I can’t remember the last time I was soooo pissed. I think it was the shitting incident at the gym, earlier this year. I ranted on about it for a week until the piece of news got stale and I fed it to the rats.
But anyways, last Sunday, I was feeling pissy again. This time, the hubby was with me as well as a couple of friends at the back of our car.
I didn’t blog about it immediately on Sunday night because I was trying to fume off and did lots of reflections on myself. However, this morning, I received an email warning everyone about bogus strangers trying to con the public. I bet most of you have seen these warnings in emails before and sometimes, I even deleted those emails without giving them a second look.
. . .
This morning’s email gave me a sudden jolt, like I could totally understand how the sender felt when he wrote those warnings. It’s all about AWARENESS and in our society nowadays, we really need to tighten up our alert meter and it would not hurt if we are more careful.
. . .
So, back to the incident on Sunday.
We were driving home from my parents place and were in Senawang when I asked the hubby to stop at the first petrol station we saw cos I needed to pee badly. So, he drove by a Petronas station and parked next to the toilet.
I scrambled out of the car and into the toilet while the hubby and another friend waited in the car. When I got back, I saw an Indian man on a motorcycle next to our car. The hubby was walking away and told me to get into the car.
I was puzzled that this Indian man kept saying that his feet was cramping or something. I got a good look at his feet before I hopped into the car. It looked totally okay to me, no bloody wounds, no scraped skins except for a little crooked toe. In fact, his feet looked fine to me and I suspect that his toe had always looked like this.
. . .
In the car, the hubby was driving off while this Indian man, still on his motorbike, looked (or trying to look) in pain or some sort.
My sixth sense told me to go but my conscience told me otherwise. What if the hubby really did accidentally squash his toes? The hubby was reluctant to stop but he did anyway. He kept saying that this man was trying to con us and that there were so many reasons why he said so. But I had no time to listen to him cos that Indian man, pushed his motorbike to our car.
Apparently, while I was at the loo, this Indian man came up behind our car. He knocked at the window and asked the hubby to reverse his car so that he could use the pressure pump. But when the hubby reversed his car, he suddenly heard a crack sound (which he told me sounded like the mudguard of our car hit against the motorbike). Then the Indian man, knocked our window and told him to get out of the car.
When the hubby got out and saw that the area between our car and the pavement was so big, big enough for his motorbike to get through to the pump in the first place, he was so furious and suspected that this Indian man was trying to con us.
That was the time I got back to the car and I didn’t know exactly what happened.
. . .
Anyway, when I wound down the window, the Indian man was shouting and making a scene, talking lots of nonsense about the hubby crushing his toes. Then, suddenly, he spoke in a more mellow voice, “Saya tengok awak orang baik hati. Tak apalah. Saya pigi tengok doktor sendiri. Kita settle sini lah. Awak suka bagi sikit duit, berapa pun boleh lah.”
(In English : “I can see that you are kind-hearted people. Never mind. I will see the doctor myself. We settle it here. If you like, you give me some money. How much also can lah.”)
Then I told him in (Malay language) that we would bring him to the doctor and pay for the fees, but then, he has to follow behind our car. I didn’t trust him.
He got all angry and started rambling nonsense about how the car was so near his motorbike and that the hubby didn’t see him. When the hubby told him that there was ample space for him to pass through in the first place, why knocked on our window. Why did he insist that the hubby reverse the car (he did that two times) when his bike could have gone through easily. That man did not answer our question but when on rambling loudly with no points at all.
Suddenly, he soften his voice and started saying that we settle it there and all we needed to do was give him some money. I told him no and that we would bring him to the doctor. He was startled for a while and then, replied me, saying that it would be very tedious. In his words, he said; “What if I need to visit the doctor 3 times? What if I need to go for X-Rays? Aiyah…no need to bother you people, you just give me the money now and I’ll go myself.”
When I persistently told him no, he got all angry once more as if he lost patience and keep rambling like an idiot.
In the end, when I wrote down his number plate, he was shocked for a while again as if he was afraid. He got really furious and looked as if he wanted to hit me through the window. He started cursing me loudly and I raised my voice to ask him to listen to me first. When it looked like he wasn’t really interested in any other options except that we give him some money for the doctor, the hubby just drove away.
I was FUMING and spouting fire! Really! What a f@$%tard!!!
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.
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I really hoped that we didn’t hurt him. But after going through all the facts, I really think that this idiot was trying to con us.
1. Why would he insist that the hubby reverse the car when there was an empty slot on our right? Isn’t that obvious that he purposely wanted the hubby to reverse his car and that he was just behind the car?
2. Who would be stupid enough to wait behind a moving car and how could the tyre of the car squash your toes before hitting the bike’s tyre? Unless, you put your legs right up in front of the tyre, of course. And nobody does that!
3. If his toes were really broken, why was he still able to push his bike over to our car and start a heated argument with us? Wasn’t he supposed to be rolling on the floor in pain or something?
4. If he really was in pain, why didn’t he jump at our idea of sending him to the doctor? He kept insisting that either his brother take him there or he get into our car. Oh, I’m not that stupid to let a healthy looking stranger into my car. What if he pulled out a knife or something?
5. Why did he look startled when I told him that he could follow us to the doctor? Unless, there’s nothing wrong with his toes, right?
6. He kept mentioning about ’settling’ the matter and that we compensate some money and that we are ‘orang baik hati’. Was he trying to manipulate the compassion and generosity that most Malaysians possess?
BAH! The list goes on. I trust my instincts even though I chose not to listen to it until my conscience confirmed it. Well, I have tasted the medicine of nearly conned by some stupid stranger who probably waits at random petrol stations to stage his act everyday, so that he could earn some cash. He might as well be a robber!
. . .
Anyways, I know it’s not something new in our society and that we hear news about this almost every other day. The reason why I narrated about it is that I find that many of us are still very gullible and trusting. Not that I’m saying that these qualities are bad or what, but it wouldn’t hurt if we are on our guards, especially when we are driving or walking. Worse still, when we are alone. There are lots of weirdos out there. People without any handicap, people who are capable of earning a living by having jobs but people who choose to take the easy way out.
Do not take for granted that we are living in a harmonious and safe society. We are not. A little bit of awareness would help us along the way.
This incident has opened up my eyes and served to be a lesson learned. Listen to your instincts and sometimes, it’s not wrong not to be kind. In return, we may have saved our own lives.
