Location: In front of Our Lady of Sorrows Church
Time: Around 7.45 pm or later, after Good Friday service.
The rain was pouring down heavily. Each one of us who just attended the Good Friday service was very hungry. Step, Man Lee, me and several of our juniors were deciding which cafe or restaurant to go to during that rainy day.
"Let's go to Prangin Mall," was the final decision that we made. While waiting for the others to join us, suddenly a man of about 50 year old appeared and talked to us with his fluent English.
"Hello, I am a Catholic too, I just attended the Good Friday service," he started to introduce himself. " I came to Penang to attend this service from my hometown in Perak, and I needed to go back tonight. But the bus fare is RM8, and I only have RM5," he elaborated, while sheltering himself with his right hand. He looked quite in a pitiful state, but that time, I was sceptical, and quite annoyed, because he was using the tactic to create a dilemma in us for being a Christian who just came back from church. It was as if, since we were going to church, we should be good enough to show some sympathy and do some good deeds to him. The hidden premise is that, if we do not help him, what's the use of us going to church then?
"I need some money to go back home, " he continued.
I was thinking, okay, maybe I would help to contribute only RM1 in case if he really needed the cash. But before I could say or do anything, my junior, Joe, took out his RM 10 note and gave it to the man without saying much.
The man, of course, was very happy, and responded with "God bless you!!" and walked away in the downpouring rain.
Most of us were looking at Joe with our wide-eyed expressions.
"Joe~" was the only word that came out from our mouths during our speechless moment.
"Mana tau kalau dia benar-benar perlu duit tu," was his answer. Then we agreed with him.
"Ya, betul, " Man Lee agreed with Joe's decision. It is because, if he really needed the money, we would be committing sins of omissions for not helping him, but if he was lying to us, well, he was the one sinning, and we were not to bear the guilt of not helping him. But still deep down in me, I wouldn't offer that much to the person whom I still doubted, but since Joe was generous and all that, maybe it was okay. God bless him.
FAST FORWARD TO THE FOLLOWING SATURDAY...
Date: 10th April 2010
Location: the hawker stall area at Sunway Hotel, near Our Lady of Sorrows Church
Time: Around 8 pm or later, after Sunset Mass
We were sitting at our usual place before having our dinner. Me, Claire, Natalia, Mike, Deidre and Mike's future girlfriend, ahem, V*v**n, were trying to decide what to eat before we order the food. Suddenly, a man appeared at our table, he somewhat looked kinda familiar to me, and he spoke in English. He was greeting us with some "Hi Christian " thingy and tried to remind us of our responsibility as Christians, or precisely, Catholic. He was asking for money to go back to his hometown, and this rang a bell in me.
No wonder he looked familiar! He was the same guy who asked for money from us when we finish our Good Friday service a week earlier. OMG, and he was still using the same old crappy story to gain our sympathy, but too bad you're busted, fraud~! Checkmate! The same old Why-you-Christian should-help-me crap and talking about how good if he could go back to his hometown now. Gosh, he wasn't creative for a fraud, huh?
I interrupted him and told him that "Weren't you the same guy who asked for money last week? Hadn't you got your money to go back to your hometown already? My junior gave you the money, and it was RM10!" My words were more or less like that, based on my weak memory. The mean gene inside me was pouring out.
He looked at me, then he said something like this "You must be mistaken! I just came here today," he tried to fool me. What did he think I am? A cow?
"No, no, no! I am sure it was you! You told the same story, going back to your home town, you're a Catholic," I said and at the same time he was talking continually to Mike and V*v**n, maybe trying his luck? Lol.. We were not born yesterday, my dear fraud. Before he went away, he said "God bless you!" and I replied "God bless you too," with a goofy smile.
In my heart, I was thinking, "Oh, no Joe... Too bad your good deed was wasted on a fraud like him." But I guess it's the intention that matters, no matter to whom the help was offered to, even for a fraud..
I guess, to be fooled once, is okay, but to be fooled twice, no way. I wouldn't give in to that. I know maybe he really needed the money, but why did he need to lie to get them? By the way, he's healthy, and he could probably get a job, but I guess, with his reputation as a fraud, it was hard for him to get any. To help a parasite is also a sin, at least for me. So, next time, to be fooled by a person once, it's his fault. But to be fooled twice by the same person, it could be your fault.
