Nadya, was her name
A kampung jester when she was little, she grew to become a bandar beauty
I remember how we walked along the coast of Pantai Bidara, flying our makeshift Wau
The sand was warm, heated by the familiar scorching Sun
Waves come and go, along with the distinctive scent of Laut China Selatan
She never had her own clothes, so she had to resort to her brother’s worn tees
“Mok aku takdok pitih” she used to say
Her father was a keropok lekor vendor
Probably she helped his father out a lot because to be honest, she’s fishy in every sense for most of her childhood
She climbed pokok nyos because of her love for umbut kelapa
“Tok aku hok ningga tahung lepah berahi nat*ng ni” she used to say
And so, whenever the wind blows through her hair, her scent resembles a mixture of fish and spoiled santan
The only reason I could bear with her stench was because she was the only friend that I had
Now, she’s no longer a messy little girl
The putrid smell of fish and santan has been replaced by colognes that smell like the first floor of every shopping malls
She no longer talks about her beloved Tok, though I’m sure she still misses her the same
She’s still into climbing, but instead of coconut trees she’s now climbing the corporate ladder
Her father is still selling his keropok lekor, now available with cheese which is weird but necessary
When asked about her mother, she answered “Mak Nana hari tu marah Nana bagi duit, katanya suruh simpan buat beli tanah”
I also asked her about the life in Kuala Lumpur, but instead of answering, she told me about how she misses Pantai Bidara
How she longs for its sea breeze and the warm sandy beach
I told her to tell me if she ever decides to come back home
So that I can make a new makeshift Wau for both of us to fly together
Written by Ahmad Nuruddin bin Azhar, Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering