10p

What can you buy with 10p? or 10 cents?

Sweets? Maybe.

True. Tengah duit banyak, nilai 10p tu berapa la sangat. Dalam kocek, dalam dompet ada berpuluh-puluh pounds lagi. Setakat 10p, ahh, tak heran pun.

But 10p for me, is the value of pride and honesty.

Let say, a man went to a fast-food restaurant and aiming to buy the cheapest food they offered. And the cheapest was a 90-pence fried chicken. But, when he gave the cashier a 1-pound coin, the cashier did not return any change,and claimed that the price was actually 1 pound. Angry? Frustrated? or you would feel it's ok? Whatever the man's feeling was, he went out from that restaurant with his one piece fried chicken.

The cashier then talked to his manager, asking about the actual price. And the manager said, "It's 90 pence."

but then, the manager instantly added, "ah, never mind. It's only 10 pence."

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I was there, witnessing everything. I saw the customer's face, and how calm he was. I saw him eating just outside the place. I was shouting to the cashier (in my heart, okay), "You still can catch him now! Go give him the change!".... no one made a move. There was a small kid with his parents in that place. I pity that boy, coz he saw an adult modelled a bad behaviour to him.

I don't have the guts to tell the cashier. One, I did not want to make a scene. Two, I was trying to save the restaurant owner's face. He was very kind, but that mistake might cost him his business.

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Ditakdirkan Allah, saya menyaksikan kejadian tu. Mungkin itu caranya Allah nak bagi peringatan pada saya. Jujurlah dalam mencari rezeki. Jujurlah, supaya tak ada yang haram dalam rezeki yang kita dapat.

Ah. Teringat pula pada ibu dan bapak. Saban hari, ibu akan pulang kerja dengan badan yang penat. Bapak seorang pemandu pelancong, jadi cuma dapat pulang mungkin sebulan sekali. Tapi, kerja bapak memaksanya bekerja dari awal pagi hingga lewat malam (kena pastikan pelancong-pelancong tu selesai semua urusan rasmi).

Saya pernah ke pejabat di mana ibu bekerja. Saya lihat cuma beberapa orang yang bekerja. Yang lain duduk bersembang; asap rokok berkepul-kepul; ada yang jual barang. Saya kasihan pada ibu. Ibu mengidap asma, tapi dia terpaksa duduk dengan fail-fail berhabuk. Terpaksa berkompromi dengan orang yang hisap rokok. Ibu kata, "Tak apa. Ibu cari rezeki halal. Ibu dibayar untuk bekerja dengan fail-fail ni, bukan untuk duduk bergosip setiap hari." Saya diam.

Bapak pesan, "I don't mind working days and nights. As long as you study hard and be a good person." Kemudian, bapak sambung membaca akhbar. Cermin matanya dah bertambah tebal. Urusan kerjanya melibatkan orang-orang luar negara; dari pelbagai lapisan masyarakat, dari pelbagai bidang kerja. Sebab itu bapak menghabiskan masa luangnya membaca akhbar dan menonton berita.

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Nilai 10 pence, 10sen... nilailah sendiri.

(teringat waktu kecil tak cukup 10sen untuk cukupkan duit tabung menjadi RM50)

gambar dari sini