Memories of Padi Fields
"Eh, pedal faster lar," I exhorted my friend Wei Tian as we sped along the rocky dirt path parting the padi(rice) fields in my hometown Alor Star.
Yes, the exhilaration of pedaling at full speed, along vast, peaceful, tracts of padi land is addictive. That would explain why my excursions to this wonderful unclaimed paradise would become ever more frequent.
Aside from the occasional motorcycle, we had the road to ourselves. The cool evening breeze blew into our faces as all thoughts of growing up blew out our minds. This was our private sanctuary, where worries and responsibilities had no part.
In this particular trip, we were at the threshold of our secondary school education, and our sleepless nights were aplenty. Our destination, we didn’t have a care. Blessed with youth, we were full of energy, hopes and dreams, and the unconquerable belief that we can achieve anything. It was not two young men cycling down that narrow dirt road that day, but two young lions taking their first steps into the world.
A chance pause or a nudge of fate we will never know, but we ended up beneath a lone tree surrounded by padi field as far as the eye can see, with the lone dirt path the only sign of how we got this far. It was here for a moment, that we decided to lean back and let the world pass us by.
Like a gigantic canvas of renaissanse art displayed for the eye to see, the formations of the clouds took my breath away. It was in the serenity of the moment that friendship strenghtened its bonds, where hopes and fears were shared unfettered.
The crispness of the evening air lingered as reluctantly we made our way home. From the corner of our eyes, the crimson sunset bade us sad farewell, as it slowly retreated into the shadows, in preparation for a brand new day.
