A tomboy in an all-male family

The other day when my sister and my family were in Singapore, my niece heard her father (my bro-in-law) called me “tomboy”. I have an age gap of 10 years with the sister and when she was dating my bro-in-law, I was like 10 years old and very, very tomboy. I rode bicycle all over the kampung, built tents of coconut leaves, climb trees, chase snakes, slaughter chicken, dig earthworms and etc. That name stayed until now but since I don’t go to my sis’s house that often, my niece probably did not hear it earlier. She went…”huh? you call ah-yee WHAT???!!!!”

Ok, so now you know how God has prepared me to have an all-boys in the home. I am part of them. I do not sew, I do not iron clothes and I certainly do not house-keep well. But then, I am still a woman and most of the times, my kids and the hubby seem to forget. A woman as in bimbo or brainless in some areas.

THIS MORNING

My apartment uses a touch-and-go card to enter. Hubby and #1 son normally just flash the card without winding down the window. I am a woman. I have to wind down the window, put my hand out, holding the card and wave the card furiously or the thing won’t work. My kids often screamed at the back, “MAAAA!!!!! Why can’t you just do what papa or kor-kor do?” My excuse, “My car tinting darn good, the signal won’t get through, ok?”

So, I got home from church this morning. I rolled down the window. I wave the card, that barrier opened, I pressed to get the window to go up again. I heard, ‘kreeakkgrokkkkktutttkreakkgrookkkkk’ and I look up and down to see where the sound comes from. I thought there is a bike behind me or something. Nothing. The sound continues.

I parked my car and realized it was the stupid, Persona, ciplak (just to rub Persona’s proud, rabid owners) window rosak. The whole piece of glass went into the door! Die! Husband was somewhere in Penang Hill, hiking. Called him from my mobile…

“Dear…..your power window rosak, now the thing cannot come up, how lah…rain how lah….”

And the male man doesn’t pick up the damsel in distress call but instead, “Why you go and wind down the window?”

I wanted to tell little white lies like, “I want to save you petrol, I didn’t turn on aircond mah…so I wound down the window lorr…..” in kesian tones.

But I mustn’t tell white lies and he wouldn’t believe the wife because I hate the smoke, the smell and the oily layer on my face. So, I told him, “Nay, I want to come in, must wind down window mah, or else the card cannot work mahhh….”

He went, “Haih…..”

See? Men just don’t get it that women need to do this ritual. Must ask somemore.

Then, I was standing there figuring out if it is going to rain or crows are going to fly into my car and shit or people will korek the car off its CD player and everything…..Frantic you know…. (but my area rather safe lah)

Somemore got question from the male man….”Why you go and press the auto button to open all the way ah? You must have pressed the Auto button, that’s why it goes all the way down.”

Niamah, limpeh tulan ledi. 7 early 8 early, I kena stand under the hot morning sun, figuring out what to do with a car with an open window….Ask how, kena tembak so many questions.

“Aiyah, don’t care, I leave it here. This cilaka Persona so many problems one. One day aircond, one day roof leaking, one day…….. cilaka, I don’t care, I go up liao.”

He replied, “Ok, short while I take it to workshop.”

(was the gear that got off its groove LOL so the thing doesn’t work)

See lah? They treat me like a man, they think that I think like a man, and have the common sense like a man. Niamah…Somemore got story about my sons laffing their arses off, next post lah.

(my favourite scene from My Best Friend’s Wedding)

Now I know why my mouth so vulgar sometimes. I am half a man and I got no women friends, only male friends.

So, 30 years later, that tomboy streak probably still shows. Note that tomboy does not equate lesbo hor? Later all my female readers dare not come comment pulak.