitted to Lin what he did, and had the cheek to ask Lin to say he was with her at home if anybody comes to investigate. As someone who never worked before and always dependent on the husband, Lin stayed on as a very obedient wife, taken advantage by the husband.

Now they have six children, and I must say I am impressed with the children’s academic performance. Her eldest daughter has just been called for an interview to further her studies at a nursing college, her 2nd daughter who used to go to a boarding school, is now overseas under a scholarship. She’s taking up medic. The 3rd daughter is waiting for her SPM results. This daughter too used to go to a boarding school but she couldn’t last long there and so went back to a daily school.

Her younger 3 children are the ones who need help for their educational needs. Their father gives them money from time to time but just enough for their daily basic needs, definitely not enough for their schooling needs. Knowing that her 2nd daughter (the one on scholarship) just got reimbursed with RM1,500 for her earlier preparation to go overseas, he told her to use that money for the schooling needs of the other children. Whaddaheck… he spends his money on women and liquor, and then wants to use his daughter’s hard earned scholarship money to be spent on the other children’s educational needs?!

And how did Mr. Darling and Lin get divorced? Lin - being lonely and seldom going out of the house, used to send text messages to her friends. Mr. Darling, not wanting his “hal ehwal rumahtangga” to be known to anyone else, told her that if she sent out ANY SMS to simply ANYONE on ANY subject, consider it as “jatuh talak”.

By then Lin actually could not take it anymore. Having been infected with HIV despite being a very obedient wife who seldom goes out, Lin simply has had it with Mr. Darling! She wanted a divorce. So she sent one SMS to a friend of hers. After that she asked Mr. Darling if he meant what he said earlier and told him about the SMS she sent. Mr. Darling then said, “Kalau macam tu kira dah jatuhlah talak.”

When the matter was brought to the Pejabat Agama, Lin had it easy because Mr. Darling admitted everything without much fuss. Truth is, if he refused to admit that he had divorced Lin, Lin would have probably brought up the HIV issue and he didn’t want the Pejabat Agama people to know about his HIV status and his extra-marital activities.

However, during the last Raya season, Mr. Darling did try to use his children to coax their mother to remarry him. His reason… “sayang nanti kalau abah kawin lain, pencen abah dapat kat bini baru.” Hmmm… didn’t he use the same pencen issue to coax Yah to marry him? I remember him telling Yah he wanted his pension to go to Yah instead of to his wife who left him. What? He thinks women are so hard up for his pencen, ah? Cheh!

Lin of course refused. She had had enough of him taking advantage of her.

Funny thing was, just about a week or so after he told his children to coax their mother to remarry him, the eldest daughter saw him in town with another lady in the car. Hmmm… remember Yah spending the night at his mother’s house after our Deepa-Raya do? Judging from the timing, I am quite confident the lady the daughter saw was actually our dear Yah Ah Ngau! Muahaha!!

Anyway, I promised Lin I will try to arrange for some education funds for her schooling children. Lin said once she gets all the details she’d SMS everything to me.

Just as I got home after sending Lin back to the bus-station, another SMS came in on my handphone. It was Yah again, repeating the same thing – that she has to pay for Abang Chik’s schooling needs herself. Didn’t she understand me the first time? I replied using the same answer, only this time, I added one more line – “Duit EPF hari tu dah habis ke?” I just asked her to pay first. I didn't say she won't get any help. Well, no replies yet so far.

When she first got her EPF money, she did say she’d keep some for her children’s needs. But then, when she got her EPF, she had not met Mr. Darling… she had not started karaoke-ing… and she had not been spending her nights at her friends' homes out of town, usually traveling by taxi instead of taking the bus...

Adoii… the 3 main characters in my mollywood movie now…

YAH… LIN… and DAH-LING…

19 comments:

Kerp (Ph.D) said...

ooo...tak nak pejabat agama tau...reti pulak rasa takut. ke malu?

the plot thickens. The daughter actually saw her dad with someone who would eventually become her mom's peer. just cant wait till that happens.

at least this baarger Mr Darling was smart enough to shag in a lorry. safer than getting laid in a hotel room...kahkahhh...

Salt N Turmeric said...

Happy New year Pi!

Lin sounds like a mature woman. thank god her kids are not affected by the father's behaviour.

yah pulak, i think shes already taking advantage of u and others. now tht she has the epf money and new-found angau, her kids become secondary. maybe she had already finished the epf money or maybe some of it are already w mr.d. who knows?

Pi Bani said...

