Habiba and Me...

A colleague came up to me today. She asked, " Din , what was the car that you used to drive?". A question that brewed an instant storm within me. A question that flicked the spotlight on a memory that had absconded me for quite a number of months now. How easy it is lose ourselves and all those that mattered to us whilst struggling to keep up in this race called life.

Simply put, Habiba( "beloved" in Arabic) was my car....A tiny 1 liter Subaru Justy with a feisty heart of a champion for an engine underneath its hood. A speed demon at 130kph, remains humble and plays it down to 90kph on the speedometer.( Waseem perceived that Habiba's speedometer is impaired while blazing the roads enroute to Senkang on the CTE).

Habiba was more than just a car to me. I bought that Justy from my friend Habib and thus i named it Habiba. Very soon Habiba grew its own character. Our relationship is one that could be understood if you had watched the movie "Herbie".

Habiba entered my life at a very critical stage. A stage where i was defining my own identity. She was my friend who was always with me till i got home, sheltered me from a stormy night, brought me out whenever i had temper tantrums and most importantly she helped me forge and catalyse some friendships that are my pillars of strength till today.

I feel so lost without you. I miss you so much.. yet somehow i feel your presence.. are you in the coke can i am drinking from right now?

So many memories...Mom always sleeping in the back seat during a drive. Tahira's endeavours with Habiba during her convocation. The many nights of ferrying my buddies back to their homes after their late night stints in NUS. The convenience of running at once unreachable locations. Sending Durga back home after long chatting sessions. Chandra driving Habiba around with one eye after a cist removal in NUH . Yasmin Begum scorching her hand when she touched the door handles after Habiba baking in a mid day sun. So much memories that its impossible to list them all.. sigh.. Of course then there is the fetching of my, (then) love of my life to her home from SIM.

The entry of Habiba awarded me with number of "firsts" in my life.
1) The first guy in the family/friends to OWN a car... not borrow his/her parents car and i was only 23. Hell YEAH!
2) The first car itself being a Subaru
3) The first time i brought a girl to view a sunset from kent ridge park
4) The first birthday candles blown on top of Habiba in a remote carpark during my birthday.
I can keep going at it but its just going to get lamer.

The irony is that Habiba died on my birthday. I buried her and used the remains of her PARF value for a cab ride back. A simple question blasted the flood gates on long forgotten memories of a darling that i will never get back. This entry is a tribute to you, Habiba. May you rest in peace in whichever aluminium can you have been recycled into.

Habiba