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One of the things I am very grateful for Hilmi is how he is very appreciative towards what I do for him.

Even the littlest, simplest things like bringing him his favorite ais kosong without him asking, or accompanying him to the mamak stalls at 2am to watch football matches, or watching his favorite movie at the cinema (even though he knows I hate the genre). He will always, always let me know how thankful he is for what I did.

"Thank you awak tolong masakkan. Sedap!"

"Thank you tolong cuci jerseys saya by hand tadi"

"Thank you tolong ingatkan, kalau tak mesti saya lupa"

"Thank you teman saya walaupun saya tahu awak penat"

It feels nice to know how much someone appreciates your actions and thoughts. It feels good. Damn good. 

I am not really used to this culture. In my household, we don't really say thank you to each other. I mean, of course we do. But it doesn't happen often. Why? I guess we are the kind of family who shows our gratitude rather than saying it. We return the favor by doing something nice to the person. For example, my mom picked me up from the train station after work. My way of thanking her is by helping her with the chores or volunteer to cook for the day and let her have some rest. Or when my sister paid for my meal during our outing, I would show my appreciation by buying her the blouse she's been eyeing on. Or when my dad gave me extra pocket money, I would thank him by driving him around on weekends and giving him a good foot massage. 

For us, "action speaks louder than words" is the mantra.

So, having Hilmi thanking me in person is a breath of fresh air. It is a good change and a good start for me to express it more now, as well as showing it.

Thank you, Hilmi, For being you.