Day 1
Oh-so-excited.
"Tengok Ibu, oh, cantiknya baju..."
New shirt, new pants, new socks (used pair of shoes though- hands-me-down from Abang Ujai)
"Ibu, Akif nak pergi sekolah. Akif nak berjaya"
Ibu was pleasantly surprised by the declaration (and made a quick do'a that he will grow up as a success in both dunya wal akhirah)
Class was a bit chaotic - but we found a place for him.
Immediately saw a box of Lego - and started playing
Which prompted others in the class to also join him playing.
I left when the situation looked to be a little more in control and the kindy's grille was closed.
Security is a major concern when Akif is known to have gone wandering on his own.
When I picked him after work - he was crying.
Apparently he had gone out of the classroom twice!
Oh dear.
Once, when the students who are only attending the morning session went home.
In the midst of them, Akif went out on his own and went to a convenience shop.
Found by a kind makcik who even paid for a toy robot for Akif and returned him to the kindy (known from the name tag he put on)
He slipped out of the kindy again when a fellow student was about to leave in the evening.
A teacher immediately ran after him - and he almost made it to the main road had not a passer-by stopped him.
He started crying in protest when he was taken back to the kindy/transit.
And that was the condition I found him in - in tears of protest...
Day 2
Moody right from the very beginning.
Wanted to put on his "baju Tom & Jerry" (pyjamas) after shower.
I pointed out that 'baju cantik' is nicer to put on, as "baju Tom & Jerry dah kotor"
After a struggle, managed to make him wore the white t-shirt and navy blue track bottoms on.
When we stopped at the nursery to drop his younger brothers, he went inside the nursery.
The care takers had to convince him that he had to go to 'sekolah lain' as 'Akif dah tak sekolah sini dah'.
He didn't want to bulge so had to forcefully dragged him into the car.
When we arrived at his kindy, he refused to bulge.
Had to pick him up and carried him like a baby all the way to the front door.
And then he started wailing "Ibu, jomlah kita balik rumah".
Tried to negotiate with him.
Didn't work.
Tried to distract him by asking him to join his peers wiggling and swaying to song as taught by the teacher.
Didn't work.
In fact he only cried louder.
"Akif tak nak sekolah... Jomlah kita balik rumah, Ibu..."
Another girl who had been observing him looked alarmingly like she was going to start crying too.
So I knew I had to make a quick exit.
A teacher hold him and signed it was okay for me to leave.
And I left.
And I could hear his loud wail even from behind closed door.
It was not easy to walk away.
I waited for a few minutes until the cry seemed to subside - outside the kindy.
It didn't last very long.
But still, it was not easy to walk away...
