Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.
I love my Bibi. I do. Alhamdulillah I have been blessed to have (and had) two wonderful women taking care of me at home.
The first one was Bibi A, who sticked with me since my very first years up to the point where I was a jumpy 8-year old. When she had to return to Wonosobo, Indonesia, I was devastated. Fortunately, a few months later, my granddad and I had a lovely grandpa-granddaughter trip to Jogja and paid a visit to Bibi A's house. I was in tears when we departed to the airport, knowing that I won't be having Bibi A around (so what if I wailed, I was 9, get over it, haha).
Soon came Bibi Y, who replaced Bibi A. She is an amazing cook (she makes really good lasagna), a tech savvy, and one whom I insisted that she learn how to drive. Of course when she first came I felt a little distant, but now, gee I love her so much. Bibi Y flew to Malaysia when I was in Year 3, and is currently on a holiday in Jawa Tengah.
My parents frequently (and jokingly) mock me for the fact that I can't even fry an egg. Pffft I can bake and frost delicate cakes - could you do that when you were 16, Mama? Haa.
There was that one time in class when my Sejarah teacher asked me if I could make some ikan goreng and I had to sheepishly mumble "Boleh, kot..." and tolerate the whole class snickering. Oh, I bet you guys don't even know how to make ikan goreng, too. I'm not the only one, pffft.
Normally, when Bibi Y is enjoying her one-month holiday (probably off on a beach with a juice and the mini umbrella thing with her son right now), Bibi A will come to our aid. She'd fly to KL and I'd be the happiest person alive. Over the years, we grew very close and I used to have conversations with her daughters once in a blue moon.
However, Bibi A is nearing her senior citizen years and in order to respect her... I won't be having her as a Bibi anymore.
and that, is, why, I am bibi-less this school holiday.
or not really that bibi-less, as my aunt's Bibi, Bibi H, comes during the day on weekdays.
But Bibi H is at my cousin's on weekends, and even if she's here from Mon till Fri, she has my baby cousin to take care of, so yes, I can be considered as bibi-less.
So I learnt how to steam iron on YouTube! So proud of myself. (I bet you didn't know how to steam iron clothes when you're 16, Abah, haha). I also ironed Abah's trousers! I improved, the last time I ironed my tudung it got burnt and had to be thrown away - bibi Y laughed a little too much before blabbing on the proper way of ironing.
Abah thinks that I can't sweep. Ha, I swept and wiped the floor, it's squeaky clean now. *winks at Bibi for teaching*
I do laundry everyday! It's really easy, I mean, you just press a few buttons and voila, they're all clean. The folding part is a bit tricky, and if I can't resort on using hangers, those pants and shirts are going to look like a hastily flipped omelette.
My bibi is garang, ok. Bibi Y would kill me if I ever messed the stack of clothing she meticulously folded.
Despite her being strict and all, I am so, so, grateful to have Bibi Y, because otherwise the whole house would turn upside down, all the insides jumbled up as if our house had just been destroyed by a tornado (naudzubillahi min zalik). Cepat balik, bibi! Hehe.
My parents constantly remind me to love and respect our Bibi. They take care of us, bathe us when we're kids, teach us a lot of things that we can't personally get elsewhere, like being grateful for what we have and to count our blessings. Y'all crying for iPhone5s, my bibi's husband passed away when she was pregnant with their first son, can't afford to have a house, yet she's very strong, and she takes things in her stride.
God bless us with so much that we lose track of it sometimes, forgetting how He can take it all away in a flash.
