My Old Friends

Today my two old friends when I was in Lower School KGV Seremban came to visit my father at KPJ Seremban. It was way back in the 50's and we were in the Special Malay class which was the equivalent of the Remove class today. After more than half a century we are still close as if we were in Mrs. Chong's or Mrs. Mc Coy's class. We went back to the good old days when the school was like the centre of the world for us, especially who had stayed at the Malay Boy's hostel which was just across the road and connected to the KGV School by a short tunnel.

Harith and Malek are of course bosom friends since they were the school sportsmen unlike me who just cheered from the sidelines. However I left for the RMC then known as the FMC after form Three. I proceeded to University of Malaya after RMC but they went to work in PD at the oil refineries after their Cambridge School Certificate. We were reminiscing about our classmates and also our schoolmates in KGV.Malek later became a contractor and Harith joined the oil and gas industry after he left as a technician with Esso Refinery in PD. I told Malek that he taught me singing the tune 'Melody Dunmore' and I won the class talentime crooning that song. Malek is an all round Jack of all trades but master of none, while Harith sticked on to be a technical man right till now where he lends his expertise in technical aspects of O & G business as a consultant. The surprising thing is that Malek is now bent on market gardening, and he is engrossed in planting all sorts of vegetables and greens on a ten acre plot in Ampangan. Recently I visited him at his vegetable farm and I came home with some fresh brinjals and chillies. I told Malek, it is his fate that he is still busy as ever and this time as a farmer. I am indeed blessed for having them as friends even though we are now grandfathers already. May Allah Bless our continued friendship and enjoy the comradeship in a complete cycle of our life on this planet.