CAUSE AND EFFECT

Friday, 7.43 p.m. Jalan Ipoh.

An appointment which is not kept, always drives me crazy. I dislike people who waste other people’s time as if they are entitled. That is the ugly side of selling insurance to total strangers.

So, there I was, being pissed after driving all the way down to KL from PJ to meet this piece of shit. Screw the person who comes up with the phrase “Customer is always right.”

Then when I was about to get into my car and go home to ease this pain of being stood up, an Indian girl, about 11 years of age, came rushing towards me calling me, “Aunty! Aunty!”. I think to myself, “Hey, I don’t look like Aunty ok??” Double blow!

She then, used her basket to obstruct me from closing my car door.

Indian girl who doesn’t know how to address a sweet young thing like me: “Aunty, tolong lah. Beli sikit kuih!”

Self: Tak nak! Tak mahu! Pergi! Pergi!

(No physical contact here even if I felt like giving her a “No Shadow Leg” kick)

IGWDKHTAASYTLM: Tolong lah. Tolong.

Self: Pergi! Tak nak!

IGWDKHTAASYTLM: Bagi saya RM2. Sudah beberapa hari saya tak makan.

Self: Makanlah kuih awak!

IGWDKHTAASYTLM: Tolong lah. RM2.

Self: Kalau awak tak lepas, saya panggil polis!

She abruptly removed her basket.

IGWDKHTAASYTLM: Panggil polis lah!

Babbling something in Tamil.

Self: Phew!

Locked the doors. Broke in cold sweat. Watching her to see if she will start scratching my car with 50 sen coin.

She did not move from the side of my car. Then she slowly walked towards the behind of my car and waited there.

Thinking to myself: “Shit! Will she obstruct me from reversing my car? Worse! She will make me reverse into her and ask me for compensation!”

I waited for her to go away.

She walked away to the opposite side of the road and started mumbling to herself.

I was totally freaked and quickly reversed my car and hit the gas.

Throughout the entire journey home, riddled with crazy traffic jam at such ungodly hour, I was disturbed. Why her parents make her sell kuihs at night? Child labor is allowed in Malaysia? It was so dangerous. The place was dark and there happened to be a lot of truck drivers waiting for people who would rent their trucks to shift things. What will happen to her if she is still there? What will happen if she didn’t get the RM2 from me?

I would have drove back there to give her RM10, just to make sure she would go home after that, if it wasn’t for the damn jam.

I felt like a total shit for not giving her some money. Who knows? She really is in need? Who knows? She was being used by her parents to beg for money? Does she go to school in the morning? Or is she working for a syndicate exploiting children? She has too many siblings that her parents can’t afford to feed them?

At this point, I started to curse these people who could not afford to have children yet, do not want to use protection when indulging in the passion of the flesh. If can’t afford it, don’t screw too much.

As I was eating my RM4 nasi lemak for dinner, I was still ridden with guilt. I could afford a RM4 nasi lemak for a 15 minutes dinner, but I can’t give her RM2 which would probably save her from being caned at home for one night.