Filling the Money Box

"Quick, H***n! Let's go into that yoom and take the money before someone comes!" said my 3 year old to his big brother who was in the toilet with me - I was helping him wash his hands.

Instantly, I became alert.

"Huh? What money? From which room?" I quickly asked, suspecting mischief straightaway.

My youngest had a guilty look on his face and he hung his head low. "From that room," he said, his eyes looking down at the floor all the time although his right hand lifted to point to the room that we are currently sub-renting to our housemate, serigala-london.

"What??! From where in that room did you take the money? From the floor?" I asked, quite amused by his facial expression but I reigned in my laughter, because clearly, he STOLE that money and that's no laughing matter.

"No. From the table.." he said, still looking down.

"H****h! That's stealing! Who asked you to do that?" I said, clearly translating directly from the normal Malay phrase of scolding 'siapa suruh buat tu??!'

"But we want to put money in our money box so that we can go back to Malaysia!" he said, looking up at me at last, his eyes pleading and full of innocence.

"Yeah, you said we need more money in the money box to buy aeroplane tickets.." my eldest added from beside me.

Oh no.

My heart felt heavy when I explained to them that yes, we need more money to buy the air tickets but no, it's not okay to steal other people's money to fill the money box so that we can do that.

The truth is, both my children have been asking me 'when can we go back to Malaysia'. Mama..I already have so and so amount in the money box, now we can go back to Malaysia?!

My eldest said he misses his granddad and grandma and he wants to stay in a hotel and go to the beach and ride on the KTM - the things that we used to do back in Malaysia. His little brother just agrees with him as he has no real memory of home - we came here when he was just one and a half years old.

I keep telling them that we have to wait for their papa to pass his exams and that we have to save enough money first in order to buy the tickets... hence the reason why my children are so desperate to fill up their money boxes.

I want to go back to Malaysia too!

My nek is old and every time I talk to her on the phone she keeps asking me that question, "Bila kau nak balik, ***?" Mr S is also a little fed up with his work and wants to go back to Malaysia for a holiday.

For all of our sakes' I pray that my husband will pass his final exams and that the 'money boxes' will be full soon because this is the longest we've been away from home and we miss everyone and everything back in Malaysia.

Soon, InshaAllah.