Talking

The other day I was watching the telly when my niece came and sat beside me. After a while she started talking to herself, obviously engrossed in some play-acting. I think she was in a hospital, playing the role of a doctor tending to her patients, because I heard words like "doctor", "headache" and "cucuk". Naya sungguh pi hospital ni. Sakit kepala sikit dah nak kena injek.

And she went on talking and talking and talking. Well one thing I need to tell you guys about my niece is that she is blessed with the gift of the gab. Give her any topic and she can yak for hours. And when she's in her fantasy world, she takes play-acting to another level. Misalan kata la kan, kalau dia berangan jadi cikgu sekolah, she'll make sure she acts out her pupil in another voice. And sometimes in another language. Like the other day I was eavesdropping on her conversation with one of her "pupils", I was surprised to discover that she asked a question in English but her pupil replied in Malay. When I asked her why, she told me that the teacher didn't speak Malay because she came from England. Ambik kau.

Well anyway back to the story. So she was talking to her patient and I interrupted her, asking why she was talking to herself. She said no. I said yes. There was nobody else around us talking to her.

Then she turned to me and said, "Mak Long, I'm not talking to myself. I'm talking to my imaginary friends in my head. If there was nobody in my head while I'm talking, now THAT would be crazy."

Nah. Ambik kau. Sekali lagi.

Macam pernah ku dengar...tapi bila ye?

My mom said I was a very shy girl as a kid. It was (and still is) difficult for me to express certain feelings. Or be direct. Kalau nak sesuatu tu mesti kena konar-konar sikit and my parents would have to conclude themselves what it was that I wanted.

For example:

1) "Hari Ahad zoo bukak tak Ma?" (read: I want to go to the zoo)

2) (as my dad drove past A&W Taman Jaya) "Along lapar la Ma." (read: I want to eat at A&W)

3) "Bestnya kalau dapat tengok binatang batu tu kan Pa?" (read: I want to go to Mimaland)

So yesterday I went to One Utama with my niece untuk menghiburkan hatinya. And take her to Get Crafty for her art n craft fix. After that we had lunch and went to MPH to read and buy some books. Then I suggested we go home since we had done basically everything that we had planned to do.

"Are we going home now?"

"Yes. Kan dah pegi Get Crafty, dah makan, dah beli buku?"

"Aina haus la Mak Long."

"OK nanti sampai rumah kita minum air suam."

"But I'm thirsty now."

*Sigh* "OK. Jom kita pegi beli air mineral botol kecik tu."

Sambil berjalan-jalan mencari kedai yang menjual air mineral...

"Mak Long! Mak Long!"

"Yes?"

"Kita pergi minum air suam kat tempat yang ada jual aiskrim k?"

Hmm...HMMMM.....

P/S: For those of you who are too young to have experienced the joys and excitement of running around in Mimaland, silalah Google Map kot-kot ada lagi.