Cast From The Herd Excerpt # 107: A Grip of Homesickness

 Cast From The Herd:  Memories of Matriarchal Malaysia

M. Bakri Musa

Excerpt # 107:  A Grip of Homesickness

Between the reassuring humming of the jet engines and the cool air from the overhead vent, I reflected on my earlier novel physical sensation of acceleration. How many other concepts in science and mathematics had I learned by rote but because of my limited physical environment, had not fully grasped their true meaning even though I was facile in using them to solve artificial problems in the classroom? 

            My contemplation was pleasantly interrupted when the stewardess handed me the lunch menu. Amidst the many fancy French names, I saw a familiar item – curried beef. With all the new experiences and sensations it was nice to be grounded onto familiar terrain. The curry tasted great! The obvious difference was the generous helping of meat, made more so with the small portion of rice. In my village it would have been the reverse. Then I remembered my father’s earlier observation about the price of the airline ticket. 

            I did not know whether it was the familiar smell of the curry or the expansive view of my country from a height of 40,000 feet, I was now gripped with sudden homesickness. I would be away for six or seven years. In that time my younger sisters Zahariah, Mariah and Jaharah and brother Adzman would have grown up. I missed them already, as well as my parents and grandparents, and the familiar surroundings of my village. Only a few days earlier I had been bicycling through the village enjoying its sights and sounds. 

            “When will you be leaving?” they shouted. When I replied, they cheered me on, “Make us proud! We are praying for you!” 

            Remembering those kind remarks made me even more homesick. I wondered what my family was doing at that particular moment. Perhaps Ariffin had taken them out for lunch at a nearby restaurant. Then I thought of my former students at Tanjong Ipoh. Who would be teaching them? How would I compare to their new teacher? I could not stop my tears. I discreetly wiped them off with the napkin and muttered half-convincingly to the passenger next to me that the hot curry had made my eyes watery. She, a middle-aged lady, perhaps a returning diplomat, smiled. 

            She enquired whether this was my first trip away from home. She obviously did not buy my story of curry making Asian eyes watery. I replied that I had been at boarding school, and yes, it was my first plane trip. I might have convinced her that I was not homesick, but I could not convince myself.

            Soon we descended into Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Airport, and again the clearing of the ears. We flew so close in between those tall apartment buildings that I could see into their living rooms. Like the Chinese in Kuala Lumpur, those in Hong Kong also hung their laundry out of their windows for the whole world to see. There in the bright sunshine were the colorful bras, pajamas, and cheongsams. 

            A light thump followed by a rapid change in velocity, ‘negative acceleration,’ and we were on terra firma again. My first plane ride went way too fast, literally and emotionally. I was just beginning to savor the pampered service, excellent cuisine, and most of all the safe, smooth flight. 

Next:  Excerpt #108:  A Touch Of Luxury