... I shall never forget this day for the rest of my life

I could not tear my eyes away from the empty chair near the teacher’s desk. It was difficult to concentrate on the task in front of me although it was given by my most fierce teacher, Pn Rosnah and I would incur her wrath if I didn’t complete it. So much had happened since yesterday and my mind was still reeling from it.
Twenty-four hours ago Salim was sitting in that seat right in front of the teacher’s desk, struggling with the Mathematics exam. He was so relieved when the finals were over. We went out to the nearby Kopi tiam to celebrate our ‘freedom’. He ordered a plate of fried rice and his favourite drink, iced Milo and I noticed that he looked a little bit under the weather. When I mentioned it to him, he brushed it aside as exam fever. Little did I know that it would be the last time I saw him alive.
Later that night I received a call from his mother. She told me that Salim had been admitted to the hospital that evening. Then she paused and said quietly. “Salim has left us. He fell in the bathroom and never regained consciousness” I was utterly shocked.
Now, sitting at my desk and doing the task absent-mindedly, my eyes swept around the room. My friends were concentrating on their tasks . All of them had serious expressions on their faces and some of them looked at me once in a while. They knew Salim and I were very close. I glanced at the clock against the wall and realised that it was late. We would be going to the funeral service after the school was over. How was i going to say goodbye to my friend? He was always there for me through thick and thin. Till now, I could hear his jokes, his clowning with us after the exam.
The school bell rang and we trooped into our class teacher’s van. I was sad during the journey. I suddenly remembered the last time we were together in the van during our class trip to Kuantan. He made us laugh with his jokes and antics.
At the funeral, his family looked calm but their faces were full of sorrows. Then it was the time when his body was lowered into the grave. I looked at his mother and wanted to say a few words of comfort but I choked with sadness His mother looked at me and smiled understandingly. I said my prayers and deep in my heart I knew that I shall never forget this day for the rest of my life.