Some of you might remember that my relationship with my family hasn’t been great since 3 years ago, and some even asked me here on this blog to defend myself, and explain especially to my parents about what was actually causing the rift. My standard answer would be, “It’s okay. One day they will know the truth. The truth will one day prevail.”
And every time I have a fall out with them, it would take 3 years before the circle comes to a complete round. And this time it has. It was just after my 41st birthday that my parents and I stopped talking to each other, and shortly after my 44th, I was having tea with my father again. And not only that, my wife sat next to my mother and watched badminton on ASTRO together.
And apparently, and with a big thank you to my younger sister who finally spoke out, my parents found out the truth about my younger brother and I, the former had to go through the same thing as I a year or so after I did. Luckily, my younger brother and I stuck together through it all, supported by our respective wife, and children.
Two nights ago, we went to my parents’ place again to celebrate my younger sister’s birthday. And this time, my parents and I reminisced about the years when I was still little, recalling some incidents that made us all laugh, and some that made us smile in silence. And my wife gained a mother-in-law that night, with my mother taking her on a tour of their new house, even to the master bedroom and my father’s newly-built study.
I know this year, my wife will finally get her wish – to be able to spend Aidil Fitri with her in-laws; her children will finally get to know of their grandparents who do not live in Batu Pahat; and we would all be able to take a family portrait – parents, children, grandparents, great-grandparents, grand uncles and grand aunts, cousins, siblings, step-siblings, and nephew.
Earlier today, my younger sister sent me a text message that reads:
“By the way, I forgot to tell you. I’m glad you went to see Ayah the other night. He’s been missing you and Joe (my younger brother) a lot. Always talking about you both as children. He’s talking a lot about not being around much longer so it;s good if we can make it good for him in his last years.”
This reminds me a lot about a posting that I had made about a book that I had read two years ago, that was written by the late Dr Randy Pausch about how family comes first in any case at all.
I hope that, in this twilight years of mine, and of my father’s, this full circle will finally come to a full stop.
Because we are a family again.
The family in June 2007 – before the fallout some two weeks later.
SeaDemon Says 