A heartbreaking story has recently surfaced after a man shared a poignant encounter he had with an elderly pak cik while waiting for takeaway food at an eatery.
According to a post shared on Facebook, James (a pseudonym) said he was waiting for his order when he overheard what sounded like a conversation between the elderly man and a woman, believed to be his wife.
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The message on repeat
James noted that the voice message from the pak cik’s wife was a simple reminder for him to eat the food she had prepared. In the recording, she could be heard saying:
“Make sure you work properly, okay? And if you get hungry, don’t forget to eat the food I packed for you. I’m not very good at cooking, but this is your favourite dish, even if it’s not that tasty.”
At first, James didn’t think much of it. However, he soon noticed that the elderly man was playing the exact same voice note repeatedly.
“I thought maybe she just liked repeating the same thing two or three times, or perhaps he had accidentally played the same message again,” James said.
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A heartbreaking revelation
Driven by curiosity, James gathered the courage to approach the pak cik for some small talk. He asked if the man was also buying takeaway, to which the pak cik replied that he was planning to eat his meal at home.
“Since I only saw one packed meal, I asked him, ‘Is your wife not at home?’ That was when he told me his wife had passed away four years ago,” James recounted. “I was shocked and asked, ‘Then who were you sending the voice note to earlier?'”
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A bond beyond a lifetime
To his surprise, the elderly man explained that the recording playing on repeat was actually a message from his wife that was years old, which he had cherished and kept all this time.
“Whenever I miss her, I listen to it. I don’t have any children, so our bond was very close; we were like best friends. After she passed away, I didn’t know who else to talk to. So, I spend my time listening to all the voice notes she left,” the pak cik explained.
The elderly man also recalled the moment his wife passed away, sharing the bittersweet detail that she had died while they were both performing their Subuh prayers together.
Feeling moved and somewhat uneasy, James didn’t say much more, as the sadness on the man’s face was evident. However, before James left, the pak cik shared a final piece of advice:
“If you WhatsApp your wife, don’t just type, use voice notes. When you’re apart, you can hear her voice often. And when you miss her, you can listen to her voice over and over again.”
What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments!
