Our first meeting...

Our first meeting...

It seems so long ago. After i finished my undergraduate studies, I was unemployed for some time. Then, I worked at triumph undergarment company for a few months as a clerk before i was posted by the government to work as an English teacher in Miri Sarawak. Talks of marriage between me and Halil were underway. My dad told me not to go as Sarawak is far from home, and can only be reached by plane and the possibility of being sent in the *forest* area is high.

I was adamant to go; the way I looked at it was like this-1. If the marriage goes as plan, I will at least have a work experience in the field i am trained in. 2.If however halil decides otherwise and not marry me, I will have at least something to hold on too. A work far away from home and a mean of escapism in a land of the unknown. Stubbornly, I went. I was sent to an area where along the streets you can only see palm oil trees and the only way to reach town is through the bus that passes the area once every 2 hours or so? To send letters or making a call meant having to go on that bus and with money so scarce (i only received my salary after 3 months working), life was difficult. But i managed to keep contact with Halil and vice versa.

In July, the graduation ceremony was held at my University in Bangi.I didnt plan to go as i was planning to save the money for the wedding. Halil however decided otherwise. On that holiday, he decided to come to Malaysia and to get to know me (upon his family's insistence). So we met at my parents' house. He came there for a week.

He reached Penang airport around 11pm. My mom, my dad and I waited eagerly for him there.. It was akward at first to see someone you have been saying *i love you* or *seni seviyorum* to and finally to actually see each other. I was scared. What if he doesnt like me? what if he decides that I am not good enough for him..that I am not pretty enough or interesting enough? Questions like that poked into my mind in an excruciating painful volume. My mom and dad directly brought him to a stall somewhere to drink and eat. Halil refused to eat coz he said he ate on the plane and was not hungry, but relented on drinking something at my dad's insistence..I think my dad ordered for him *teh tarik* (iced milky tea)-a special drink to Malaysians ; something which halil confided in me later was weird for his taste. We talked but in a very formal manner-in a way two strangers talk to each other.

Finally, we brought him home.My dad showed him to the only room in the house. He was to sleep there for the duration of his stay.After everyone was asleep, Halil came out of the room. We met at the only open space in the house for a chat..the floor of the kitchen!! We sat there. Somehow, we started to break the ice and chatted till late hours. We slept for a few hours and at early wee hours of dawn, we went out walking around the area just to be together. It became a routine till the day Halil left..and do you know who sufferred the most during his stay?? my dad!! my dad always go to the toilet many times during the nights.But because we; as in halil and I were there talking to each other on the kitchen floor and not wanting to disturb us, I supposed my dad waited until both of us were asleep before he went to the loo!! such a sweet dad huh?

Anyway, to cut the story short, Halil and I fell for each other. Well, at least I fell for him. I suppose he fell for me too since he told his parents to go ahead with the wedding plan.It was an extremely tiring week to go without proper sleep for a week. But I think it was fantastic.It was a good thing that his family insisted that he went to Malaysia. At least, both of us got to know each other and be more confident of our wedding plan.