Moral of the story: Next time, make a deal with people whom you are helping. If he/she wants the money from you, the condition is this: THEY HAVE TO TAKE A PICTURE WITH YOU! HEHE. SEE IF THEY WILL STILL WANT TO FOOL YOU IN THE FUTURE?
"Let's go to Prangin Mall," was the final decision that we made. While waiting for the others to join us, suddenly a man of about 50 year old appeared and talked to us with his fluent English.
"Hello, I am a Catholic too, I just attended the Good Friday service," he started to introduce himself. " I came to Penang to attend this service from my hometown in Perak, and I needed to go back tonight. But the bus fare is RM8, and I only have RM5," he elaborated, while sheltering himself with his right hand. He looked quite in a pitiful state, but that time, I was sceptical, and quite annoyed, because he was using the tactic to create a dilemma in us for being a Christian who just came back from church. It was as if, since we were going to church, we should be good enough to show some sympathy and do some good deeds to him. The hidden premise is that, if we do not help him, what's the use of us going to church then?
"I need some money to go back home, " he continued.
I was thinking, okay, maybe I would help to contribute only RM1 in case if he really needed the cash. But before I could say or do anything, my junior, Joe, took out his RM 10 note and gave it to the man without saying much.
The man, of course, was very happy, and responded with "God bless you!!" and walked away in the downpouring rain.
Most of us were looking at Joe with our wide-eyed expressions.
"Joe~" was the only word that came out from our mouths during our speechless moment.
"Mana tau kalau dia benar-benar perlu duit tu," was his answer. Then we agreed with him.
"Ya, betul, " Man Lee agreed with Joe's decision. It is because, if he really needed the money, we would be committing sins of omissions for not helping him, but if he was lying to us, well, he was the one sinning, and we were not to bear the guilt of not helping him. But still deep down in me, I wouldn't offer that much to the person whom I still doubted, but since Joe was generous and all that, maybe it was okay. God bless him.
FAST FORWARD TO THE FOLLOWING SATURDAY...
Date: 10th April 2010
Location: the hawker stall area at Sunway Hotel, near Our Lady of Sorrows Church
Time: Around 8 pm or later, after Sunset Mass
We were sitting at our usual place before having our dinner. Me, Claire, Natalia, Mike, Deidre and Mike's future girlfriend, ahem, V*v**n, were trying to decide what to eat before we order the food. Suddenly, a man appeared at our table, he somewhat looked kinda familiar to me, and he spoke in English. He was greeting us with some "Hi Christian " thingy and tried to remind us of our responsibility as Christians, or precisely, Catholic. He was asking for money to go back to his hometown, and this rang a bell in me.
No wonder he looked familiar! He was the same guy who asked for money from us when we finish our Good Friday service a week earlier. OMG, and he was still using the same old crappy story to gain our sympathy, but too bad you're busted, fraud~! Checkmate! The same old Why-you-Christian should-help-me crap and talking about how good if he could go back to his hometown now. Gosh, he wasn't creative for a fraud, huh?
I interrupted him and told him that "Weren't you the same guy who asked for money last week? Hadn't you got your money to go back to your hometown already? My junior gave you the money, and it was RM10!" My words were more or less like that, based on my weak memory. The mean gene inside me was pouring out.
He looked at me, then he said something like this "You must be mistaken! I just came here today," he tried to fool me. What did he think I am? A cow?
"No, no, no! I am sure it was you! You told the same story, going back to your home town, you're a Catholic," I said and at the same time he was talking continually to Mike and V*v**n, maybe trying his luck? Lol.. We were not born yesterday, my dear fraud. Before he went away, he said "God bless you!" and I replied "God bless you too," with a goofy smile.
In my heart, I was thinking, "Oh, no Joe... Too bad your good deed was wasted on a fraud like him." But I guess it's the intention that matters, no matter to whom the help was offered to, even for a fraud..
I guess, to be fooled once, is okay, but to be fooled twice, no way. I wouldn't give in to that. I know maybe he really needed the money, but why did he need to lie to get them? By the way, he's healthy, and he could probably get a job, but I guess, with his reputation as a fraud, it was hard for him to get any. To help a parasite is also a sin, at least for me. So, next time, to be fooled by a person once, it's his fault. But to be fooled twice by the same person, it could be your fault.
Moral of the story: Next time, make a deal with people whom you are helping. If he/she wants the money from you, the condition is this: THEY HAVE TO TAKE A PICTURE WITH YOU! HEHE. SEE IF THEY WILL STILL WANT TO FOOL YOU IN THE FUTURE?
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