The 17-Year-Old Daughter Of MH370'S Chief Steward Has Only One Wish For Father's Day
It is Father’s Day today and 100 days since flight MH370 vanished; all the more poignant reminders for 17-year-old Maira Elizabeth Nari – the daughter of the plane's chief steward Andrew Nari – of her loss and regret.
By Sadho Ram — 15 Jun 2014, 12:25 PM — Updated over 10 years ago
This Fathers Day, all 17-year-old Maira Elizabeth Nari wants is for her dad Andrew Nari to come home
Maira, recounting her final conversation with her father, said she wished she could turn back time to spend one last moment with him before MH370 mysteriously disappeared on 8 March 2014
"I had just come home after working all day at an event. I was tired and I fell asleep," she said. "I got up just as my mum and brother were about to send my dad to the airport."
thestar.com.my"I remember he was at the door, putting on his shoes. He asked me if I wanted to come along. I was so tired, I told him I didn't want to go."
"Then my dad said: ‘Oh, okay. I’ll see you soon. Bye, take care’. Before he closed the door, he smiled at me one last time," Maira told The Star.
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Her father has been a chief steward with Malaysia Airlines for more than 20 years. He was among 12 crew members onboard MH370 that vanished on 8 March
“We never really celebrated Father’s Day. My dad’s busy schedule always got in the way. But when we get the chance, we would just buy a cake and give him a small gift,” Maira told The Malaysian Insider.
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“I miss him more now. The tears flow more easily just when I thought I was getting stronger. It has been 100 days. I should be stronger, right? Yet, every time my family and I speak about him, we break down,” said Maira, the eldest child of Nari and Melanie Antonio. She has a younger brother, 14-year-old Malcolm.
Maira adores her father. She wishes to follow in his footsteps and become an air stewardess one day
Maira is a Mass Communications student at a private college in Kuala Lumpur and she said despite her hectic schedule, there was still a feeling of emptiness.
thestar.com.myFor her, the last 100 days have been an emotional roller coaster. “I find myself occasionally breaking down in tears whenever I thought of dad or when I was alone,” she said. “And if I see him again, I’m just going to hug him and tell him I missed him,” Maira said. “Then we will celebrate Gawai.”
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On top of the raw emotions, Maira has one regret which she can neither forget nor forgive herself for
Maira Elizabeth Nari (right) with her father, mother and brother during happier times. She feels that her father is still alive.
Image via themalaysianinsider.com“I wish I could turn back the time to the night of March 7. He asked me if I wanted to tag along and when I said no, he said ‘Bye, see you, take care ah’ and smiled. “I should have followed them. I cannot forgive myself for saying no,” said Maira.
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The regret haunts her; the normality of daily routines has made her realise that little things like that matter, she said. “I took things for granted. How I wished I could change it all.”
thestar.com.my"I am trying to be strong and positive for my family. But I have my moments when I break down. The tragedy has changed us all," said Maira
She also said she has toned down a lot. “I used to be very friendly, chirpy. Now, friends complain that I am not the way I used to be. But they are still supportive,” she said.
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Her time, outside of her college schedule, is mostly spent with the family, she added. “I seldom go out now. Most of my time is spent with my mother and brother. I miss our activities when daddy was around. Miss the family outings and the makan-makan (going out for meals),” she said.
After 100 days, has she accepted that her father is unlikely to have survived? "Call me crazy. It is something I cannot explain. I feel that he is still alive," she said.
“We are in limbo. We do not know what happened to my dad and the rest on board the plane. The grieving process has not begun because there is no ending to this saga. This is tiring and upsetting,” she added.
themalaysianinsider.com
Maira and her family are spending the weekend attending mass at a church near her house and then to a meal with the other families of MH370's crew members
The session is held almost weekly at one of their houses where they would chat about their loved ones and their lives. “We are one big family now. We cry and laugh together,” she told The Malaysian Insider.
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