R e m i n i s c e n c e s

Melanie-Lala;  To  a  Mum

I have three beautiful girls, and they all have grown up to be very responsible young ladies.  Melanie is my eldest, Jane is the second and Susan is the youngest daughter.  They have their own places now, but sometimes they come home for visits.  I have stories to share, I reminisce these memorable events because they make me happy.  It is all about Melanie.  When Melanie-Lala (her nickname) was only eight months old, she was a very active baby; she loved to crawl everywhere, and she liked exploring.  One day I put a bowl of fruits at the bottom of a shelf. Obviously, anyone could reach without problems.  So did Mel, there she was I saw her sitting on the floor, holding this large mango and she tried to bite it.  She looked so funny! She realised afterwards that I looked at her, and then she smiled at me and followed by giggling and laughing.  Her laughter was so contagious.   She likes laughing loudly since she was may be only six months old.  Item – the housekeeper wanted to tease her to make her giggle and laugh.  Usually, it happened while she mopped the tile floor in her room, and Mel sat inside her cot.  Iyem would call her, mbak Lala, mbak Lala; she was also behaving strangely to get her attentions.  She did it successfully, this baby Lala laughed happily full of excitement.  Lala-Mel has always been a people person.  She is happy to have friends and family around her.

We decided to move to Australia when she was only fifteen months old.  The first bus trip we had, that was interesting, because the bus driver tried to offer Lala some lollies, but she didn’t want to take them, she did not want to say ‘NO’ neither, only shaking her head.  We all laughed; ‘no one refused sweet/lollies in this place’, the kind bus driver said. 

She loved savouries when she was little, and she still does.  Her favourite food was sausages and mashed potato, and sweet honey chicken with rice.  (This dish becomes my children’s favourite).  Melanie (we stopped calling her Lala since she started Kinder) did not mind about my baking, often she took a cupcake to school for her play lunch.

She has good manners since she was a very young age.  Often, in the late afternoon, she would offer me a nice cuppa.  She said: ‘mummy would you like a cup of tea?”  I took it gracefully; I said yes, please!  At the time she was already at junior high school; she was old enough to handle hot water or to light up the stove.  I was so proud knowing that she has become a polite and considerate young lady.   Now she is a mother, she lives with her husband and her beautiful three children; Mary Rose, Thomas and baby Henry.  She is a perfect mother.

On that note, I wish you – Mel, to have a lovely mother’s day, tomorrow Sunday the eight of May.  

Thank you, Melanie.

Autumn Flowers-Cyclamens