Kerp:
I doubt Yah will ever marry Mr. Darling. He has already changed his phone number etc so Yah can't contact him anymore. In other words, he ditched Yah after Yah's refusal to have sex with him. My problem now is getting Yah to forget him instead of thinking of him day and night and forgetting about her responsibilities!

About shagging in a lorry, hmmm... don't be too sure it's safer there. Can still pasang hidden video if people want to! Haha!

Pi Bani said...

Princessjournals:
Yes, the way I see it, Lin is a very mature woman. And pleasant too I might add. While her children are on her side, she told them not to hate their father and that no matter what he did, he's still their father.

As for Yah, oh well, at least she knows I'm mad at her. Maybe her 2 elder daughters requested to be sent to an orphanage because they felt neglected. But whatever it is, I will still need to see to it that Abang Chik gets his schooling needs. The boy is the type who'd willingly miss school and I won't be surprised if one day if he says he doesn't want to school anymore, Yah may just say okay. She may just think that's one less burden for her. Always complaining of problems and problems... whereas many more people out there have even worse problems than her!

Anonymous said...

only k.pi can have the story of yah...lin...and dah-ling...hehheh....masa mula-mula bagi nama samaran sure tak terfikir they would all get connected eh?? :P

-niasulaiman-

Anonymous said...

I suggest Yah to meet Lin to learn how Lin's elder children had been successful (boarding school, etc).

May be Yah children could meet Lin's children to get some motivation (not just talking but actual living motivation).

Just a thought.

Pi Bani said...

Niasulaiman:
Memang, when I came up with their names it never occurred to my mind they would somehow link to each other...

Pi Bani said...

Nani:
I can't simply introduce them to each other just like that, particularly at a stage when I'm just getting to know Lin. I will need to gain Lin's trust first. I can't simply bring Yah to meet Lin as and when I like. And I myself have not met Lin's children so I don't know for sure if they are receptive to the idea of meeting other kids - particularly when Lin's kids are already teenagers while Yah's kids are much younger.

Nightwing said...

Kak Pi,

Like kerp mention "the plot thickens".

Thanks for sharing...I am sure Rita have started on a script already...:)

How can the guy do this to the ex- wife...and even tried to 'used his children'...sigh.

DCampbell aka Puteri said...

Pi,

Your mollywood movie sedap sangat! All those korean soaps,kalah! hehe, this is real life!

Happy New Year!

nyonyapenang said...

**...."It's a small world after all...**

Pi Bani said...

Nightwing:
Whatever Mr Darling does, he never think of the implication to his own family. He only thinks of his own pleasure!

And yeah, speaking of the script... hey Rita, where are you?!

Pi Bani said...

Puteri:
Hmmm... are you a fan of those Korean soaps?

Frankly, if I had not been involved personally in the lives of these people, I would never have thought of some of the ridiculous things some people do. But this is indeed real life!! Wonder how many more Yahs and Darlings there are out there...

Pi Bani said...

Nyonya Penang:
Indeed, it is a small world after all...

IBU said...

Such an eye opener! 'Things' that i read in fictions or sekali-sekala watch in tvs are indeed the true kaleidoscope of life.

And God's miracles for Lin in different ways. Endured lousy hubby, but also bestowed with bright children.

I'm imagining ( visioning? heheh...) "The Twisted LINkS" by Pi Bani
(based on true stories, no MSG added)

The day shall come. Ehehehhh

Pi Bani said...

Ibu:
Memang I pun dulu kalau tengok cerita kat TV rasa macam tak munasabah. Now, having seen them with my own eyes, like it or not, I have to believe them!

The Twisted LINks?? Eh, this one got MSG added lah... in the form of Mr Darling - Miang, Sex-addict, Gatal...

Hahaha!!

hunnybunny said...

Hi Kak Pi,

Happy New Year to you...
Lama tak drop by kat your blog. Not in the mood. Lost my self confidence lately. Too many things nak pikir.

Pity Lin... apa la nasib org pompuan ni yek?? But I think she took the right decision. It's for the of her children and her future.

Buat apa nak tunggu laki macam tu lagi. Wat sakit jiwa jer. Take fot granted and takut tak tentu pasal. Tak gentlement lansung. SEMAK jer....

Tapi takpe lah as long as she knows what is god for the family.

Pi Bani said...

Hunnybunny:
Hey, what happened to you? Lost your self confidence? I hope you're feeling much better now.

Anyway, yes, I think Lin took the right decision too. No point staying on just to be taken advantage of. Menyeksa diri buat apa kan?

Anonymous said...

Pi Bani, the photo of the missing child is on my blog now. Thanks for the alert.