Abang Lang

I was ironing clothes at almost 10.00 pm last Thursday night, when we heard someone gave salam at the door. The sliding door was not locked because my daughters just went out to the next door mini mart to get something. It was Abang Lang, who came all the way from Shah Alam. He came to visit mak and he was alone. Like all my other sibling he is always welcome. He came I presume because he heard my mak was not feeling well.

Earlier on my coking gas decided to finished up on me that night. I had just enough to re-heat all my dishes for dinner. A dish of fried beef was half way through cooking when the stove just died off. I usually have 2 gas cylinders at home, but one had finished a few days back and I was not able to get the replacement during the last weekend ( I was away to fetch Kak Long). The very next morning, after making tea for breakfast, hubby put the gas cylinders into the car boot and I drove to Abang Long's shop to get them. Back again to resume cooking for lunch for the family and Abang Lang before proceeding to work.

I have 3 older brothers, Abang Lang is the 3rd (obviously). Amongst the brothers (5 in all,inclusive 2 younger brothers) I would say I am very comfortable and closest to him. His caring nature makes him much more approachable and for us to feel comfortable with him. Even my hubby has little to say about him (critically of course).

When he was younger, he and my older sister would always be quarelling. I remembered having watched them pull each other's hair and he snipped Kak M's hair in retaliation. I also remembered how one dawn morning he came back to surprise us with his new hair do, a completely bald head. My younger sister who was still quite small at that time would cry in fear everytime she looked at him. He shaved his head after he passed his LCE exam. He didn't do very well in his MCE, so in order to go into university he had to take his HSC (STPM) from a private school. Abang Long who was already working sponsored him. He finally made it to MU doing Economics. I think my parents must have been proud of him as he was the first one to enter University amongst our siblings.

I was in ITM Shah Alam when he was in MU and whenever i met him at Kak M's house ( I went there to get some pocket money), abang lang had never failed to share some of his scholarship money with me. He would give me some pocket money from his scholarship. Family was not really wealthy, my father was a school teacher with 8 children to support.

After graduation he was offered a job in Marketing by a Multinational. He has been there till now. We had always been closed, he used to even confide in me about a broken heart and all. He even took me to his company dinner, no one believed that I was his sister rather than his girlfriend at the dinner. eventually he married Kak Lang who is of the same age as I am. He now has 8 children ranging from 25 to 6 years old. In a few years he will be retiring and his children are still schooling.

One thing about this brother of mine, is that he likes to keep in touch with family. He would visit uncles and aunties whenever he comes home for Raya and other holidays. When Arwah ayah was sickly a year before he passed away, abang lang was the brother who came home most often to visit ayah. He is also generous with his money. Ayah would just open his mouth to ask, abang lang will provide. Usually through me, using the maybank2u transfer. Now with mak is the same. He would call and talk to her or called me to ask for mak's wellbeing. He comes home to visit when he sensed something is amiss. He was going to visit an aunty (My late father's youngest sister) in Kubang Kerian's hospitall on Saturday with our uncle (my father's older brother) when he got back to KL after visiting mak.

Although at one time he slacked in his religious duty, he has never slacked towards his responsibilities towards our parents. Maybe due to that mak's doa to bring him back to Allah's fath was easily being answered. Abang Lang repented and eversince then had never touch another drop of alchohol. He had performed his hajj and has been active in the surau near his house. He now making sure his children are becoming a solehin.

For whatever he is worth, Abang Lang is a surely a man of character and I am proud to be his younger sister.