mussafir مسافر

Assalamualaikum and hello.

Insya-Allah, this 20 March, I’ll be meeting a number of my old coursemates, more specifically the boys. It has been almost 12 years since the last time I’ve seen some of them, which was on our graduation day, 3 August 1996. Then we went our separate ways. I was sent to teach in Sabah with Puyu, whom to my surprise, stayed within the education. Most if not the rest, got themselves in other jobs in other sectors.

With regret I have to say that the planned mini reunion for the TESL3 boys was a complete and total disaster. Everything was in place and I was really looking forward for the reunion. I didn’t know for sure how many will turn up. A few had text messaged me that they won’t be able to turn up but most kept silent. I actually didn’t mind if there was going to be only 2 or 3 of us. At least I’ll be able to see them.

I thought of driving down to KL but later changed my mind since it would be pointless to be driving alone as well as very exhausting to me. So I purchased an Air Asia ticket online. Got myself an flight from Kota Bharu to LCCT at 8.55 am. Based on my last experience of flying to KL with Air Asia before, I’ll be landing in LCCT around 10 am. I then need to take the coach from LCCT to KL Sentral which will take an hour’s journey. From KL Sentral, I’ll hop on the KTM Komuter service to Subang Parade’s station where I’ll meet my brother. He had agreed to drive me to IOI Mall from there.

All was well as I boarded my flight in KB. Landed around 9.55 am in LCCT. Managed to hop on the 10.30 coach to KL Sentral and got there exactly an hour later. Got onto the Komuter to Subang Jaya at 11.45 am. All this while I had only two persons calling me about the gathering. I was getting a bit apprehensive. Where are the rest? I got another message from another friend that his car broke down.

It was around that time that I got a message from a friend that was already at the venue. He said he had to leave because his son who he had brought along was throwing a tantrum and also he had another appointment later on. I was just minutes away from where we were supposed to meet. 45 minutes top. That was a real blow to me. I was fuming. I was disappointed.

The moment I stepped off the Komuter at Subang Parade’s station, I made up my mind. Since this friend of mine had to leave, I guess it would be pointless for me to go there at all. So I text messaged the rest of the boys, saying that I had an accident on my way to the airport, missed my flight, was on the waiting list and finally made up my mind that it wasn’t worth the wait. I apologised to every one of them and told them that it was all my fault.

I spent the rest of the day with my brother (who had called his office to ask for the rest of the day off), stayed at his apartment that night and flew back home the next day.

Is that the end? No.

I heard that this friend of mine were furious with me for botching up the reunion. He also had the gall of telling those asking about the reunion on the TESL3 egroup to get “the pictures” from me. Thank a lot, dear friend.

If you expect me to bad mouth about this fellow, sorry to disappoint. I’m just telling you how it is from my perspective. It’s up to you to decide whether I’m at fault. If you don’t, thanks. If you do, also thanks. Always remember, there’s alway two sides of a coin.

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