I just learned something today. A dear friend of mine is leaving. He has just tendered his resignation about a week ago or so. The thing is, I didn’t hear it from the horse’s mouth himself. I heard it from another friend. A part of me is kind of upset because I learnt the news from a third party, but another part of me felt that him not telling me was justifiable considering I haven’t been a proper friend to him for this past 3 months or so. I was sick, remember. Terrible morning sickness, not bothered to talk to anyone (people also didn’t bother to talk to me, most of them knew how I was when I am experiencing morning sickness). So, him not telling me didn’t come as a surprise.
But after I learnt that he was leaving for a better place that probably pays him more than 50% of what he’s getting now, I don’t know how to actually react. I don’t really know how to identify this feeling I have inside. I suppose, I have known all along that he was leaving. He has made it very clear to me that he is not happy with what he’s getting. And the fact that the Company compensates him poorly for all the works he does makes him even more unhappy and demotivated. He has had an offer in the past that pays him 30% more than what he’s getting now, but he rejected the offer because the Company promised to counter-offer. But unfortunately, the counter-offer wasn’t so much of a counter if you know what I mean. So he regretted his action very much. And kept on talking about the mistake of rejecting the offer. But now, he’s got a better offer on the table. And knowing the predicament he was in months ago, it’s only natural for him to accept this new offer.
Wow.. I can’t believe that he’s finally leaving. We’ve always talked about how it would be like if he were to have left. Things like who would take over his job, and will I be able to work closely with this new person. I have to admit that I am pretty close to him. It is so easy to work with him. I have always been able to get what I want contrary to what other people say of him. And now he’s leaving. I hope the person that takes over his place is as friendly as he is. Someone who is not too petty and of course easy to work with.
That is in terms of work. Personal wise, we are close too. I suppose I know a lot of stuff about him (too much sometimes, I have to admit and I don’t think I’d like to share them here), but he likes to tell me. And I am always the type that lends ears. I listen. And I give opinions and feedbacks. I suppose that’s what he wanted. In fact, that’s what anyone would want. And he has always been nice to me. An example of that was to give me a lift back home. His parents’ place is near mine. In fact, he has to pass through mine first before he can get to his parents’ place. Due to the convenience, he didn’t mind giving me a lift. So we would go home together (hence all the personal conversations because we talked all the way in the car) and him dropping off to my place before heading to his. Because of our closeness, Bie calls him my BFF short for Best Friends Forever. Friends at the office also know that we’re close. So sometimes, they would ask me to request things from him (work-wise) because they find it difficult to get anything from him. And I suppose he does give me the priority, because I always get what I ask for.
After 9 years of working closely together, he is finally leaving. It’s difficult to comprehend, but it has to happen sometime. Change is good. And I have to get that into my head. I don’t resent him for leaving. When he told me about the earlier offer (the one he rejected), I was going like, “Man..!! You’re leaving? No.. you can’t. How can you leave us? We have been a good team. Now who can I work with? I don’t want BL. She’s not friendly and is so ‘lorat’… I don’t think I can work with someone like her…”, and the remarks went on and on and on. But upon learning this recent offer, the one that he had accepted, I just couldn’t seem to have the same outburst. Somehow, I had known that he was leaving. In fact, at one point last time, I even coaxed him into looking for other jobs (he was just too upset about the offer he rejected). So yeah, I couldn’t react with the same outburst anymore. The feeling was somehow drained out of me when he received the earlier offer.
At this point in time, he doesn’t know that I know. And I don’t think I intend to tell him. I still want him to tell me the news himself. So until that time, I will just act casually, acting like as if I do not know anything. I am a good actress. So yeah, I think I can just act cool about it. We have 3 more months before he leaves. So I guess I’ll just have to make best of the 3 months up until the day he is finally gone.
Wow.. it’s so weird to say that. After all that we went through. The drive to Johor and back for launchings or workshops, the visits to Melawati Bazaar Ramadhan (last year, where he taught me to buy mercun for my children.. as if I would, so I reprimanded him for buying mercun for his kids), the differing opinions and arguments we have on world issues (social, political or religious), the Gang of Six lunches (that reminds me, I have yet to finish the scrapbook.. hhmm.. maybe I’ll finish it and give it to him as a present), the first time encounter I had with Japanese food (he loves Japanese food, and he taught me to eat Japanese food), the Subway coupon that I always nicked from him (because he doesn’t take lunch, whereas I do, so I need the coupons to go and have lunch at Subway with my Hommies), the ikan bakar lunch at belakang istana (that was also the first time for me and because I have never eaten the famous ikan bakar, he treated me for lunch there), the treat at the kari kepala ikan at Jln Kg Attap, my love for chocolate (I always nicked his chocolate if I go to his place and there happens to be chocolate there), the forever REM or Coldplay songs that he plays on his CD player (I hated that.. it was always the same songs over and over again), oohh.. and who can forget the Bali elements of his workplace (his colleague once told him to reduce the volume because she couldn’t sleep; she kept hearing the music in her head), that Bali element will be one of the things that I will miss about him – he’s just SO into it that I just don’t understand why (he said it was relaxing), the VCDs that someone mysteriously left for him on the windshield of his car (I took the VCDs and gave them to others who actually appreciate it) and of course people’s comments on his forever youthful look, despite being a father to two girls, the priceless look on his face when he first saw me with a hijab on (he was SHOCKED, coz the previous week, I got a lift from him to go back home and I was wearing a knee-length black skirt with high-heeled white wedges... hehehe).. Gosh.. I can go on and on.. I guess it really shows that I will certainly miss this guy [sigh].. oh well. Allah has made plans for him. And at the moment, it happens to be a good plan. So yeah, I am happy for him. I hope that he will be happy at his new place and not forget us here at KL Sentral.
NAS, I wish you all the best luck in the world. May you always be in the guidance of Allah SWT, Insya Allah.
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