Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Paying a friend
I would say, to call a day a good day, you should have at least learnt one thing in that day.
Today I learnt that it's very difficult to pay your friend for his service.
Yesterday dad took one of his electrician friends to put lights in my house. I left it all up to the experienced. I didn't say anything because I knew it was going to be taken care of. Plus I wasn't going to spend anymore time leaving that house dark and de-occupied. I might find a cross breed between musang and katak living harmoniously in a small mu-tak ecosystem the next time I go there.
So then, all doors ajar, all 15 lights competed against each other, the house was glowing like a UFO. I actually liked the feeling of these lights falling on the semak samun which has grewn macam kena suruh suruh all around the house. Some raindrops glistening. Yes, it has been raining daily since I came back from Phuket.
Then the payment time. I gave 200 RM. Dad put another 50. He said it's ok 200 is enough. Dad put another 50, so there was 300. He said dad was being silly. Dad laughed and they both laughed. Silly men, don't want money give me lah.
I wonder how good it must feel, say if in 10 years time if I put one of my friends to sleep she/he wakes up and starts insisting that I get another extra 1000 RM. Because I didn't let him/her die.
On the way back I exchanged silence with dad. I felt so grown up yet alone. Dad sat next to me while I kept my head straight and the night was snaking past. I wonder if he's proud of me.
Today I learnt that it's very difficult to pay your friend for his service.
Yesterday dad took one of his electrician friends to put lights in my house. I left it all up to the experienced. I didn't say anything because I knew it was going to be taken care of. Plus I wasn't going to spend anymore time leaving that house dark and de-occupied. I might find a cross breed between musang and katak living harmoniously in a small mu-tak ecosystem the next time I go there.
So then, all doors ajar, all 15 lights competed against each other, the house was glowing like a UFO. I actually liked the feeling of these lights falling on the semak samun which has grewn macam kena suruh suruh all around the house. Some raindrops glistening. Yes, it has been raining daily since I came back from Phuket.
Then the payment time. I gave 200 RM. Dad put another 50. He said it's ok 200 is enough. Dad put another 50, so there was 300. He said dad was being silly. Dad laughed and they both laughed. Silly men, don't want money give me lah.
I wonder how good it must feel, say if in 10 years time if I put one of my friends to sleep she/he wakes up and starts insisting that I get another extra 1000 RM. Because I didn't let him/her die.
On the way back I exchanged silence with dad. I felt so grown up yet alone. Dad sat next to me while I kept my head straight and the night was snaking past. I wonder if he's proud of me.
