There is something about Ramadhan that makes people more compassionate and caring. So it was with the new committee members of RTM Veteran Association. When they heard of the plight of an old friend and colleague, they decided to collectively make a trip up north and visit him at Rumah Seri Kenangan, Taiping - a sanctuary run by the Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat. How and why their friend Ariff Shah landed in an old folk's home they do not know and they did not ask. Ariff himself did not volunteer any information.
The friends do know that Ariff is taken care of. Rumah Seri Kenangan seems to be well-run. There is a clinic inside and the staff are friendly and seems to be a caring lot.
Dato' Aziz and Ariff were in the same unit in RTM. They are good friends.
Dato' Aziz and Ariff were in the same unit in RTM. They are good friends.
Ariff already lost most of his hair while still in service. His teeth are still good though.
A group photo with the Director of the home, Puan Ummi. Ariff is a pale shadow of the debonair, dashing colleague that the friends knew. Although he did not lose much weight, he lost a bit of his memory. He stared into faces trying to rummage through his mind the names that go with the faces.
The friends handed over some raya gifts for Ariff as well as for the rest of the inmates.
As they were leaving and waving goodbye to Ariff, many had the same thought in their head:
"There for the Grace of God goes I".
