My Dad and I Vol. 5

I was 13.

My dad is the type of guy you call a 'Jack of all trades'. He can do anything.

I mean, he can do everything. He was good in sports. He used to play in state and district tournaments when he was in school. Name the sport, whether it's football, volleyball, takraw, you name it, he knows how to play it.

He was good in arts too. He played the drums and was in a band when he was young. They used to do shows all around Perak. Weddings, Talent shows, they've done it all. Although we don't have any drum set in our house, but I know he still have it in him.

He's really good in writing too. He can write poetry, pantun, all kinds of shit. I once read in his school magazine that he was famously known for his pantun asmara...whatever the hell that means. Everytime we had to go meminang for somebody in the family, guess who took the lead with his verbal jousting and pantuns? Yup..my dad.

But, as for me, I was the opposite of him.I'm not really good in anything. I suck in sports, I can't play music. I'm not really that smart. The things that he could do, I can't. And to be honest, I felt bad for not being able to follow in his footsteps. And that was being good in anything. Sometimes, I just can't help but to wonder if he was ever disappointed at me.

One morning, the two of us went out for breakfast. After a cup coffee, I just popped the question. Seems like a good idea at the time.


Bapak, pernah tak bapak frust sebab I'm not as talented as you?

Huh? Apa punya soalan ni? Apa yang buat kamu pikir macam tu?

Ntahlah. sebab bapak dulu main sports, main drum, but me, satu apa pun tak tau.

Hahahaha....and you've been thinking about this for how long?

I don't know. A long time I guess.

So, what you're trying to say is kamu tak macam bapak, is it?

I guess so. I just don't want to let you down, you know what I mean right pak?

Let me tell you something, semua orang dalam dunia ni ada specialty sendiri. Kalau kamu takde sports punya skill ke, music punya skill ke, or benda-benda lain, it doesn't matter. maybe ada benda lain yang kamu ada, tapi orang lain takde.

Like what?

Heh..you'll just have to figure it out yourself. I can't tell you everything. You're already a man kan...you'll know what to do when the time comes. But I'll tell you one thing that's special about you.

Apa dia pak?

Your ability to think like a grown man amazes me everytime we talk about things. Kamu baru 13 for God's sake..tapi kamu punya pikir, macam orang umur 40..But that's who you are and I'm really proud of you. And you should too.


Bapak, thank you. I am what I am because of you. And I hope I didn't let you down.