2-in-1 visit

After I called Kak Mimi last week and found out about all the problems she was facing, I figured it’s about time to pay her a visit. And since a long lost client of mine, Rubi, who finally contacted me recently, stays in the same town, I might as well visit her too.

So I decided to visit them both yesterday. I was still at home when Kak Mimi called, confirming if I was coming. She works as a guard at a school and so there was no point of visiting her at home. I told her I’d give her a call when I reach Rubi’s house. You see, both Kak Mimi and Rubi know each other well and Rubi’s house is nearer to where Kak Mimi works.

Off I went, setting my GPS to a school mentioned by Rubi to me earlier (not the same school where Kak Mimi works). Rubi told me to call her when I reach the school, and so that was what I did. I had initially thought Rubi would either come on a motorbike or something to fetch me, or she’d give me further directions to drive to her house. Coincidentally, Rubi so happened to be just nearby when I called her, and so I met her right in front of the school.

I was then asked to park my car by the roadside. Apparently Rubi’s house is on a hill and we had to walk all the way up to reach her house. Oh well, it had been quite some time since I last had any climbing/trekking activities, so I guess my visit yesterday included one. Only this time, we had to trek up carrying some weight as well because I brought along some groceries for Rubi, including a 10kg pack of rice and a 5kg bottle of cooking oil.

When I got to Rubi’s house, I immediately called Kak Mimi. Kak Mimi told me she’d meet me there in a short while. She then asked for a one-hour time-off from her boss. Poor Kak Mimi was almost out of breath by the time she reached Rubi’s house. Kak Mimi used to open up a food stall in front of her old rented house, but due to so many problems, she has stopped doing so. After that she got the job as a guard at the school that I mentioned earlier.

As for Rubi, she has remarried since a year ago. Her husband however, does odd jobs and doesn’t have fixed income. Rubi herself works as a helper at a vegetable farm.

Anyway, knowing that Kak Mimi took time-off from work, I didn’t want to waste too much of her time, so after she caught her breath, we went back down, and she showed me the way to the new house she’s renting. You see, when I called her earlier, she told me not only about the flash flood that damaged quite a number of her belongings at home, but also that she had to look for a new house to rent because the landlord of the old house she had been renting for the past 10 years wanted the house back.

Kak Mimi managed to find a vacant house for her to rent, but her problem is the amount of cash needed to pay for all the deposits. The new landlord however, had already given her the key to the house despite not getting any deposits yet. Kak Mimi is supposed to pay the amount on the 1st of July, when she plans to move into the new house.

The inside of the house had already been cleaned by Kak Mimi and her sons. It was still empty as all Kak Mimi’s things will only be brought in on the 1st. I could see the house wasn’t in the best condition (room door without knobs etc) but it was good enough as shelter. After handing over the groceries that I brought along for Kak Mimi, I also handed over some cash donated by her son’s education sponsor given through me. Kak Mimi felt so thankful she almost cried.

After the short visit to the house, Kak Mimi showed me the way to her workplace. At least during my next visit if I can’t find her at home on a weekday, I know how to find her at work. Once we got to the school, Kak Mimi reported back to work while I turned back to head home.

And oh, while the supply of groceries had already been unloaded from my car, by the time I headed home, it was loaded with fresh vegetables given by both Rubi and Kak Mimi.

A whole load of vegetables in the car! I know I won’t be able to finish them. So guess what? While I actually didn’t have any plans for today, I figured I might as well slot in visits to the homes of 2 more clients in Ipoh, and share some of the vegetables with them.