PITY MY MOTHER

She fell down hard on the tiled verandah floor as she missed the chair that she was trying to sit.

'It was very painful, and I could not move my right thigh,' she complained to Roseyati (Su Ti), mys sister who happened to be there at the time.

It was Friday, almost prayer's time. Most males were either in the mosque or working (that was me).

My mother could not move at all. There was very little option except to call the ambulance. Very smart move by the women folks.

The ambulance came fast. The very understanding and empathetic medical personnels in the ambulance were quick to act to move my mother into the van.

Off they went to Kemaman Hospital. My mother was examined by a doctor and x-rayed. Nothing seemed broken. Bruised thigh muscles most probably.

She was presribed some analgesics for her pain and allowed home despite my mother's asking to be warded.

"There's nothing broken. So there is no need for Tok wan to be warded,' explained a very friendly nurse.

I only received the news ten minutes after I arrived home from work. The message was simple and clear: Mother fell down. Brought to hospital, nothing broken and was discharged. Please visit mother tonight.

When I arrived half an hour later, there she was on her favourite lazy chair with stacks of sofa cushions as her bed.

She looked to be in great pain. She was more scared than anything, at least to me. Scared that she could not walk, just like my dad next door.

She was all skin and bones, not much fat in her body. She used her left leg to bring up her right leg whenever she wanted to move around. She did it on her bottoms, moving to the bathroom for her ablution.

Last night I received another message from Su Ti. This time it said that my mother was getting worst.

I rushed to her side and found blue bruises getting larger in size on the inner side of her right thigh. The doctor was right, she had bruised her thigh muscles.

I hugged her ever so softly as she complained that her grandson had carried her so hard that her axilla areas were sore. Her wrinkled face reminded me of my Tok Wan.

I gently asked her to move her right leg just to be sure. She did it. She asked me how lung would such an injury would heal. I said may be two to three weeks.

I left her as she was preparing for her Isya' prayers. She was so disciplined as far as her prayers were concerned. We all pray that she would be ok fast.