In Time for Santau and Love

I promised the people that I loved that I will not hang my dirty laundry in this blog but perhaps this time, I will let my broken heart do the talking or typing. Take this as an oxymoron attempt. An honest outburst spiced with diverse feelings using an artificial space that doesnt care about honesty at all. here goes...

My brother, only brother to be exact, has fallen in love with a girl from Kuala Pilah. "You' re sick with love, and I am sick watching you," I told him the last time I met him. How did he take my words? A goofy wide smile and I am almost sure some fictious salivas must have been drooping from his mouth. But what do I care? He loves her so it is his choice and I know my brother very well. He is a localised version of Don Juan Marco who put so much efforts and strings of sick love declarations in all of his relationship. But this time, he wants to marry her.

"Your choice, Boy. I am just happy that you want to settle down and all, but again, you know what's best for you,"

Mom and my whole family find it a bit strange.
'He's too young for this" That's Grandma.
"What is he trying to do now? Kill me?" That's Mom
"There could be black magic at work!" That's both my mom and grandma.

Boy indeed has been effectively "santau-ed" to the level that he started to miss his weekly visits to our houses and also balik kampung trips. I am sure the santau is made of the strongest ingredient that no man can withstand its magical effect. The ingredient is love. Angau, lovesick, gila bayang. There are many names associate to this santau. But my heart strongly say its a santau made of love.

"The girl's mom is a black witch and she's very good at making santaus,"
"The girl is evil, she has "locked" boy into only loving her and forgetting his own family,"
I wonder where all this accusations will lead us too. Boy, has always been a bit detached from us because he was raised by my Grandma and our other aunties, alternately. There is a time where I feel we had taking advantange of his reserved and detached self and sort of abandoned him. And now, he found solace with a group of strangers. People that never raised him and knew him before and yet, maybe care for him.

How convenient for my family to dismiss this observation casually and blame black magic as the reason. How convenient it is to insult others in return of concealing our darkest guilt and secret.
Two days ago, Boy met with an accident and broke his arm. He chose to stay in Seremban rather than coming back with his family. Yesterday, he called in tears and asked me to take him back to my house. Mom came to the Ward to pick him up after he was discharged but got into a nasty quarrel with the girl's family.
'Bawak aku balik, aku dah tak tahan dah, aku nak mati," Was his emotional words.

During the trip to Seremban to "save" Boy from the nasty affair, Union Guy asked me...
"You are not thinking its a work of black magic, right? ,"
"Nope,"
"Me either, maybe we ourselves need to reflect on how we treat Boy all these fighting years,"
"Yeah,"
"How would you feel if he chose the girl's family over yours?"
" What can I do? I am just happy to know somebody loves him better than us and can take care of him,"

And I told him of the story of the two mothers that were fighting over a baby they claimed was theirs. King Solomon ordered for the baby to be cut into halves so that each women got their equal share of the baby. One mother withdrew from the fight upon hearing this and said, " Give the baby to the other mother, but please don't kill the baby,"

I don't seek to win the fight over Boy's heart in this case, similarly like the Mother in the story above. I am ready to let him go and embrace his new family if that is the best thing for him. No matter what happens, he is still my brother and no santau can change that.

Hopefully.