Being at Pak Din's roti canai stall by the road side had always been a real joy to me. Aside from the good food served, I do get to enjoy simple conversations and meet people of all race and creed. From the rich man to the lowly paid workers, all of us are able to sit down and enjoy the simple fares dished out by Pak Din and his wife.
I guess, I must admit that though this is a Malay stall, I felt very much welcomed here and I have had people I do not know especially some Malay folks paying for my meals eventhough I do not know them. I am thankful for that and so, I also returned that welcome by buying someone I do not know a meal at times. I have made many new friends and having a conversation is so much easier these days despite the early morning rush for a meal and then to work.
Today, I had an opportunity to sit with an elderly Chinese man and he is 77 years old. We struck a conversation as I told Pak Din that my son is in Penang. This elderly man then told me that he used to like Penang a lot during the early years. He then went on to tell me that he had worked as a trailer driver in Brunei in his early days and upon coming back to Melaka, he and his wife had lost everything to a debt-ridden and gambling son. So, now, he worked odd jobs to get by and he was ever smiling despite his sad story. I asked him a little bit of his work in Brunei and then , I asked him if he had a home to his name. He answered that he has a home but it is a modest home in one of the nearby kampong and I left that as that. I did not want to be seen like a busy body and so, I did not dwell further.
Our conversation drifted to how he lost everything to the son but he would not lose the home as it was his own possession for his old age. I instinctively told him that it was the smartest thing he ever did! He laughed loudly and told me he did not expect that answer from me. I did asked him why did he gave a lot of his money up to his son and so on. He answered me, " Which father would not help out his son if he is in difficulties? That's why I loaned him the money but it never returned. Then he cornered my wife and persuaded her to ask money from me to help him. Soon enough, it just all finished. My two vice - son & wife " Then he burst out laughing again. I guess, being what I am, I said, " Did you not know that eventually all your money would be gone if your son is a gambler? This is one of the most vicious and most terrifying habit a person could ever fallen into?" He said, " Yeah, what to do....he is my son , right? If I do not help him , who would help him? Haiyah...never mind lar, I am old already. As long as I can work, I can still survive , right, young man?" I told him I wasn't young either and we both laughed. BTW, we spoke in a mixture of Hokkien and Mandarin as I am hopeless in Mandarin but he got the idea.
Yeah, I told him I spoke lousy Mandarin and he laughed saying that I do okay for a English speaking bloke! Soon, it was time for me to pay the meal as I need to get to work. I went to pay my meal and the elderly man's meal too. Calculating the old man's meal mentally, I knew that his meal would cost him RM 1.80 ( Roti canai - 80 sen and one teh O would be RM 1.00). It wasn't a huge amount and so, I paid for his meal. As I passed the elderly man's seat, I could see five RM 1.00 notes in his wallet as he whipped out his wallet to pay for his meal. I know that RM 5 would have helped the elderly man a whole lot as he gets through the day during work. So, I walked off as he motioned to Pak Din's worker for the bill. He seemed surprised when told that I had paid for his meal. As I was walking to my car, the elderly man approached me and insisted that he pays for his meal but I told him that I would be glad to bless him.
I told him that I really needed to go to work as I was late and that I would be glad if one day, he would treat me a meal when he is better off one day. He looked at me for a while and then he smiled. There was no need for words. Just a smile on his very lined face was already my reward for the day.
As I reflected on what had happened, I am really thankful for my Father in Heaven who is always patient, loving and kind to me despite my everyday flaws. Just like the elderly man said earlier, "which father would not help his son if he knows his son is in difficulties?" I am thankful and blessed in so many ways. Indeed I am blessed. The etched smile on the elderly man's face - PRICELESS!
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