'Aidilfitri And Parents' Dilemma

I went to only one house yesterday. I reached Bukit Tiram at 8.30pm but Nor, who stays in Pasir Gudang, insisted on waiting for me.

She used to be at my house on the first day of 'Aidilfitri anually after her family's visit to her father's graveyard in Kebun Teh.
To her, it seemed a very long time that she last saw me, last year's Syawal.

I could understand that her 17-year old daughter put on her long face as the next day is a schooling day and she will be sitting her Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) in a few weeks' (when? not sure) time.  

"Dia 'birah' Ummie, macam makcik dia. Kalau dia nak duduk rumah, sekarang jugak Nor balik." The parents thought she wanted to prepare for the coming examinations, so she was excluded from 'Aidilfitri visits, not knowing that she will leave the house the moment her parents and siblings were out, and once, not coming back until after 12 midnight.
From then on, she was to tag along wherever the family goes to.

It reminded me of a neighbour's 18-year old daughter who attended 'Aidilfitri open house every night that worries the mother as she will only be home past midnight.

******

I was at Tun Aminah last week knowing Iffa and her family was halfway to my house on 9 Syawal when her husband had high blood pressure of 190.
He was immediately warded for observations.

"What causes?" I asked her.

"Children." She said.

Their eldest son who obtained 6'A's for his SPM last year, refused to further his study.
He prefers working life and her 16-year old daughter could not wait for next year to end, so that upon sitting her SPM examinations, she too, can work.

When I reached her house that day, at around 7pm, she wasn't at home.
Together with her husband, they were fetching their 13-year old son from school.

"He's so big. Why must both of you go together? He will be ashamed if his friends happened to see you." I said.

"He will be more ashamed to be seen sitting in his father's old car. That's why I have to look for him as his father will park his car far from the school." She said as tears welled up.

I could understand both parents were terribly hurt as the youngest boy, only 13, had been absent from class many times.
Warning letters, and termination letter had been issued too, to them.
For now, the boy only wanted to stop school, to earn money.

Almost every night, she said, the three of them will attend their respective friends' open house.
To ensure them to be home at 10pm, the parents wait for their children nightly, with bated breath...                        

'Aidilfitri Visits By Invitations?

We left a house in Puteri Wangsa, the last 'open house' for the day at 12.15am this morning.

I told My Husband more than half of the food prepared 'for the did not turn up invited guests' will end up in the dustbin.
We were about to join another open house, which was only a few doors away if not for all the unfamiliar faces.

Yesterday, we had one wedding invitation in Tebrau and six invitations for 'Aidilfitri Open House' but we managed to attend only three of them.
For previous wedding invitations, if there were too many in one day, we will spread out our attendance over Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

When was the first open house I went? Memory failed me.
It used to be many house-warming in Singapore, many sending offs for 'umrahs' every weekends but as economic crunch sets in, it became a rarity.
But ' Raya Open House'?
Frankly, I found that the practice is thriving in JB.
Should Aidilfitri visits be upon invitation only?

"I do not mind to be called stingy for not having an open house." My Husband added to my above statement about wastage.
The last time we have had an open house was more than 10-years ago, as not to turn down his friends' request .
When will we have it again?
Well, there's a month to celebrate Syawal and the house will still be open after Syawal is long over.

******

As we left a house in Desa Makmur at around 6pm yesterday, a man on his motorbike stopped us, "Don't forget my house tonight!" He shouted.
My Husband was surprised as he's the youngest brother of the host.
His house? Only three doors away.

"Why don't you join your brother?" My Husband asked him as seeing another tent needed built, another food wastage bound to repeat itself.

"Not the same..." he said.
Although he invited us at the last minute, we had to go as he's a tow-truck owner and has a workshop for his woodworking and carpentry work whom My Husband would occasionally turn to, for help.

This morning, as I put into a plastic bag, meant to be thrown away, of the food brought by a visitor who dropped by at 8pm last night, I was ashamed of myself at my own food wastage knowing out there,  25,000 people  die of hunger or hunger related issues everyday and there are 925 million hungry people  in the world today, women who go to sleep each night not knowing how they will feed their hungry children the next day.

Today, I have four houses to attend, all 'Aidilfitri Open House' by invitation, but had not been to even a single house, as hey, my house is open too, All Year Round.