“Dad used to cycle me to school. Later, I had the chance to take him out in our family’s first car.”
My Life Journey • Episode 03
In my first and second years of primary school, my late father took me to school on a bicycle.
Dad pedalled. I sat behind him.
That was how we travelled back then.
It was only when I was in my third year of primary school that Dad bought his first motorcycle, a Vespa.
There were seven of us siblings, and I was the eldest. We still relied heavily on buses whenever the family went anywhere.
When we returned to our hometown with Mum, my siblings and I travelled by bus too.
That is why I still remember how much it meant when our family finally owned a Proton Saga.
In 2002, while working on my third ship, the Bunga Mas Tujuh, I began to have some savings. I agreed to use them to help my late father buy that car.
It was our family’s first car.
Dad had a driving licence, but he wasn’t very confident behind the wheel. When I went back to sea, the car stayed at home.
Whenever I returned, I could take Mum, Dad and my siblings out.
My strongest memory is of going out for meals together.
I was the one driving our family around in our first car.
Looking back, that part of life’s journey touches me deeply.
Once, I sat behind Dad as he pedalled his bicycle.
Then I had the chance to drive and take him out instead.
Today, when I look at that photograph, I wish I could say:
“Dad, I still remember sitting behind you on the bicycle when you took me to school.
Back then, you were the one taking me places.
I’m grateful I had the chance to take you and Mum out for meals once I started working.
If I could, I would relive just one of those journeys. We could sit together and I could listen to your stories again.”
The older I get, the more I appreciate what Dad did with the means he had.
That bicycle took me to school. His first motorcycle became another part of our family’s journey. Later, my earnings gave me a chance to contribute by helping with a car.
Each one mattered in its own time.
Perhaps your parents also took you to school in a way you still remember today.
If you have the chance now, take them out within your means. Share a meal. Ask about their old stories, including those you have heard many times before.
Give them your attention and listen once more.
I’m grateful I had those moments with my family.
Today, through this photograph, it almost feels as though I am meeting again the people who shared that journey with me.
“Dad… the child who once sat behind you on the bicycle still remembers.”
Who used to take you to school, and how did you travel?
PMr. Mohd Hawarie Tan Muzi
In Episode 04, I’ll continue with the story of keeping a relationship alive while sailing far away, through letters and text messages that had to wait for a signal near port.
#CatatanPerjalananSaya #Hawarie #KenanganBersamaAbah