I think....(repeat ye..I think) that in the Malay family, it is very important that your parents, siblings and sedara mara ada tauliah mahupun yang takde tauliah to like the person you're going out with or the person you're about to marry.
Lepas kahwin...lain cerita. Janji dah lepas masuk into the family. After that, kalau family laki kita tak suka kat kita, itu they all punya masalah and we, sebagai orang pompuan akan mempropagandakan laki kita supaya beralih arah ke keluarga kita pulak.
I am not the best person to talk and write about this subject. I ni, laki pun takde.Yang dikendung pun terciciran....
But over the years I have witnessed a fair share of family pandemoniums, mak mertua tak suka this menantu, kakak tak suka that adik ipar, and ada pulak tu, seisi keluarga tak suka their new addition in the family.
Family orang putih jarang pulak ada problem cenggitu. Habis-habis pun they will say..oh, I didn't get on with so and so's wife, husband etc, etc. and those people will be crossed of their Xmas cards lists.
Masa mak si F masih idup, she was very pleasant to me. Hantar birthday card, bagi birthday present and in fact, habis seisi keluarga dia bagi I presents.I must have impressed them so much, agaknya aku lah yang membawak anak they all tu ke jalan yang benar (phuwweekkk!!!) I think if they tak suka kat I pun, demi anak mereka tu, they terpaksa suka jua. Jarang orang putih nak masuk campur hal dalam kain anak masing-masing.
I get to know my first brother in law when he came to the house to be introduced to my Mum (my parents lives separately at this time) He made the massive effort. My sister must have pre empted him about me and what I am like (ish..what am I like...buruknya perangai) and it is very obvious that he was focussing in trying to be liked by me. I was in a very vulnerable position at this time. Ye lah..dia tu boipren adik I...a year older than me (that made him 2 yrs older than my sister) and I ni tak kawin lagi masa tu and still tak kawin lagi masa sekarang ni (not to mention...tengah super glamer berkebaya ketat masa ni...kau ada Aking?) tak ke rasa anxious semacam? Macam-macam benda dalam kepala I masa tu. Nak dress up ke or just buat biasa? Kalau bergaya lebih-lebih kang orang kata I nak hambik boipren adik I or manalah tahu boipren adik I tetiba tersuka ke kat I ni...(ke aku aje yang rasa camtu? Ohh...Kiah wouldn't understand...)
Seperti biasa, and atas bantuan saudara mara yang terdekat lagi puaka, I have stolen my sister's thunder on her wedding day. Ye Tuan/Puan, masa orang tengah sibuk berkenduri, masa tu jugaklah sedara mara yang puaka mulutnya pi sosek-sosek kat orang yang the pengantin pompuan nya sister masih lagi available. And my brother in law's parents pun merasa bersalah and approached my parents to offer some gift for me as the melangkah bendul present. Memang cilaka sungguh masa tu. Angin satu badan I masa tu...lagi besar anginnya bila berdepan dengan rombongan my brother in law yang dah tahu bahawasanya yang I ni masih single. Nak dijadikan cerita, ada pulak uncle my brother in law yang bujang terlajak hadir masa tu (he was looking like like Sohaimi Meor Hassan versi muda) and aku dan dia di usik-usik githoo. I tell you, kalaulah tak ngenangkan adik I, mahunya majlis kahwin tu jadi peristiwa Memali. But sebagai kakak yang mithali, I diamkan aje walaupun rasa nak ku soyok kan mulutnya sedara mara ku yang puaka ittew.
So enough of that. I didn't get to know my sister in law (my eldest brother's wife) and was missing out on lots of information about her. I think because my eldest brother tu perangai ngalahkan beruang, we thought siapalah pompuan yang malang yang sanggup jadi bininya. My eldest brother tu ada ramai gilpren tak jadi and his wife now is the only one yang survived ke jinjang pelamin. She is very young and I would say naive, as a woman with a rational thinking would not go and commit with a man like him. Bukan I nak burukkan dia but we all kesian dengan dia...chenta punya pasal and sanggup buat apa saja. I just hope my brother realised his luck yang ada gak orang nak kawin dengan dia and one day if something happen, he will be strong for her (and for himself, idokle nak harapkan mak I to bail him out)
So...I am about to receive another sister in law. I was introduced to her last raya. The next thing I tahu, mike tu dah nak bernikoh. Laaaa...
I know this is none of my business but I'm struggling to like her. I tatau lah dia tu perangai cemana, but if adik I dah sanggup ikut apa saja yang dia ndak, maka itu adalah choice dia. But I think, she should at least make more effort to be nice to my mother (and me). Dah le first time datang beraya rumah boipren..buat-buatlah duduk meramahs mesra dengan bakal ipar duai and mak mertua kan? Idok...dia duduk berkepit (eh..takdelah nya literally berkepit, but you know lah what I mean) aje dgn boipren nya...main-main ringing tone (ohh..how tak cool nya) and takdelah nak volunteer tolong basuh pinggan ke, tanya bakal kakak ipar dia (aku ni lah) buat apa..etc, etc. I'm sure dia pun dah selalu jumpa my brother tu so apalah salahnya masa ni digunakan untuk bersuaikenal dengan bakal anak buah, bakal ipar, bakal kucing ipar ke kan? Tak!
Dengar khabarnya my brother and my sisters is bending over backward for her. Apparently she decide when she want the kenduri, takdelah nak tanya kita ni convenient ke idak. Yang semputnya my mother and my sisters lah (ish...jangan haraplah my eldest brother nak menolong), as if dia tu takde benda lain atas pinggan dia.
I ni pikir..kalau belum kahwin dah macam ni lah gaya princess-control nya, apatah lagi bila dah jadi bini besok? Dah le my brother tu lah sorang nya jantan yang boleh diharap dalam family and kalau dia pun dah dialih-arahkan oleh bininya, siapalah lagi yang boleh diharapkan oleh mak,kakak and adik perempuannya ni?
Please don't think that I am aganist her and her happiness. ..but I believe, tak banyak sikit, kita sebagai orang luar yang nak masuk dalam family orang lain ni, kenalah menjadi kambing dan mengembek dikandang kambing and menglembu (pandai kan aku, Kiah?) bila masuk ke ladang lembu.
My brother jokingly asked me what is my gift for him for his wedding. I cakap..nanti lah..tengoklah..of course dengan niat yang berbunga-bunga and wanting to see him happy. But bila mengenangkan yang hadiah ku tu nanti akan dapat ke pompuan tu jugak...I rasa macam nak beli Kitkat aje..nah share lah kau dua orang.
Ish.....