When news of severe floods in Thailand and parts of Malaysia surfaced online, one Malaysian man found himself reliving a painful past.
Images of rising waters in Kelantan, Terengganu, Perlis, and Perak reminded him of the tragedy that shaped his childhood. Losing his mother last year only added to the weight of those memories.
Now in his early fifties, he shared a story that began when he was just twelve years old.
A flood that changed everything
Decades ago, a major flood struck his hometown. During the chaos, a teenage boy accidentally fell into a rapidly rising water pit. Without hesitation, his father jumped in to save the stranger.
The boy survived. His father did not.
The community later described his father as a dependable and trusted man. Whenever there were floods, fires, or even break ins, he would be among the first to step forward and organise help.
But to a twelve year old child, there was no heroism to understand. Only the sudden reality that his father would never return home.
Loving and resenting a hero
As he grew older, he found himself torn between admiration and resentment.
He respected his father for helping others. Yet he could not stop himself from questioning why his father rushed out knowing there was a wife and children waiting at home.
While the community celebrated his sacrifice, it was his mother who carried the burden of raising several children alone for decades.
That mix of love and anger stayed in his heart for many years, with the OP stating that what hurt most was that his mother never once blamed her late husband.
A simple man who loved in quiet ways
His mother often spoke fondly of her late husband, where she described him as man who lived frugally but quietly saved money to buy his wife small treats she enjoyed.
Once at a wedding dinner, she casually mentioned that the bride’s lipstick was beautiful. Later, her husband turned up with a lipstick he had bought for her.
She also revealed that his childhood dream was to become a firefighter. But poverty in the post-war years forced him to start working early and abandon that ambition.
Talking to a photograph
After his father passed away, his mother continued loving him quietly.
She would sometimes talk to his photograph, sharing small daily matters as if he were still listening.
One day while cooking, she accidentally burned her hand and instinctively called out his name, asking him to help her.
In that moment, the family realised that after all these years, the person she never truly let go of was her husband.
The day she said she saw him again
Last year, his mother fell ill and passed away suddenly at the age of 83.
The day before her death, she told the OP something that left him shaken.
“She said she saw my dad sitting by her bed. He looked as he did in his thirties, healthy and handsome. He did not speak. He simply smiled and gently touched her forehead.
“Her voice sounded so peaceful…almost like a young girl sharing a happy secret,” he recounted.
The next day, she went to rest in her room after saying she felt tired but never woke up again.
‘Was he taking her away or bringing her home?’
In the immediate grief, the OP admitted he felt angry towards his late father once more. But with time, his feelings softened as he understood that his mother was simply a woman who spent decades grieving and loving her late partner.
Now, he says he feels like that twelve year old child again. Except this time, both parents are gone.
“I’m not a weak person. I’m simply one who misses his mother deeply. And if somewhere beyond this world where my parents are together again, perhaps I can find comfort in that.”
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