|OF POTATO CHIPS, AND ANGELS IN HYPERMARKET AISLES| Today, someone was talking to me about angels. I remember writing two years ago about a Pakistani attendant’s effort to change the world from behind the counter of a Shell station. Now I write about another angel. Last weekend, I drove Dad to our local Giant hypermarket. My Dad was the Ultimate Saver. He had special powers that could locate the nearest bargain, and more importantly, the freebies. And like most parents, he also had UltraTHICK™ Skin, much to his children’s mortified embarrassment (“Paaa! You CANNOT do that!”). Earlier that day, Dad had met a promoter in Giant with a deal: if you bought 3 cans of potato chips, u’d get a free green bag. But here’s the troublesome bit: u’d need to pay for the chips at the front counter, then walk back all the way thru the main entrance, find the same promoter inside and show him ur receipt so he could give u the bag. It didn’t sound like it was worth the effort for one bag. And Dad never liked potato chips. But this was FREE STUFF, so Dad was coming back. Now, let me paint you a picture of a quiet, lanky Chinese guy, in his early 20’s. He’s wearing black thick-rimmed glasses. He’s got a chef’s hat on, a black apron and a tray strapped from his shoulders. Cans of potato chips are lined up on his tray, with hundreds more piled up behind him like a small hill. He’s passionate about his job, but customers just walk by and ignore him. “Buy three, and we’ll give u a free bag! No? Well, thank you…” As a “sheltered” child, I never truly knew hardship. For youths who struggled to pay for their college fees by taking up jobs like our tall friend here, I think these youths gained something extra that could not be found in a classroom or textbook. Something no money could buy. And hey, if ur starting to feel pity for our dejected Chinese friend here, have no fear, cuz here comes Dad, eyes blazing in FREEBIE-Mode™. Dad literally interrogated the promoter, even asking him to repeat his sales pitch to a red-faced me who’s trying to move the trolley forward as mercifully as possible. After ten minutes of questioning, Dad asks to buy only 3 cans, just to get 1 free bag. No matter, our promoter is more than smiles already. Dad and I continued onward with the groceries for another hour. We met a long line at the payment counter. As we waited (me scrolling thru 300++ accumulated Whatsapp messages), I suddenly noticed our Chinese promoter standing awkwardly behind our queue, tray full of cans still hanging on him, chef’s hat on, looking keenly at Dad. My cheeks turned red as everyone around us, even the cashier, stared at him and my Dad. We waited in silent discomfort until our turn came. And that’s when I realized what our Chinese friend was doing. I was moved to speak up, and made sure everyone around us heard what I had to say to him. “Thank you for taking care of my Dad, thank you so much… ” Our friend didnt want Dad to walk all the way thru the main entrance again just to get his freebie. So he ignored what was a silly company procedure, left his sales post, and patiently waited at the front counter for me and Dad to appear, just so he could give Dad his free bag directly. I was touched. What is an angel? Fair-skinned, heavenly beings with giant feathery wings behind and unbelievable six-packs in front? As a child, that’s what I saw on TV and read in fantasy books. But after a long journey of Growing Up, I realized I have met many angels along the way, and they don’t seem to have giant wings. Not one feather. Sometimes an angel could be the driver who stops a line of impatient, honking cars behind him just to allow u to turn into the junction across. An angel could be the dude in front of u in a queue who looks at the single item in ur hand, then the laden trolley his pushing, and then offers to swap places with u. An angel could be the bullied and badly-in-need-of-encouragement 1st-posting houseman who runs down four floors to ICU just to get a boogie, after u’ve yelled at him in anger since ur struggling with a difficult intubation and he’s just standing there in the blur. An angel could be the tired staff nurse who takes the CVL trolley from u and says, “Tak ape doc, this time I basuh for you, you cepat pergi mandi dan cuba tidur k... An angel could be the relative who quietly drove into Melaka town at 3am and (amazingly) managed to bring back a pack of fried rice for the haggard and hungry MO in the medical ward. An angel could just be the faceless gentleman who appears out of the rain and offers to share his umbrella with u as he walks u back to ur car (that umbrella is still in the drawer). We eagerly read stories of heroism in the papers, TV and online, but we often forget about the angels that quietly help us along in our lives. Do they do it with a hidden motive? For money? Fame? I dont think so. I think these angels just stepped forward when the time came, because real angels are just ordinary people who follow their hearts and do the extraordinary. There are those who just watch as the world happens to them. And there are the nameless people, like our Pakistani and Chinese protagonist, who want to change the world for the better. Wave ur hand in thanks the next time someone gives way for u on the road. We can learn much from these angels. Dad got his free bag. I got something else. That no money could buy :)
Posted on: Sat, 20 Sep 2014 16:46:24 +0000
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