We dugged soil and mixed them with water, cooked on top of 'stove' where we lit the 'stove' with dried leaves and some minyak tanah where nenek used it to lit all lampu raya later tomorrow. We stirred the soil to make sure that it's cooked. Some kids.
When the soil is done, we'll take some peghiyok lama and put the soil into it, and put it in the fridge, old fridge, under nenek's house. Inside, we can see some chicken's eggs. Not bought, but eggs which were from the hen itself. The old fridge used by the hen to lay its eggs, and, maybe because it forgot that it has some eggs inside, so the eggs lay unlaid. Haha.
Scattered under the house were some old junks: nenek's cucuk sanggul, nenek's sofa. All vintage. I was a kid, so I don't think there will be any benefit for picking them up and bring them up to nenek's house. We played all day till it was late afternoon. We as in: Ijah, Emma, Khair, Mie and Ann.
The clock showed that it was 4.30 or so, we got ready to go swimming. My sister and I loved this session. We do have river back in Mukah, but this one will be with cousins. So off we go, to the kalan, bringing together towels that we borrowed from nenek.
This was fun. Clinging to the kalan, with our feet floated in the coffee-with-milk color river. We stroked a bit, changed places sikit. Whenever the kapal balak melintas, big waves hit us and this was the climax. We laughed.
We played in the river like nobody's business. We didn't realise that time was nearing Maghrib. Nenek, with a can in his hands, ready to scare us. We were really, really scared cause he yelled and frigthened us. But, I know he'll never ever can us for real.
Back in the house, I piled up all wet clothes in one basin and ready to take bath using clean water. The water, came from a tank, two of it, was direct from the sky; rain. We had no problem with that, as you know, some villagers would still take bath in the river. Oh, and sometimes we did take bath, washed clothes in the river. Now, it's prohibited.
Mak, Kak Yah, Kak Nor and few other relatives; mainly women, were in the kitchen. I don't how to say, not to say in, because the kitchen and the place to watch tv was wall-less. Everything was prepared, from lemang to manoq pansoh, from ketupat to kuih lapis. Biscuits too. Lemang was nenek perempuan's expertise, she knew when to turn them around and make them fully cooked and tasted nice, too.
The next morning, the deep whisper voice was here again. My dad, would wake us up early in the morning to get ready for Raya. Finally, the day is here. I can hear Takbir Hari Raya sayup-sayup. The Masjid was across the river, so nenek, being an Imam in Kampung, had to be there earlier than the rest of the kampung. We can hear nenek led the Takbir. I was really, genuinely happy, at that time. I know the time nearing us, kids.
When nenek got back from Masjid, he gathered all my relatives around him and the eldest of dad's siblings, Wa Yaman, led the team to kiss neneks' hands, knees, cheeks and hug them. First, kiss the hands, then the knees, then the cheeks, then hug them. I've learned that from previous raya, so it should not be too awkward now. Followed by Wa Yaman's wife, Wa Limah, and down to Ngah Wek and Ngah Ramzi and till the last one, Usu Yot and Usu Usin.
Dad has five siblings including him, so it was not long till it was my turn. I got the green packet, just like my cousins. We were all happy, already start counting the amount we all had. We got it from moms and dads, and older cousins. Suddenly I become rich by below $50. Yeah, it was still $, remember?
When nenek came back from masjid earlier he brought back duit tanggok; I don't know for sure what this was (I'll ask dad later). It was in the form of coins. Called duit tanggok because when they were doing the takbir in masjid early this morning, someone will have his kain pelikat formed like a tangguk and collect all the coins from the villagers. These coins, been put on the floor, ready to be counted. As nenek counted them out with Kak Yah, there we go, running here and there playing. I ran just beside nenek and Kak Yah, with warning from nenek "Iboh dekat gilak, kau tersepak duit tok kelak". I never knew it was possible till I really did kick all the coins which were nicely piled up according to their value. Nasib bait agik kecik, mun dah besar... Hehe. They have to recount back. Poor nenek. Poor Kak Yah.
1st day of raya our relatives who came all the way from Bekenu, Bintulu, Miri and as far as Brunei; would come to nenek's house. Nenek was the eldest of how many siblings I don't recall; seven I guess; so his house will be the 1st priority to be visited. It was packed, really packed. All the mothers just didn't bother what us kids did, but they need to serve the guests.
Everything was just right.... till come 2006.
Di dalam Kasino Malaysia.
