In the cookies of life, sisters are the chocolate chips.

From Left : Ma and her sister Mak Yah

Whatever sadness I feel right now, I'm sure Ma feels a hundred times more as much.

I dont have a sister of my own, but Ma selalu cakap how wonderful it is to have sisters in the family.

Ma is the youngest of the three sisters - Munawarah, Sa'ayah and then Marfoa (my Ma)

My Ma's extended family 

my late grandma Nenek Yam is 3rd from left, 

next to her is Wak Muna, 

in between behind is my Ma 

and the one holding me (1year plus) terlindung di belakang is my Mak Yah

Just like Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, so was Ma and her sisters. I love to hear the joyful tone of Ma's voice bila dia cerita about her sisters...Wak Muna garang, Mak Yah was the soft hearted and Ma prefers to do stuff her way and a bit of a rebel like me and Syasya.

Ma said, arwah Atuk likes to ask Mak Yah to make him his kopi O. In fact he adores her...because of her soft heart.

Ma said, there was little to know what to cook, her "Kak Yah" as she fondly calls her sister, will make the best dishes ever known.

There is also a tinge of sadness bila Ma talks about Mak Yah's talent - surat beranak Mak Yah terbakar sebab zaman tu entah apa yg ada pada akal tok penghulu, semua surat beranak di simpan kat rumahnya. Bila rumah habis terbakar, habis jugalah terbakar surat beranak Mak Yah. So Mak Yah never made it more than Ma. Ma said, she could have gone to college...

I love my Mak Yah most because I grew up eating her delicious lontong, Soto and kuih muih. Since my brother was only a baby, I would quickly get out of school clothes coming home, tell Kak Lik my maid, I want to go to Mak Yah's kantin. I remember the other teachers there having tea while I savour the delicious kuih muih that she makes.

From Left : Mak Yah (in black)

my maid Kak Lik standing 

and on the far right budak kurus kedeging tu is me

Mak Yah taught me to make the best sambal masa kenduri kawin my brother..."rebus cili kering dulu, baru sedap" she said. Everytime I make sambal tumis...I think of her.

Mak Yah menepung tawar at my brother's majlis berinai in Penang

she is a constant moral support to my Ma

sanggup travel sama ke Penang for this wedding

Frankly, hari tu when dua-dua of my brother balik kampung and pergi Kluang dengan my mother I was so jealous. Dah lama benar tak jenguk Mak Yah di Kluang. Masa raya pun masih tak sempat sebab tahun ni I beraya di Penang dulu.

Entah kenapa dari sejak minggu lepas bila Ma bagitau yang her sister jatuh sakit, I rasa tak sedap hati cuma I tak mahu cakap pada Ma. Ma kata Mak Yah dah kurus sangat...I teringat arwah Wak Muna - she was so thin on those last days before dia pergi buat selamanya...

Its heartbreaking bila call my Ma pagi tadi and Ma cakap doktor kata Mak Yah has suffered brain damage from the coma. You see after collapsing she when into coma. Doktors said only 70% of her brain is functioning...

Ma sibuk bagitau ada ayat yang boleh di amalkan untuk orang yg besar kemungkinan kena stroke. Ma nak telefon Abg Fadhil bagitau...

Then near lunch time tadi, Aliya my daughter yang kebetulan kat kampung called me... passed it to my Ma and Ma's voice quivered as she said "Ada berita buruk.." and the bad news was given.

My Mak Yah has passed away.

I tried my best to inform semua sanak-saudara yang ada knowingly from the earlier fon call Abah sibuk ada urusan di Masjid.

I tak sampai hati nak call Ma banyak kali tanya...her voice would be ok..then suddenly she would break down.

I dont have a sister but I know how Aliya and Syasya feels during this school holiday as they are separated (Liya kena belajar matematik secara intensive dengan my Ma)

It's that thought of sisterhood  and how a sister is like a soulmate to you that left me crying especially masa solat tadi.

And when DH said "Ma must be crying now..." it made me crumble more...what more its so close to my due date and I am in no condition to travel to visit the family...
All I can is to I offer my Al Fatihah and Yassin buat my arwah Mak Yah tersayang dari jauh..