HAVING been not so well these past few days, my tummy grumbled this morning as I woke up feeling somewhat refreshed and hungry. With all the medications and food restrictions I had to endure all week, I thought it was time to give myself a good breakfast – one that my poor tummy deserved.

So I drove to my favourite street corner Mamak joint at Bangkok Lane which was quite famous for its charcoal stove grilled Roti Benggali and ordered my usual breakfast set, consisting of two wonderful thick pieces of charcoal toasted bread with a generous amount of melted butter, a half-boiled egg and a cup of sweet black tea.

As I begun dipping my bread pieces into the tiny bowl of egg, making sure it is soaked to perfection, a taxi driver parked his cab by the roadside parking lane and walked into the stall. Realising all the tables were taken up, he took a packet of nasi lemak and approached an old pakcik wearing a kopiah and shabby clothes, sitting all by himself.

“Pakcik, boleh saya duduk sini (Uncle, can I sit here)?” he asked.

The old pakcik nodded, his mouth busy chewing his breakfast.

Realising my phone battery was flat and having no reading materials at hand, I decided to keep myself entertained by observing the both of them.

After a ten minute conversation about the weather and food, the taxi driver stood up and walked to the Mamak, settling the bill. At this point, the old pakcik took out a five ringgit note and called the Mamak to ask for his bill too.

“Dia sudah kasi settle, pakcik (He has settled your bill, uncle),” said the Mamak, referring to the taxi driver.

The old pakcik smiled, almost dropping the rolled tobacco leaves in between his thin lips.

“Terima kasih!” he said in his cracked up voice.

The taxi driver instantly placed his index finger onto his lips while his other hand patted the old pakcik’s shoulder as if he was saying – ‘good deeds need not be announced’.

As the taxi driver left, instead of keeping away his five ringgit note, the old pakcik passed it to the Mamak.

“Ini buat apa, pakcik? Saya sudah cakap, dia sudah bayar (What’s this for, uncle? I’ve told you, he paid),” explained the Mamak.

The old pakcik smiled, moving his index finger onto his lips, slowly uttering, “Ini untuk dia  (this is for him).”

He was referring to another old uncle in shorts and slippers, sitting not too far away.

The Mamak smiled and accepted the money.

Having witnessed such a wonderful scene, I was quite overwhelmed with the desire to start my day by doing some good deeds, just like the taxi driver and the old pakcik. So I looked around the stall to choose whose bill I should help settle. Since most of them looked quite dashing in their office attires except for one who had a walking stick stuck in between his thighs, I decided to ‘take care’ of his bill.

I took out a ten ringgit note and signalled the Mamak, “Kira!”

“RM4.20.”

“Saya mau tolong bayar dia punya bil juga. Berapa semua (I’d like to settle his bill too. How much is the total)?” I asked, pointing at the old man.

“Dia punya bil adik tak payah risau (You don’t have to worry about his bill),” said the Mamak.

Confused of having my good intention turned down, I asked, “Kenapa (Why)?”

“Dia punya bil sudah settle (His bill is settled).”

Surprised to have so many people settling bills of others in this tiny Mamak place, I asked, “Siapa settle (Who settled his bill)?”

“Dia susah punya orang. Kita memang tak ambik duit dari dia (He is poor. We never charge him),” explained the Mamak.

I smiled – what a wonderful gesture!

“Bagus lah kamu semua ni (You are all doing such a great thing),” I congratulated the Mamak.

“Apa susah, kita duduk sama-sama, kita tolong sama-sama lah,” said the Mamak.

I beamed with happiness upon hearing the Mamak.

At a time when people are becoming so calculative and self-centred, I must say that it is such a delight to meet ordinary folks who do not mind forking out a bit to help others even though they are not making enough themselves – simply because they can.

If only we could change the mind set of our entire population to follow the minds of the wonderful people I’ve met at this tiny roadside Mamak stall, imagine how glorious our nation would be – as glorious as Bangkok Lane’s charcoal stove grilled Roti Benggali.

Honestly, I can’t think of any other better way to welcome Malaysia Day! – September 14, 2017.

* Fa Abdul is a passionate storyteller and a resident agitator of the idiots in society. Well-known for her straight-talking sarcasm and occasional foul mouth, she juggles between her work as a writer, producer and director.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.