Little gestures but much gratitude... :-)

Kuala Kedah jetty terminal. I had not been here for a few years. It had been upgraded. It looked much sophisticated and clean. Sort of like Pudu Raya bus terminal in Kuala Lumpur. I went in and looked around the departure area. It's 4:00pm, Thursday 6th September. I was waiting for Furziah's arrival from Langkawi. She attended an English trainers' course for the last four days. I looked at the few passengers waiting for the next ferry. The ticket booths to Langkawi were outside and neatly organised. There were booths offering services in Langkawi in the departure area. I went around and read each one - some were offering island hopping services, hotels and accommodation, car rentals, touring the island - that seemed convenient since one would already have arranged everything here and had a peace of mind once one reached Langkawi. Hmm...interesting.

Kuala Kedah Ferry Terminal

The departure hall in the terminal - much comfortable except for the loud TV screen

I bought my newspaper from one the kiosks and went to the arrival area. I made myself comfortable on one the stairways and began reading the paper. I could smell the stench of the sea. I observed the restlessness of other people waiting for the arrivals of their friends or families. I was comfortable and was happily talking over the phone with a friend while killing time. Finally, the ferry arrived. It was a large LADA ferry. It used to be only the small ones. The weather had not been good for the past two days. I went to stand next to a young lady with two young kids. I liked to watch the arrival of people especially at airports. There was a group of Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat people gauging by the official vests that they wore. Everybody seemed to be in a rush. Sometimes, I wondered to myself - one had already arrived safely so why not just had the luxury to just slow down and relax? I saw Hafiz, Ita's husband. He was from the JKM group. Then, another group of youngsters with SMK Mergong T-shirts noisily and happily made their way out of the arrival galley. At least they must had an enjoyable time there. :-D  Some were weekend travellers who worked in Langkawi and returned weekly home. It was interesting to watch their tired, weary but relieved faces. The young lady with the two kids near me was still looking out for her husband, I guess. Furziah had still not disembarked from the ferry. It was a large ferry.

The bridge to and fro the ferry.

Finally, I saw her walking towards the arrival bridge with two bags in tow. :-D))  I waved to her. It was so satisfying that some people don't change. We hugged each other and  walked towards her car near the parking lot. We caught up with each other and updated on whatever crossed our minds. She insisted that she wanted to eat "laksa Teluk Kecai". So, along the way, we stopped at Zakaria Laksa Teluk Kecai to satisfy her craving. Personally, I don't really dig it. But...to each its own.

Laksa Teluk Kecai with the sambal kelapa.  :-)

 After that she had to send me home. We talked until we took a wrong turning to my house direction. We laughed about it and got on the right track. We planned to meet up sometime before the holidays. InsyaAllah, I will go to Penang and spend the weekend there and somehow arranged for a mini reunion with the ex-ELLS colleagues of 2002/05. Then, as tired as she was, she started driving back to Penang. It was a happy and satisfying flying meeting.

Alhamdulillah. Thank you, Allah. For allowing me to meet up with an old friend albeit for a couple of hours. Just as I was in KL, and You allowed me to meet up with another old friend. Little gestures from You but accepted with much grace and gratitude. Satisfying. Fulfilling and Uplifting. I asked for so little yet You gave me so much. MasyaAllah. SubhanAllah. Alhamdulillah.