“I was taught since young that love was something you work at. You work at it all your life because that is the greatest work you’ll ever do here on earth.”
– ‘Loud Mouth Loving’
From young, I’ve seen you work. I’ve seen you from washing toilets to washing people’s laundry. I’ve seen you getting up at five in the morning to cook breakfast before you head off to work. I’ve seen you coming back at noon just to wash our clothes, clean the house and most importantly, cook dinner, before you leave again for work and not returning till the clock strikes ten. I’ve seen it all, or so I think.
I’ve heard your stories. Like how you left school and your noble ambition to be a nurse just so that you can start working at fourteen and support your family. Ha, it’s quite ironic that you won’t even allow me to quit school just to support you.
And yet, all these while you’ve been tough with me. You’ve reminded me time and time again that no matter how successful I make myself to be in this arts industry, all of it is useless if I don’t even know how to make my own bed in the morning or scrub the toilet when it gets dirty.
You’ve never once uttered “I love you” to me because unlike me, you never believed in the power of words. You are a woman of work. And all your life, you’ve been working and you will never want to stop working because to love is to work and one should never stop working at it.
Selamat Hari Mak.