MY wife, Julie, and I were pleasantly surprised when Dr Ong, a gynaecological specialist in Kuching, informed us that we were expecting twins.
However, he didn’t reveal their gender. Julie was in her third month of pregnancy, and amidst the prevailing anxiety, we couldn’t resist asking Dr Ong if he knew the gender.
To our delight, he informed us that we would be blessed with twin boys. The babies were expected to enter the world in early August of 1990.
In the following days, we excitedly shared the news with colleagues at the school where I served as the head, SMK Julau, and with our family members.
This news spread rapidly due to the significance of our twins being the first in our family and among our kin.
I recalled that my eldest sister, Dinggu, had given birth to twins before, but unfortunately, they were stillborn.
Similarly, on my father’s side, his younger sister, Janta, had once given birth to twin girls, but they only lived for a few days.
Even my aunt, Indai Kendat, my dad’s younger sister-in-law, had given birth to twin boys, both of whom died in infancy. This meant that there were no surviving twins among our relatives.
We fervently prayed for the well-being of our twins, busying ourselves with purchasing items such as milk bottles, pillows, and beds with miniature mattresses.
The pillows and beds were coloured blue and pink, as were the baby clothes, blankets, and other items Julie chose for them.
As for the names, we decided to honour our grandparents and granduncles. The eldest boy would be named Jay Kingsley Gara, after my granduncle Gara (his great-granduncle), while the second boy would be named Rex Melvin Saran, after my granduncle Saran (my maternal grandfather Narang’s half-brother).
We couldn’t choose the name Narang as it was already taken by two of my nephews. Both Gara and Saran were kind and gentle men who had passed away by that time.
At SMK Julau, there was another couple, both teachers at the school, who had given birth to twin boys a couple of years earlier. These boys served as inspirations for Julie and me, as their parents were close friends of ours.
In mid-July, Julie took a leave from work and waited in Kuching for her moment to give birth, staying at our house in Lorong Pasir along Rock Road.
I had to remain in Julau for my responsibilities at the school. These were days filled with anticipation and anxiety. On the afternoon of August 2, 1990, I received a call from Dr Ong.
It was brief, as he informed me, “Your wife has given birth to the twins around midday. She is fine, but one of the boys was stillborn.
“I am requesting your consent for burial, with reasonable charges. The eldest boy survived and is currently under observation in our clinic. Regarding the younger twin, regards.”
I expressed my gratitude and allowed Dr Ong to arrange the burial with a charge of RM400.
Since mobile phones were not widely available at the time, there was no need for me to inform Julie. I informed Dr. Ong that I would arrive the following day.
Thus, our anxieties were resolved, although I was grateful that Jay survived the birth. When I collected them from Dr. Ong, I felt content knowing that one of the twins had survived.
Julie told me that she had taken one look at the stillborn Rex and found solace in letting go of her worries, as there was nothing she could do. As for me, I had no memory of the stillborn child.
Upon returning to the school, we were reunited with our five-year-old daughter, Garcia Ann Kejuang, who had been cared for by my two first cousins. Ann was overjoyed to see her younger brother, but we chose not to disclose the stillborn case to her, as she was too young to comprehend it.
Jay remained safe from our family tragedy on December 14 of that year. I had been driving the car when it was hit by a land cruiser in Durin.
Fortunately, the infant boy had been left at home in Julau while the four of us, including my wife, Ann, and our niece, Daphne Cherini, had gone Christmas shopping in Sibu after returning from a successful trip to Genting Casino.
Unfortunately, the Durin accident claimed the lives of both Ann and Daphne, and I was hospitalised for a total of eight weeks, including one week in the Intensive Care Unit at Lau King Howe Hospital in Sibu and seven weeks at Sarawak General Hospital in Kuching. Regrettably, I couldn’t attend their funerals.
Fast forward to our mutual separation in 1997, and our official divorce in 2001 — Jay remained with his mother, while our second daughter, Dawn Sara, was to live with me.
However, since I relocated to Brunei, Dawn was placed under the care of my niece in Kuching. Eventually, I granted permission for her to be with her mother.
I had the opportunity to meet Jay and Dawn in 1999 when I took a leave from my job at Borneo Bulletin in Bandar Seri Begawan. A year later, during another leave from work, I visited Jay at SK St Thomas in Kuching.
I was informed that Jay performed well in his SPM examinations and later enrolled in an Engineering programme at Segi College. Unfortunately, he couldn’t complete the degree programme due to health reasons. He could not undergo the required training.
However, he successfully obtained a diploma and pursued Mass Communication, where he excelled. This led to his employment with Hits FM until he was diagnosed with bone cancer and required therapy.
In December 2014, while working at the New Sarawak Tribune, I had the opportunity to care for Jay for a few days while he was admitted and undergoing therapy at SGH. He spent a significant amount of time there.
Then, on March 7, 2015, I received a call from my sister-in-law informing me that Jay had passed away. He was only 25 years old, robbed of a long life by the merciless cancer.
Jay had nurtured hopes of a possible cure for his cancer, but unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be. It was a relief to see him freed from his immense suffering. May God bless you, my dear son, and may you find solace in the arms of the Lord, our saviour.
The views expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the New Sarawak Tribune.
