Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Goodbye Gabby

I was waiting for the red light to turn green when I realized there was a missed-call on my handphone. It was Kenny, our good friend whom we’ve known for 14 years. Since the traffic light was still red and the displayed numbers showed 56, I knew I had time to return the call. 56 seconds was enough... so I thought.

We did a quick hello. However I could detect a different tone in Kenny’s voice.

Kak, do you remember Gabby?

Gabby... the one who did the landscape? Sure I remember her. Why?

Dia sudah tak ada, Kak.. sudah meninggal...

Laaaa...bila?

Sudah lama Kak... Chinese New Year.. I pun baru saja tau...

I wanted to ask more but the traffic light had just turned green, so I had to say goodbye and disconnect the call. All the way home I kept thinking about this young girl I met in May last year. Gabby did the landscaping for our house. She was a landscape towkey’s daughter in Bukit Rimau. Even though she had a few Bangladeshis working for her, she preferred to roll-up her sleeves and dug in the soil and filth. An example of youthful exuberance. Sometimes she would come alone and did the work around the house. And I would always tease her when she could easily pick up heavy pots on her own.

Waa... Gabby... you kuat macam jantan la...

And she would laugh at that.

Reaching home, I could see the three Fox Tail trees she planted for us.... looking tall and proud. While walking towards my Hanis who was cheering “Ibu balik, Ibu balik”, I realized that the Java Palm, the Mother-in-law’s Tongue plants and the grass that I was stepping on - all had been planted by her. Suddenly I got teary-eyed. This girl who was not of great importance in our lives when she was alive had actually left something behind for us to remember her by.

I believe that every person who enters our lives - significant or insignificant that person may be - will surely leave a mark behind, whether we realize it or not. And dear Gabby did just that. She planted those plants and trees, and as long as they survive, her memory will still be with us....

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

kak Ja,
Upon reading the title, I thought you were saying goodbye to Gabby Desperate Housewives . as yesterday was the last episode for the season :p ...

Anyway, so sorry to hear about your dear Gabby ...

Teringat ada satu kata2 ni .. tak ingat kat mana dan sapa yg kata ..:
"Setiap manusia yg dicipta mempunyai hubungan dengan setiap sesuatu di muka bumi ini. Kala anda memikirkan bahawa anda akan mati sendirian tanpa diingati, hapuskanlah ingatan itu ... kerana akan ada yg terkesan dengan kehilangan anda nanti ..."

For Gabby .. RIP T_T

Yatie_T said...

Hi Kak Ja,
I am sorry to hear about your friend Gabby. I'll agree that every person will leave behind a mark either good or bad. May your friend Gabby's soul rest in peace.

Dalam Dakapan Ibu said...

Hi Peesha...
Amboi, ini peminat Desperate Housewives ler ni :) Kak Ja dulu tengok season 1... pulun tengok DVD sampai berpinau bijik mata.. Masuk season 2, dah slow sikit. Tapi CSI & House are still my favs.

So it's true then... everybody leaves a mark in other people's life...

Dalam Dakapan Ibu said...

Yatie,
She was a young lady who is full of life.

RIP Gabby...

Daphne Ling said...

Dear DDI,

I'm sorry to hear of Gabby's passing, although very belated...

You're right. People who come into our lives all leave a mark, whether small or big...=) Thanks for the reminder...

PS: Er, what should I address you with ar? Aunty DDI doesn't sound right, neither does Kak DDI...But I don't know how else to call you =(

Syaliza Abdul Rahman said...

Salam Ibu :o)

Young or old, everyone has something to share, right?

my condolences on the passing of your friend Gabby.

Take care :o)

Lee said...

Hi Ibu, Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some people move our souls to dance. They awaken us to new understanding with the passing whisper of their wisdom.
Some people make the sky more beautiful to gaze upon.
They stay in our lives for awhile, leave footprints in our hearts and we are never, ever the same.

To me...it was a good friend, a lovely lady, a wonderful mother and a loving wife by the sweet name of Shera...
It hurts, it pains to know someone just leaving us in an instant....

Thus live life with no excuses, love with no regrets.
You have a great weekend, Ibu, best regards, Lee.

maklang said...

Ja...

siapa2 pun yang emters our life mesti ada kesannya kan...

Dalam Dakapan Ibu said...

Hi Daphne,
You may call me Kak Ja or Aunty Ja... whichever you prefer... :)

Yesterday I saw the mother-in-law's tongue plant that she planted had flowered... which ususally is rare. So there's no way that I'll ever forget her...

Dalam Dakapan Ibu said...

Syana dear,
Betul tu...

Dalam Dakapan Ibu said...

Dear Uncle Lee,

Wow.. those were beautiful words... I'm speechless... I'm sure Arwah Shera has touched so many lives that are now left weeping for her unexpected demise..

I wish I'd known her for she seemed a funny and wonderful person to be with.

You're lucky tho' for having the chance to have known her thru the internet world, so cherish the 'time' you've spent together as friends .

Live live to the fullest.. for you'll never know when you'll be gone..

Dalam Dakapan Ibu said...

Dear maklang,
Yes... hopefully hidup kita ini bukan macam pasir di pantai yang akan hilang kesannya sekali dilanda ombak...

Chahya said...

Thanx kak for dropping by my blog. Life is short...everybody knows that,...but it always happen to other people, or so it seems..so when it happens to smbody very close to us, it really feels like a slap,..a wake up call, like HELLO, U r next! *sigh*...
Anyway, whatever miseries that we felt isnt there for nothing... there's always smthg to be learned from kan...

Dalam Dakapan Ibu said...

Hi Chahya,
Yes, that's exactly how I feel. I guess we'll just have to pinch ourselves to actually know that it's for real.

I hope Shera's daughters are well taken care of... sedih sangat bila baca your post on the funeral... :(

jabishah said...

Hi Kak Ja,
I'm sorry to hear abt Gabby. She must had been a lovely person. Crossed your life for only a short period of time but you are touched by her passing. It's true, anyone who enters our lives for even a sec will somehow brings an impact come positive or negative.
I am very touched but not surprised of how my dear arwah shera was highlighted in lots of ppl blog recently. If she knew the impact to us of her passing not merely to her family, friends,students & colleagues but also her cyber friends. Those who never met her. Never knew of the dimples which always accompanied her bright smile. Alhamdulillah, she is safe with the Almighty. Al-fatihah.

Dalam Dakapan Ibu said...

Hi Ja,
Now petang-petang ni dah bergenang pulak ayaq mata... betul2 mcm Neng Yatimah ni.. My Mak selalu cakap I ni terlalu sensitive bila tengok/dengar citer2 sedih.. Even tengok cartoon boleh boleh nangis...

I really hope you're ok... esp when she was a good friend of yours. I yg tak penah jumpa dia pun teringat2 jugak while driving home.. kira for a few days jugaklah I was like that. Thinking about her daughters yg really made me sad...

AlFatihah...