I "Stole" - or was it borrow? - a Book!

First my apologies for not feeding you with new posts. I do not wish to offer any excuses.

Unlike other males, I was and am not the rough and tough type. My late father was a "serious" (stern-looking?) person. He enforces strict discipline upon me. Since I was a pre-schooler, my father ordered me to "menghafal" (that was his term for "study" and study, in early 1960s, means going through my own exercise books or the few textbooks that I had) every evening after dinner. This forced "reading" of my own "masterpieces" in my exercise books and the textbooks made me love - or was it addicted to - reading. And since then I simply love reading.

Newspapers rarely reach my village during my primary school days. But the cupboards in our bilik guru were well-stocked with books, thick and thin. Every time I had a chance to enter the bilik guru, I couldn't help but lay my eyes onto the well-stocked glass cupboards. Deep in my heart, I felt curious and I wish I could borrow those books and read them. But my fear of the teachers prevented me from trying my luck in asking for permission to borrow the books.

When I was in standard six, my class teacher always put a particular book on his table. One fine day, I went to his table and asked my teacher if I can borrow the book, "Ranjau Sepanjang Jalan", a novel by Shahnon Ahmad. To my dismay, he flatly said no! I didn't understand why the teacher was so "kedekut' with the book.

I still could not contain my curiosity towards the books in the glass cupboards in the bilik guru. Finally, I resolved that I wanted to "borrow" the books - one each time - from the cupboard and read them.

My biggest problem was how to "take" the book from its secure location. One fine day, I stayed behind after school. My school has no afternoon session. On that Thursday - Fridays and Saturdays were our weekend - I stayed behind after the last bell. The gardener went from room to room to lock the doors and the windows. While he was on the other end of the building, I quickly went into the yet-to-be-locked bilik guru and quickly grabbed a thick book and made a delicate casual walk towards the school-gate. As soon as I passed the gate, I opened the thick book titled "Bersama Sang Suria" and read it while walking home in the hot afternoon sun. I was careful enough not to allow my father to know that I brought home a book without any permission from the school.

I finished reading the thick book - a Malay translation of an anthology of western fables - within three days.

I thought getting the book from the cupboard was the biggest hurdle. Actually getting the thick book back was harder than I had imagined. Bringing the book in my small schoolbag to the school was already a big risk. I was restless everytime I was in the school compound. I was really afraid if anyone ever discovered the book in my possession. You see, I was a good boy; and if I was to be caught stealing, I couldn't imagine what would my father's reaction be. I would surely be caned for tarnishing his reputation. Anyway, I managed to put the book back onto its original spot in the glass cupboard in the bilik guru on the fifth day after reading it!

My lust for reading doesn't stop there! Until now no one knows that I did "steal" a book to read. In my next posting I will relate another of my experience with books and reading!