Oscar Winner versus CNN Reporter...

I woke Hasya and Hilman up at 8:30a.m yesterday morning -

Me : Chiman, Chimin... Wake up, wake up. We have to go now. If not I'll be late for work. I have to send you to rumah Wan now, okay?

Hilman : Kong! Kong! Kong! Kong! (that was how his cough sounded!)

Me : Hmmmmmm....that sounds quite bad! Are you sure you're okay to go to school today? Because, if you're not, you can stay at home.

(He had just finished his March tests on Wednesday, anyway)

Hilman : Kong! Kong! Kong! Kong! (Eyes looking at me)

Me : It's okay. I'll give you your cough syrup, but you still need to go to Wan's house, okay? We'll see how you feel nanti. If by 12:00pm, you're still coughing, no need to go to school lah, okay?

Hilman : Kong! Kong! Kong! Kong!

Got him to have some cereal for breakfast and gave him his cough syrup, and straight away drove Hilman and Hasya to Mak's house. All throughout the 15 minute journey, Hilman was coughing, and I decided to switch off the aircond and rolled down the windows. But, he was still coughing non-stop!

Upon reaching PJ, and after bringing all their school uniforms, shoes, bags, etc into Mak's house, I spoke to Mak's maid and asked her to keep an eye and monitor Hilman. If his cough was still persistent, I told Di*ah, the maid, that Hilman was not going to school.

Said my bye-byes and Muaaahh-muaaahhhs to the kids and went straight to work.

12:05p.m, my phone rang. It was Mak's house number.

Me : Hello?

"Hello, Mommy!" - it was Hasya.

Me : Hello, Hasya. How are you? Have you had your lunch? Are you ready for school?

Hasya : MOMMY! Hilman HAS NOT coughed, NOT EVEN ONCE, you know, for the last TWO hours! He....

The phone line went dead.

10 seconds later, my phone rang again.

Hasya : Momm....

The phone went dead again. And she called 3-4 times after that. And every time, the line would be cut off!

I waited for a couple of minutes before I called Mak's house, and Hasya answered.

Hasya : Mommy, Hilman kept on pressing the buttons just now! He didn't want me to tell you that he was only pretending to cough this morning!!!

Me : Okay, Hasya...I guessed as much. Where is Hilman now? Can I speak to him, please?

Hasya : He has locked himself in the study room, Mommy. And he has not put on his school uniform yet. And he has not even had his lunch. And Pakcik Is*ak said he's sending us to school at 12:30p.m!

It was 12:22p.m.

Me : Okay, Hasya. Can you please tell Hilman that if he goes to school today, he will be allowed to watch DVDs and play his PS2 over the school holiday, okay? Please tell him that. If he doesn't, no DVDs or PS2 for him.

Hasya : Okay, Mommy. But what if he doesn't want to come out of the study room?

Me : Well, if you tell him what I asked you to tell him, he WILL definitely go to school!

Hasya : Okay.

(And I could almost see Hasya smiling gleefully right that second, and I thought I heard a small victorious "Yes!" from her!)

I put down the phone, and did not check on the kids until about 3:45p.m, when I called Mak's house again.

My sis-in-law Yaz**en answered. And when I asked if Hilman was at home, she told me that both Hasya and Hilman went to school that afternoon with Is*ak. Just to make sure that Hilman was really okay, I asked her if Hilman was coughing before he went to school, and she said, "No".

Hmmmmm....

Later, when I went back to PJ and the kids came back from school, I asked Hilman about the whole thing -

Me : Hilman, why did you pretend to cough this morning?

Hilman : I didn't pretend, Mommy. I was really coughing!

Me : Yes, the first couple of times, maybe?

Hilman : The first time, I was coughing. The second time, I was coughing. The third time I was coughing. After that ONLY I was pretending, Mommy!

As if THAT will make me okay with the whole thing?!

But, looking at his face, tak sampai hati nak marah... To add to that, my MIL, SIL, BIL and Ayah were all there laughing at his explanation/confession.

Me : Hilman, next time don't pretend again okay? It's like lying, too, you know? And you know you cannot lie, right?

Hilman : Uh-uh...Nanti Allah will be angry...and I cannot go to heaven?

Me : Errrr....(mengangguk aje lah...)