Soleha

I remember the first week she stayed at the hostel. She cried, and cried, and cried. Poor little girl being away from home for the first time. Soleha didn't talk much, whatever happened she insisted to go back home. In school she wore wrinkled uniform and there were whispers about her being a stinky kid. That struck me as plain cruel of these kids to label a person like that. Oh, well...children, what do you expect? I decided to ask her dorm mates. One said, "Teacher, dia tak basuh basuh baju..." The other uttered, "Teacher dia tak gosok baju". Another whispered, "Teacher, dia malas mandi. Kalau ramai orang dia bukan mandi pergi sekolah!" Was this really true? I approached Soleha and very subtly broached the subject. What started off as a simple get-to-know each other conversation turned out to reveal many things about this often quiet and shy girl. Soleha's family consists of only three people. Her father passed away a few years back and her mother worked at a school canteen, earning a few hundreds to bring up her daughters. Soleha's sister is in standard 5 and the reason why she doesn't iron her school uniform is simply because she never had an iron at home. Okay, that explains. Apart from that, she's also a slow learner and that was said to be heridetary. That explains the part about her lack of self hygiene care. For most of us, everything is laid nicely on our first day of school, crisp new uniforms, white canvas shoes and a brand new backpack to match. We march into the school compund followed by a grown-up, ensuring that we have safely arrived at our school. We walk in confidently and try to find fimiliar faces, we also don't fail to make new friends on the first day. However for Soleha, not having a transport to school forced her to stay in the hostel. Her mother could not accompany her to school and she had to come with a neighbour who has a car. For most of us also, puberty comes when we are aware of what it is. Girls in school would equip themselves with sanitary napkins and they usually know the existance of bra as early as standard 2 and start putting them on at standard 5 or 6. For Soleha, it's a total shock to see that red blood stain on her undies. Plus, she doesn't even have a bra. After knowing this girl, I realised how blessed and lucky I have been. I have never seen such a thing and looking at this girl grinning and joyful despite her hardship really touched me. I on the other hand, keep complaining about life here. So, what can I do? Upon receiving the reward after my torturous SPM marking experience last year, I've decided to spare some cash to get Soleha some supplies. I got her next month's supply of Kotex plus some new undies. They were really cute! Haha...Soleha took the paper bag and smiled sheepishly. She didn't utter a word but I knew the contents of that paperbag meant something to her. It felt great :)