My third sister who lives in Bangi with her husband and three children makes it a point to celebrate Aidil Fitri with us every year. As she lives near her father in-law’s house, it’s better for her to come back to Kelantan for a change during Raya. After all, my brother in-law is not fussy and he often doesn’t mind driving all the way from Bangi to Machang, Kelantan. 

When I was studying at UM back in the 90s, I stayed at their house in AU3 Keramat for 2 years. At that time they just got married. I guess I was an intruder in their married life for not giving them some privacy needed in their early years of marriage. The journey from AU3 to UM took about half an hour but for the first two months of my tenure there, I had to take two mini buses to reach the campus. It’s because I couldn’t afford to buy a motorbike until I received my scholarship for that particular semester. Once I got it, I asked my brother in-law to accompany me to a motorcycle shop in Jalan Travers to buy a secondhand Suzuki model. I can remember the plate number: BEM 3079. So, by riding this machine, I travelled every single day to campus without fail. Sometimes, during rainy days I had to take a shelter under an overhead bridge in Jalan Mahameru. I was totally drenched. Thank God, I didn’t catch a cold. This motorcycle served me well until my graduation day. 

When I was posted to my school in Sabah, i.e. SMK Majakir, Papar, I also brought along this motorbike and it again became my dedicated transport until I transferred to Kelantan. I did not take it along with me but instead, I sold it to a mechanic there who was very attracted to its peninsular plate number. Lastly, I hope this motorcycle is still in service to its new owner there.