THOSE WEEKENDS

Those weekends especially Sunday, the two of us used to travel somewhere. Early 2006 Ita left us for SM Teknik Seri Manjung. She came home almost every fortnightly without fail either by bus, we took her or got a lift from Mak Yan and her friends when they did their Master in UPSI. In earlier time she got a lift from Mak Yan, so I had to take Ita in UPSI. If she took a bus then we had to fetch her in Ulu Bernam RR which is very near the Tanjong Malim tol. Usually I would take her because I was in SMK Syed Mashor Batang Kali, ten km away from Semashur home. Then we would drive her back to Seri Manjung on Sunday. That was 201 km one way which sometimes I did the driving alone.
On some occasions we drove all the way to Seri Manjung to fetch her but we would arrive quite late and she was the last to be fetch. This took palce in 2006 and 2007 - two years for Ita Form 4 and Form 5.
By May 2006, Ucin entered KMPP in Bertam, Kepala Batas, Pulau Pinang for one year. Then we visited him at least once a month. We had our weekend in Seri Manjung or to Bertam. We would take him on Saturday morning or early Friday night. At times we stayed in my parents home in Kamunting. It was seldom Ucin came home because of the short weekends and the long hour of the journey home was not advisable.
Then while waiting for SPM Ita entered JMTI in Bukit Minyak Butterworth. There we visited her once a month. Luckily she was there for only three months.
By April 2008 after SPM results she went for PLKN in Tok Bali Pasir Puteh, Kelantan. We visited her once there and once again she was there hardly a month.
By May 2008 Ita entered KMK in Changloon Kedah for also one year. We visited her once a month. At these while Ucin had already entered UITM. When we visited her in earlier times, we managed to trace her illness and got a treatment in Putra Medical Centre in Alor Star. At first we stayed in Seri Malaysia, later we came to know of Bee Garden Motel which is rather cheap and just opposite of Putra Medical Centre. At times when we visited her we went to Kangar to visit my father there.
We were busy visiting the kids but honestly I felt guilty when we didn't do this for abang when he was in Johor Bahru. Once a month we must be travelling nearly one thousand km per trip. All this ended last April when Ita finished her matriculation.
Now every weekend we took her from her college on Saturday after her Kesatria activity or Friday late evening. It is only 33 km from home which is nearer compare going to my school from home. We will send her back on Sunday.
I miss travelling again like those times, those weekends. But honestly now I don't like doing the driving.