I had just finished a visit to PAM (Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia) for an assignment when I encountered a curious, new experience. Upon reaching the entrance of KL Sentral, a man approached me, asking, [The conversation hereafter shall be a translation of the actual one carried out in Mandarin] "Miss, do you understand Mandarin?"
He was dressed in a dark blue shirt with a red collar, and black trousers. He had short, something like crew cut hair. His face was quite large, with fairly big, alert eyes, and thick eyebrows. He even had a little belly. I would venture him to be around early to mid-30s. He was carrying a briefcase.
He asked me to listen to him for a while, and after that I could leave if I couldn't help. He introduced that he was from China and was asking me since I was Chinese as well. I guess I must have looked kinda wary and even nervous (this is my first such encounter) that he said, "You don't have to be so afraid, I'm not a bad person." I tried to ease up a bit, but still felt bit uneasy.
He described that he had run into some difficulties, and that his "lao zhong" (boss) who was supposed to be here today informed him that he could only come tomorrow. Then, he stated his motive - that he currently had no money on him, and asked if I could spare him some money to get food. Well... I was on my guard now, 'cos he certainly looked pretty decent and not the kind who would be starving just dut to the lack of one meal.
He said he would return me the money tomorrow, and that "the amount is not important, but we can become friends." I wasn't sure if to believe him, so I asked, "How are you going to return the money to me?" He said, "Leave me with your handphone number, and give me a chance to repay you." Ha! My instincts strongly warned against this. He took out his handphone from his pocket, red in colour.
He persisted in saying that he would soon return my money, especially when his "lao ba" (father) came tomorrow. Strange, how come it was "lao ba" now? Thought he mentioned "lao zhong"? When I still made no reaction except to smile uncomfortably, he said, "Miss, you still don't believe me?? Leave me with your handphone number and give me a chance to repay you. I'm not a person who lacks money, just that I ran into some difficulties currently. The amount (money) is not important, but we can be friends."
I asked again, "How can you totally not have any money with you?" At this point, he became slightly abashed and said, "Frankly, though I feel ashamed to tell you, but I lost all my money in Genting last night.." My uneasiness radar was increasing... a gambler now?
He continued in his ramblings, "If you have the chance to come to Beijing in 2008 for the Olympics, you can call me up. Come together with your family, and all you expenses, air ticket, will be paid by me." This was sounding a bit overboard now, isn't it? He now emphasized on how we could be friends, saying things like "We're all Chinese, all descendants of the dragon - long de chuan ren." I suddenly felt like saying, "I'm sorry, but I'm a Christian."
*Sigh* I so didn't know how to handle the situation, and whether to believe him or not. What's more, I was alone, with no one to consult. Finally, I decided that I couldn't risk giving him my handphone number, or the money, even the RM 10 he suggested.
I said I had to leave. He made one more final attempt before giving up and letting me off. I breathed in relief...
*So what do you think? A cheat, or not?
He was dressed in a dark blue shirt with a red collar, and black trousers. He had short, something like crew cut hair. His face was quite large, with fairly big, alert eyes, and thick eyebrows. He even had a little belly. I would venture him to be around early to mid-30s. He was carrying a briefcase.
He asked me to listen to him for a while, and after that I could leave if I couldn't help. He introduced that he was from China and was asking me since I was Chinese as well. I guess I must have looked kinda wary and even nervous (this is my first such encounter) that he said, "You don't have to be so afraid, I'm not a bad person." I tried to ease up a bit, but still felt bit uneasy.
He described that he had run into some difficulties, and that his "lao zhong" (boss) who was supposed to be here today informed him that he could only come tomorrow. Then, he stated his motive - that he currently had no money on him, and asked if I could spare him some money to get food. Well... I was on my guard now, 'cos he certainly looked pretty decent and not the kind who would be starving just dut to the lack of one meal.
He said he would return me the money tomorrow, and that "the amount is not important, but we can become friends." I wasn't sure if to believe him, so I asked, "How are you going to return the money to me?" He said, "Leave me with your handphone number, and give me a chance to repay you." Ha! My instincts strongly warned against this. He took out his handphone from his pocket, red in colour.
He persisted in saying that he would soon return my money, especially when his "lao ba" (father) came tomorrow. Strange, how come it was "lao ba" now? Thought he mentioned "lao zhong"? When I still made no reaction except to smile uncomfortably, he said, "Miss, you still don't believe me?? Leave me with your handphone number and give me a chance to repay you. I'm not a person who lacks money, just that I ran into some difficulties currently. The amount (money) is not important, but we can be friends."
I asked again, "How can you totally not have any money with you?" At this point, he became slightly abashed and said, "Frankly, though I feel ashamed to tell you, but I lost all my money in Genting last night.." My uneasiness radar was increasing... a gambler now?
He continued in his ramblings, "If you have the chance to come to Beijing in 2008 for the Olympics, you can call me up. Come together with your family, and all you expenses, air ticket, will be paid by me." This was sounding a bit overboard now, isn't it? He now emphasized on how we could be friends, saying things like "We're all Chinese, all descendants of the dragon - long de chuan ren." I suddenly felt like saying, "I'm sorry, but I'm a Christian."
*Sigh* I so didn't know how to handle the situation, and whether to believe him or not. What's more, I was alone, with no one to consult. Finally, I decided that I couldn't risk giving him my handphone number, or the money, even the RM 10 he suggested.
I said I had to leave. He made one more final attempt before giving up and letting me off. I breathed in relief...
*So what do you think? A cheat, or not?
1 comment:
juz wondering how long was your encounter. hate to be cruel, but i wouldn't stay more than 2 mins with a total stranger, even the jap guy i helped looking for newspapers not long ago didnt last longer than that.
be careful o.. smart of you didnt take out your hp.
Post a Comment