Clearer but dizzier…

I had promised Saiful I’d come again this week to bring him to the optical shop to get his new pair of glasses. But I had something on earlier in the afternoon and so I was a little bit late today.

The boy just came back from a nearby grocery shop, buying some stuff Sofie needed. Just as he stepped into the house he asked his mother, “Makcik Afizah dah datang belum?” Before Sofie could answer, Saiful turned around and saw my car. “Yayy! Sampai dah!” he shouted, excited I suppose, about getting his new pair of glasses.

So off we went, just Saiful and myself. Sofie was too tired to come along, while Ika, who always gets car sick with the aircond on, decided not to follow. We wouldn’t be long anyway.

This time I didn’t bother to get any parking coupons when I parked my car in town. I used the last piece that I had last week. The coupons I have in my car are for Ipoh only and does not cover that town. Besides, I figured it would only be for a short while to get Saiful’s glasses, and so… ikut nasiblah… (thank God by the time we got back to the car, there was no parking summons… phew!)

The moment I walked into the shop with Saiful, the taukeh remembered us. He took out Saiful’s glasses, and goodness, despite the fact that it was supposed to be thinner, it was still thick! Initially when Saiful first wore it, he did say he could see clearly. But the moment he walked out of the shop, he started getting dizzy and almost walked into a pillar! But he’s such a cute boy, he just laughed!

See how thick it is?

I reminded him of what the doctor said earlier – that he would probably be dizzy during the first week after wearing glasses. He’d need time to adjust himself to wearing glasses after never wearing any despite the need for one since he was still a little boy (oh well, he is still “little” but he’s almost 12 now!). The doctor told him to wear the glasses ALL the time, except when he bathes and sleeps. If he doesn’t make it a habit to wear the glasses, then chances are he will need to get his eyes operated on. That reminder was enough to make him wear the glasses – the words “kena operate” was enough to scare him!

Well, let’s just hope the boy will get used to wearing ‘em glasses soon.

Anyway, Sofie is still looking around for a house, but for the moment she is temporarily looking for a house in the same town first. Saiful is sitting for his UPSR this year, and so moving to a totally new town and a new school may be a problem for Saiful especially now that he has already registered for his UPSR to be taken at his present school. The present house can be a problem especially when there’s heavy rain as water gets into the house and even water level from the toilet rises, spilling into the kitchen! Yuks! And with Sofie’s condition, every time she has to clean-up after that (her children helps but she simply couldn’t sit still and watch), she’d end up having problems getting up!

Sofie is already eying one house in another area in the same town. Hopefully the rental is not so high. By year end school holidays, she hopes to move to another town and start afresh.

And oh, Sofie is slowly beginning to make some kuih and send them to a friend’s stall to be sold. The friend sells nasi lemak and meehoon, no kuih, so she offered Sofie to sell her kuih at her stall. Not much, but a start…

That’s what I like about Sofie. She doesn’t just sit still waiting for help to come her way. She finds ways and means to earn her own income, albeit not much. And unlike some other clients whose health condition aren’t as bad as Sofie’s,  she understands that I’m there to help her get back on her feet, not to provide everything for her family forever!

I like helping people with this kind of attitude…