A Surprise Call

An Old Family Friend , Norma Mustaffa.

Norma is jovial, cheerful, caring and long lasting in her friendship with my family. She is my sister no.2's classmate but is a friend to all my siblings. The strange thing is in a small town like Muar, when siblings go to the same school, we share the same friends though we differ in age. Norma is one of them. So all the businesses and happenings within the family becomes a common issue to be shared with the same concern and joy.
I had a surprise call from her this afternoon as she was in Universiti Hospital looking for my BIL who is sick but had gone home to Subang Jaya.

Norma : Hei, I am in UH la...can't find them...have been searching the whole hospital la.
Me : How did you get me?
Norma : Well, I had to contact 3 persons to get you.
Me : Well, you found me!
Norma : Hei, how's your mama? Staying with you?
Me : No, still in Muar.
Norma : Oh yea... I have been getting news through the blog la...in that high rise building?
Me : Oh , oh....the small-eyed daughter of mine working liow!
Norma : Oh Grace...where ?
Me : Singapore....

So...it went on and on for a while. She is warm. She told me my sister and BIL are her friends and she wanted to see them. We are all from the same kampung and the friendship is thick even after 40 years. I was touched by her sincerity.
This is the type of relationship the Prime Minister is talking about in this land. 1 Malaysia. It existed already so so many years back then. If I were to mention her to my mother she will tell me that Norma's parents and sisters are also her friends... very difficult to cultivate these days. Por Por will surely say that Norma's parents were the best people in town too. In Muar then, we made real friends with little reservation; religion and race-wise.




This is Norma with Por por on my convocation in 1978. You see what I mean? I dug deeply for some photos as I vaguely remembering seeing them somewhere and found them!



I found this photo too...sister n0.2 with Son Boy and me on a trip to Parit, Perak to visit Norma when she first started working as an agriculturalist way back in the 70s. Son Boy has been a friend too for many many years and though we do not communicate as often as we should, I know when I call her she will surely respond at a snap. This much I know. Right? Son Boy?



In school, Norma is best remembered in a musical - Sound of Music- as Captain Von Trapp ; produced and directed by Prof Hyacinth Gaudart of Universiti Malaya. By the way, talking about past acquaintances, Prof Gaudart incidentally was my form teacher in form 4! So...friends of generations.




Preparing myself for a working trip next week, I found an old favourite blouse which I wanted to bring along as a casual top and do you see the similarity which Norma was wearing then in the photo above? Yes, we all got the top sewed under the same tailor , yellow, pink and I remember the blue one too which I believe is with sister no.2 ! Friends also have the same tastes, don't we Norma and Lee Ying?

The surprise call brought home so many memories and it's good to know that somewhere out there, people still remember and care about the welfare of others. This is what we live for in life, at times right?

Norma, thanks for calling...jumpa lagi, someday.