July 29, 2010, Roslan Orthopedic Clinic, Pantai Hospital
“Ilyas, ni kena jaga betul-betul ni. Waktu surgery dulu, I removed the nucleus polposus kat dalam intervertebral disc yang ni… (drawing the lumbar four and five). Sekarang ni kalau you tak jaga posture, and the way you move and carry heavy load, there is a possibility dia jadi balik. Cumanya kali ni tak semestinya kat disc yang sama, but kat lumbar three and four.. atau moving upwards at one and two, or two and three”, explains Dr Roslan Razak, consultant orthopedic surgeon. He was the doctor who operated my spine in 2007. He then added, “At least you pandai jaga sebab bertahan sampai sekarang. Ada yang setahun je pun, dah jadi balik”.
I was in pain the night before. It really gave me the creeps because it felt like my spinal is injured. Luckily I still have some celebrex tablets. But still, my left leg is still painful. I had to crawl to the edge of the bed and drop my legs before I could stand up. Dr. Roslan gave me more celebrex tablets and also some neurontins. He said I should come back and see him in two weeks. In the mean time, it’s physio again. The SM of Contact Center had issued an email notifying everyone about frozen leaves. But heck, my MC from Dr. Roslan is legal. So I’m going off. At least my newly appointed superior KM is considerate by understanding my problem and advising me to take care of myself through his email.
July 30, 2010; corner of Jalan Daud, Kampung Baru.
“Huiyoo… tengok saper datang?”.
“Wey brader! Lu salah tempat ke? Ahahahaah…. Wey, bila lu sampai?. Ngapa muka lu macam rim bas Hino? Ahahaahh”
The guys greeted me with laughter. My old friends Choi, Mat Toy (who is also my cousin), Ayem and Puad were busy playing checkers when I arrived. The time was 10pm.
I wonder where my other cousin Jali is. He usually hangs out with others around this time.
“Jali dah pindah, dia pergi Senai. Kena transfer sana”, said Mat Toy.
“Laa… ngaper tak bagitau aku?”
“Dia lupa la tuh. Aritu dia kata nak tepon lu, tapi dia sebok kot. Wey, lu apa bikin sini?”, asked Choi.
“Aku ada exam. Aku amik exam agen insurance kat Damansara”
The rest of the night we talked about what’s new; our old friends, the once-a-hot girls, the usual stuff. There was laughter all night, with glasses of drink coming in one after another. Then Puad started the serious talk.
“Wey Yan, lu bila nak balik KL? Wa cakap lu ek, mak bapak lu dah tua bang. Nak harapkan Tapa (my younger brother), dia tu dok sibuk manjang dengan keje and tolong bisnes bini dia. Pak Ndak (the name they call my dad) ada cakap dengan wa pasal nak tarik lu balik KL. Lu budak KL, brader. Budak anak jati KL, bapak pun budak Kampung Baru. Apa barang lu bikin kat Ipoh tu? Balik la wey. At least abang lu dok Penang, taklah macam lu, ceruk ketiak gajah lu duduk!.”
I told him it is not me who does not want to come back to KL. It is fated that my job requires me to be in KL. I am not in a powerful position to overcome that. Although the Company sucks, I don’t see myself coming back in the near future.
I added, “Tapi aku akan cuba cari kerja kat KL ni. Aku dah tinggalkan KL lama sangat dah. Aku tau tu. Sabar-sabarlah. Insya’Allah satu hari nanti, aku akan balik jugak”. We then started singing while Puad plays the guitar. Overall the night was fun. For a moment I had forgotten about work.
Later closer to midnight, I took a stroll down town along Chow Kit, up until the end of Jalan TAR. The streets were still bustling with vehicles. Not knowing where else to go, I just accelerated and followed where my hands turn the steering wheel. There were so many things in my mind then. By the time I had realized where I was, my car stopped just a few blocks from a friend’s house at a Minang area in Cheras. I wonder if he would still remember me if I drive pass his house.
Ah well. He might probably be too busy to notice even if I stop in front of his gate, I thought. And so I left.
I reached my parents' house by 2am. Both mom and dad had gone to sleep. I changed my outfit and went to bed. I miss my friends at the Company, and my men.
