Haji Hussein bin Shariff (Part Two)
In this post, I will tell more about my late father, or Wan.
First, I would like to make one correction from the last post concerning Wan's marriage. Wan and Mak Tok's marriage was arranged by their parents. It was a normal thing back then. Mak Tok told me that she didn't know anything about Wan until they got married. Both families lived in the same kampung (village / neighborhood) at that time.
Wan, a hardworking Headmaster
Remember I told you that Wan was a teacher, and then became a headmaster? Wan was very committed to his job. He would sometimes go to school during weekends to finished up some work. Often, he would bring home stuff to do at home. One of the cool things that he brought home was the Gestetner mimeograph or duplicating machine. To print papers, Wan would securely attached the stencil to the drum, and then he would squirt the black printer ink along the top of the drum that holds the stencil. By rotating, the drum the papers will be printed. We would sit around to watch Wan operating it. After that we helped sorting the printouts and stapled them. They could be for exams or handouts.
Wan would also bring home his students' exam papers to grade. I remember helping him correcting the Math papers for sixth graders!
My siblings and I liked to tag along with Wan to his school during the weekends. One of the schools he had taught was in a countryside (kampung). It was a small Elementary School that shared it's building with a surau (mini Masjid). It was made of timber. The classrooms were on the first floor and the surau was on the second floor. Right in front of the steps to the surau was a large kolah (open concrete tank) filled with water. The purpose of the kolah was for the folks to perform wudhu'. One of our favorite places at the school was the library. It has a modest collection of readers and storybooks enough to fill four book shelves. We would sit around the book shelves on the floor reading the books until Wan was done with his work. Also, close to the school, there was a stream. Many times we would just play by the stream while waiting for Wan to be done.
Wan, the beloved father, and grandfather
When I was studying for my first degree in Emporia State University and Southern Illinois University, Wan and I continuously communicate via aerogram. What is an aerogram? It was a prepaid blank document that was usually sold by the post office. And, the cheapest way to write and send letter internationally. One can write on both sides and then fold, glue the flaps and it's ready to be mailed. Every week I would receive an aerogram from Wan, and every week I would write one to him in return. I always looked forward for his mail all the time. Telephone service was very expensive during those times.
In February 1986, soon after Mak and Ayah had returned from US, Ayah got a teaching position at MRSM Perlis. We rented a house in Perlis. Wan helped us ease into the next phase of our life. He bought us a brand new refrigerator, washing machine and even loan us Mak Tok's car for the first month, saying that we can pay back later when we get our first paycheck. At that time we were totally broke, having no income yet. After about one month, when we went back to Sungai Petani (SP) for the weekend, Wan surprised us with a yellow four-door Opel. Wan said he had bought the car for us. And again, he said we can pay when we have the money. But when Ayah wanted to pay him later on, he said we can just keep all the things he had bought earlier; the fridge, washing machine and the yellow car!
On the weekends we would either travel to SP or Taiping. Sometimes while in SP, Wan would take us for a picnic. Here are some pictures from one of the picnics:
Wan is showing Pak Su how to fish at Pulau Sayak with Amin waiting for Wan to take him into the water
Wan was a loving grandfather. He was very close to his grandchildren; when they were little, he would always pick them up, play with them and take them to parks. He would often join the kids in parlor games too, like Uno and Dominoes.
From left, Opah, Mak Long, Nenek, Amirah, Mak Tok, Wan, Tok Ayah and Pak Jee in Taiping.
One last nostalgic memory; In 1986, Wan bought a Proton Saga 1.5I, the first national car that had automatic transmission. This model was the first one to be built totally in Malaysia. We had told him that we mainly drove automatics in the US and at that time, automatics were extremely rare in Malaysia. I think he really liked the idea of automatics and bought one as soon as Proton Saga released their first automatics. So, when Mak and Ayah arrived at Wan's house that weekend, he was so excited to show
off his new car. He even asked me to test drive the car, and I did! He knew that I only drive auto and not stick. Yes, it is the same green car that Mak Tok has, and until now, she has refused to let go of the car for anything.
Hoping to meet Wan again in the afterlife
Wan passed away in 1989 of a series of heart attacks at the age of 52. It was a shock to all of us. He didn't tell any of his children that he was having heart problems.
But the sweet memories with Wan are always forever alive. Whenever we remember someone we love that had departed, we usually recite surah Al Fatihah to honor and pray for his soul. So, after reading this post, please recite Al Fatihah as a gift to Wan's soul.
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