My grandma and handphone

When a child is born, so are grandmothers.

~Judith Levy~

"Why do you need a handphone?"

"Haiyo, sometimes when I am cooking in the kitchen, you all can call the handphone instead of the housephone mah, then I don't have to run all the way from kitchen to living room to answer the phone lor. Somemore I walk so slow, by the time I reach the living room the phone also stop ringing already lor...."

With all the crystal clear facts given by my grandmother, she won herself a handphone.

It was my mom's old Samsung colour handphone, with only basic function - texting and phone call. No picture message and camera. My grandma was contented.

I grew up in a small town called Gurun with my grandma. For 17 years, I spent my life in a village, with very little space and privacy for myself. I was rather a cocky and ignorant teenager. I thought I am perfect and I have all it takes to be someone significant to the world. I can't wait to get out of that small town and spread my wings. Being in a small house, with 3 rooms, and 'tons' of people, I yearned for my own space. Somehow, the value of cherishing people around you just slip through my minds.

After Form 5, I got what I always dreamt of - coming to a big city and pursued the lifestyle I have always wanted. I lived in vanity for one year.

My sister moved to KL later for her studies. It hit me suddenly, I am not as happy as I thought I would be. It's life, you grow up, and slowly one by one, you leave your old house. My grandma is staying with my mom in Gurun, just the two of them with a maid in a big house that was once so noisy and lively. How irony is that. If only I can travel through time, I would have gone back and slap my old self, punch myself maybe, and hopefully, I would learn to live the moment.

The thought of my grandma sitting alone on the couch and listening to the only sound from radio is unbearable. I hate myself for not giving her the care and love she deserve, I hate myself from leaving the house, and I hate myself for enjoying my life here while my grandma is missing her family whom are always busy with their life.

She wouldn't want to move to KL or Penang(my auntie is staying there). She insists. I am glad my mom is still there to take care of her.

" Hey, I saw my sister's handphone, flip one ler. It looks very easy, I can just open and close the phone like that. Then I don't have to lock the keypad, so troublesome."

"You very trendy ler. Your old handphone cannot use already meh?"

"That one going to spoil soon ler. Sometimes it sot sot dei, I cannot listen to what you all said in the phone."

"You know the flip phone very expensive ar?"

"Cheh, I pay myself lar. You bring me to the phone shop can already. I got money."

To compensate for my guilt, I got my grandma a cheap Motorola colour flip handphone, which cost only RM150. I went high and low to look for the possibly cheapest flip phone. The sales assistants were showing me their f**king scornful face everytime I asked this question,

"Leng chai, you got any first hand colour flip phone below RM200 ar?"

"Leng lui, we don't have such cheap phones lar...RM400 one got, you want?"

.......................

Gladly, I managed to find one that is decent enough for my wallet and also to make my grandma happy. I handed her the phone during 2009 CNY, I can tell she was happy and my heart was contented.

I received a call from my grandma two days ago.

"Pei Yinn ar, I don't how ar, I dropped the handphone in the water ar. It cannot be used already now. Haiz..why am I so careless..."

I tried to assure her that it can be fixed and it's still under warantee. After that, I totally put it behind my mind and enjoy the rest of my weekends.

Until today, my auntie(my mom's second sister) sent me a msn message:

Auntie: Hey, you got any unused handphone or not?

Me: No ar, why?

Auntie: Ah ma's handphone dropped into the water. Not sure why, but she seems to be very sad about it. You got any handphone for her?

My heart sunked, tears twirled in my eyes. I know why she is so sad.

I checked my daily planner. I am taking the earliest bus back to Gurun after I ended my internship.