Old lady

 Today, while at work, a small, old lady put a bread on the counter. It costed 1.70. She place a few coins on the counter but not added up to 1.70. I told her it was 1.70. She asked while still smiling if the price increased, and if it was wrong, since she saw the price label was 1.10. Another colleague said, it is 1.70 and definitely not 1.10. I told her it was 1.70 and she was still smiling, then took the coins she just put down away. As she turned around, I suddenly felt like crying. What should I do then? Shall I gave her the money? Shall I gave her the extra money that other people left? That doesn’t belong to me. A dozen people were lining up in the queue. I was stuck as I watched her back on her way up. 

The uncle queuing behind her saw she didn’t buy and maybe overheard us and asked the aunty if she had enough money. He then turned around and asked me how much she is lacking. If not, he will pay the remaining. He asked the aunty to get the bread and just put down what she had. She turned around and walked back to the counter. She was a bit embarrassed and took out about 1.40. That was all she had. All the more I wanted to cry. (That was the smile on my mum’s face when the things she wanted to buy was too expensive while I went shopping with her. She didn’t want me to pay for it.). 

Until now, as I think back either about the aunty or my mum, tears rounded up on my eyes. Once I reached home and thought about it, I cannot stop crying. I managed to stop myself while still behind the cashier. When I reached home, I cannot hold it back anymore. The nice uncle who paid the extra thirty cents placed his wallets in his car. He had to run back to his car to retrieve the money. Eventually he paid the 30 cents. He then make his own payment for his petrol. He got 1 stamp so I gave him another 3 stamps. Those stamps were given by people who didn’t want them. At least he can get 2 cups of bubble tea. For his kindness, I think he should get 100 cups. If the aunty walked away without the bread, I think I won’t be able to sleep tonight. Although, I still felt awful, he saved 2 people today. Just 30 cents. Sometimes, I am angry with myself. Why can’t I just say, I will pay for the short later on? I was worried if I am against the policy or whatever. Why don’t I just don’t think about if it was right or wrong, and just help her? I really hated myself. Why can’t I do something for her and so people like her won’t exist in this world? They will have enough to buy things that people can even throw away for fun. Price is rising and the worst will go to the people who had just enough before the price rises. What can I do?

These few weeks. I have met plenty of people. Different types of people. People who have empathy, anger, happy, confused, strange, rich, poor, changing small notes for mahjong money, poker face, bought beers only, never understand a word I said and vice versa, asking lots of questions I have no answer to, taking advantage if I have no answers, telling me many things (I can’t concentrate with the long queue), forgetting their card/wallet in the car, insulting remarks, not wanting receipt, not taking their change and so on. Everyday, I have new things to learn about. Like what types of food or things were sold there. Well, me being a customer, who normally just buy what I want and go away. I never know I can trouble the cashiers so much. There are lots of things I don’t buy. Not petrol, not car stuff, not all the food, and whatever. I think I just buy coffee and bread. I don’t have many cards or different money payment methods. I bumped into the cashier too. The counter can’t close properly so it was still open when I walked back. The Malay lady opposite the counter asked me if I was ok. I can say around 90 percents of the Malay people I met were actually more than kind. I mean more human. Other people would have different thoughts for the same incident.

I thought I have seen a lot of people. Well, everyday, I got a surprise. I made new errors everyday. Even if I am not sure how long I will be on this job, there is love and hate. It is definitely worth the while. I also have new inspiration from it. Remember how much you hated a thing, you will not write the same program. You will write all you can to overcome the conventional. Anyway, that’s was how I changed jobs. I found a pain point and thought the next job would fix. Only to find more pain points. It solved the first but having new ones.