Rings that make the chain...

So bibik did not alight from the flight we booked her from Jogjakarta to LCCT on 15 September 2012. Was I mad? Was I angry? Was I upset? No, nope, naw. And neither was Hanafy. So were we expecting this? Also nope. Its just that, we went to the airport not expecting anything. Or better still, we went to the airport expecting anything!

I would be lying if I say that my emotions were not affected. In spite of her shortcomings which were plentiful, in spite of my not being as close to her as I was with the previous 2 helpers i.e. Yam & Nuzul, she did make life for me as a Work-From-Home-Mum easy. And she has been doing that for me, for us, almost 7 years.

On reflection, maybe bibik's not coming back was coming. A few days before her departure to Jogja, the cooking gas of the wet kitchen stove ran out. We decided not to buy a replacement just yet since in her absence, no one cooks in the wet kitchen. And last night, my hand accidentally knocked over a herb bottle that fell off the shelf and hit against a mug from the mug stand.

In the fall, that herb bottle remained in-tack. The mug? A huge chunk broke off, only 1 piece mind you, and the piece that broke is where one would drink out of. Ironically, that was bibik's mug.

Immediately Raihanah, who was in the kitchen with me when this happened, remarked that God is confirming something to me!
  

The Puzzle Pieces Will Fit...

We had 2 slots of outstation training during this period of no-bibik, both confirmed way before the aidil fitri break. With my mum due to have her eye operated on in that period, we had no choice but to call in for back-up from Singapore.

MIL took the train over accompanied by SIL # 3, with a cough. That took a turn for the worst after a spread of ketupat palas and pulut durian at Zirah's open house. That cough triggered her asthma. 2 clinics and 2 times on the nebuliser did not lessen her coughs. We started to worry - how can we then leave her to fend for the children in our absence? In her unwell condition?

When she went over to spend some days with SIL#1 in Gombak, SIL#1's hubby decided to take her along to Tawakal Hospital where she had an x-ray of her chest, blood test and the works. It seems her nose had water/liquid that lead to the coughs and all. So she's now better, and ready to roll so to speak. In fact, in spite of the coughs and asthma wheezing and all, she managed to get her hair cut and permed, and walked to the nearby shop in Gombak to get tudungs for her friends back home. All part of her ritual when she's here for any visits.

And our household? Allah has other plans. Better plans. The day MIL's cough worsened, I got news the 2 slots of outstation training has been postponed to the following month, when we are back to having bibik in the house. No doubt, this means a much felt dent in our income stream, but I am leaving that to Allah to fit in the puzzle pieces where He knows they belong...have faith in Allah's plans. 

Whose plan is this...?

MIL made her signature oats cookies and as expected, packed a bottle for my mum and one for my brother, Alang as he is fondly referred to. All these she sent up via my SIL and family who had gone back to Singapore for the aidil fitri break.

I didn't have the heart to tell MIL that the one bottle she baked and packed for Alang last aidil fitri had remained intact, seal still unbroken and still on the counter top where we had placed it.

As for my mum, well I didn't know how would I get her bottle of cookies over since from what we can see, there are no immediate or not-immediate plans of anyone going up north for work or leisure. And I wouldn't want to that bottle of oats cookies to go to waste, too.

Lo and behold, a few days later my sister called to tell us that she will be driving down with her husband, over the Merdeka weekend just to spend some time with her children. And us, of course. 

MasyaAllah, how cool it this? So my mum will get her oats cookies after all...

And whose plan is this?