Mangoes of Sympathy

September 11, is a date that the world would never forget if you recall how a huge wound was created in the history of America in 2001. September 11, 2006, Isaac, WL's son was born in Sydney. September 11, 2007, Tuesday, Isaac, the little cutie turned 1 and it was also the 1st day of the 8th month of the Chinese calender. CH & I decided to go for vegetarian lunch at Giant Bowl (the bowls are really gigantic there) at SS2, PJ.

While waiting for our food to be served, we saw a hunchback old lady, dressed in a broke way, walking in to the shop with a few bags of mangoes. She approached the customers from table to table, showing a cardboard and trying to sell the mangoes. When she reached our table, she showed the cardboard which was written in Chinese "Golden Dragon Mango (金龙芒), 1kg RM6", trying to pursuade us to buy the mangoes. She couldn't talk, only managed to sound 'iii... iii... aaa... aaa...' She's dumb. From a closer look, She looked like in her 60s or probably younger or older, I couldn't tell for sure. What I could tell for sure was she has a difficult and tough life from her hunchback, inability to speak, the clothes she wore, her wrinkes and the fact that she still needed to make a living in such a manner at her old age. Though we felt pity for her, as we didn't really have the urge to buy the mangoes, we politely turned her down.

She proceeded from table to table again. My eyesight followed her movement. Some customers didn't even look at her or respond to her, pretending that she didn't exist, showing no basic respect to her. The more I followed the more I felt sympathetic and sad for her. I was suggesting that we gave her some money without taking the mangoes. CH reckoned that she might not take it.

Finally, CH waved at her, signalling her to come over to our table. We bought 1 kg of mangoes from her, 4 in a plastic bag, just nice for each of us to take home 2. The mangoes weren't ripe yet. CH was thinking to use them to make mango kerapu whereas I just planned to keep them till they are ripe and whack them, with no expectation on the taste.

After getting cold responses from majority of the customers, she walked out from the shop to get her trolley which was loaded with some fruit paper boxes. She only managed to sell 1 bag of mangoes to us. I wasn't sure if the few bags of mangoes that she carried in to the shop were the last few left of the day or there were still other fruits left in the boxes.

Could her hunchback be caused by wrong posture and long hours of working, the hard way? She must be very poor and having a very difficult life. She is so old already and still has to work. Does she have family? Well, I respect her as she is making a living the proper and ethical way, with dignity. Unlike those who make a living the unlawful ways and those USELESS MUD who just sit there and do nothing except waiting for the TAKBOLEHHAND to cling them on the wall, she is a much much much better and more respectable person.

I just couldn't take my eyes off her with sympathy and some questions and thoughts in mind, till she disappeared from my view.

To conclude September 11, 2007, I bought 2 mangoes of symphathy.