What does it mean to truly become an adult? Introducing a series of 11 short stories about Malaysian youth from various backgrounds discovering themselves amidst a national landscape plagued by social issues and the enduring conflict between traditi...
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Six minutes until the final bell rings. Neha, a slender, mocha-skinned middle schooler sits at her desk. Her brown eyes shift from the board to Puteri, her thin, light-skinned, and brown-eyed best friend. They both wait for the clock to hit 1 pm without patience. Neha enjoys her time in class. She pays attention to the topics that interest her and zones out when it gets boring. Much like all her fellow 14-year-olds in the class.
KRRIING!
All 12 classrooms erupt with the sound of dragging chairs and chatter. Each student stands at their respective desk. The class monitor says aloud, "Thank you, teacher!" and the students echo. One by one, they run out of their classrooms and make their way towards the front gate of the school.
Some kids take their bicycles home, others take the bus and a lucky few get picked up by their parents.Neha stands at the bus stop with her friends.
They plan to meet up and play together after everyone goes home. One by one, her friends leave for home until she and her best friend Puteri are the only two left.
They spot Puteri's father driving up the road. "Puteri can your dad drop me home again?" Neha asks.
"Sorry, last time my dad said he doesn't like driving on dirt roads. His car gets all dirty," Puteri says. Neha frowns.
"I can try to ask him one more time."
The car pulls up to the bus station. "Hey Dad, can we send Neha back home? Otherwise, she'll have to walk all the way back!"
Her father looks in their direction and shakes his head. Puteri pouts as a last resort but her father is not convinced.
"Get in the car," he says, standing his ground.
"I'm sorry I can't help you this time, please get home safe," says Puteri with a sad expression. "I'll see you later!"
I wish someone would pick me up. Neha's mother stays home all day and her father always works late into the night. She has to walk home alone, which takes an hour. It's long but at least the road takes her past what she thinks are very pretty sights. The paddy fields glisten in the sunlight. The fishermen cast their nets from the small fishing boats and rows of quaint shops line the road.
She walks up the dirt path that leads up to her house. She takes off her shoes at the bottom of the steps and walks in. To her surprise, her father is home in the middle of the day again. He has been home a lot more in the past few weeks than he used to.
"Assalamualaikum!" says Neha with a smile on her face.
"Waalaikumussalam" her father responds.
"Neha! Go get washed up!" Neha's mother shouts from the kitchen.
"But I wanna go play with my friends!" she responds.
Her mother walks into the living room. "No playing today, go straight to the shower!" she says sternly. Neha does not dare protest and runs to the bathroom with an irritated look. She doesn't want her reaction to be seen.
