Yaya's masterpiece

Before we went back to Brisbane, I asked yaya to make two cards for her teacher, 1 for Ms Underwood, another for Mrs Mc Call. Since she got a card maker for her birthday, she used the kit, to make a Thank You card for both teachers. I bought a set of brooch for both of them, accompanying the card.

I went to the school on one fine morning. Walking up the school stairs, and walking to yaya's classroom, brought a lot of memories of me and yaya. Once I arrived at the classroom, searching for familiar faces, I saw most of yaya's friends still recognised me. 1 or 2 of them even walked up to me and asked about yaya. I smiled and said yaya is in Malaysia, home with her grandma. Before I stepped out from the house that day, I was determined to not show any emotion, I mean no sad emotion, in order to brace myself from crying . But at that moment, when the kids asked about yaya, I felt weak. I hold the smile and look for Ms Underwood.

Ms Underwood was suprised to see me there. She asked about yaya, how's yaya doing, how's yaya coping staying behind, and I just told her the truth. I told her that yaya cried the last day she came home from school, about yaya sometimes talked about her friends in Ironside. She even still remember that japanese song she learnt at Ironside. I told her yaya was sad when we left her, but she is doing ok now. Then Ms Underwood said they missed her a lot and she talked briefly about her. And I saw her eyes were getting wet. When I told her that she was not OK at first when I have to leave her, Ms Underwood cleared her throat and turned around, and took a piece of paper from a box behind her. She said, "Do yaya have email? The kids would love to write something for yaya." So I gave her my email and said that I will forward it to my dad's email address cause I didn't remember his address at that time.

Before I left, Ms Underwood gave me yaya's last painting that was done a few weeks before we went home. It was a father's day drawing. She drew her babah, and some description about her babah at the back of the artblock. I gave the cards and gifts, said my last thanks to Ms Underwood and Mrs McCall, and walked out of the classroom, feeling sad but lighthearted at the same time.