As part of my job requires me to conduct trainings in various schools, I get the privilege of taking cabs wherever I go on company budget. However, with great privileges also comes along interesting encounters with taxi uncles. There are days when I am so tired and would just zonked out once I hit the cab.... but the taxi uncle would so happen to be in a chatty mood and talks none stop, disrupting my beauty rest.
One interesting encounter I had happened two weeks ago as I was on my way to church on Sunday. I was carrying quite alot of stuff and decided to hail a cab as quickly as I could. I just wanted to quickly get on the cab and dump my stuff into the boot. It took merely 2 minutes before a cab came along.. I signalled for hte taxi uncle to open the boot, dumped my stuff in and hopped on and just told the taxi uncle... "EXPO please".
Immediately the taxi uncle reacted in with a "WHAT?!?!" and as he drove of, the floodgates just opened and he started complaining and grumbling.... "WAH! Why you want to go expo you stand on this side of the road? Should stand on the other side mah!.... I just came from Expo you know? Super long jam ah! Now go back sure die one, queue like mad! .... Just now I also don't want to fetch another passenger whom want to go Expo because I don't want to go back into the crazy jam!... Wau lau! If I know you are going Expo, I won't fetch you already!.. Wah Piang eh!" (spoken in Hokkien and Chinese mixture)
I was shell-shocked and totally dumbfounded throughout the taxi uncle's whole series of lamenting. I wanted to retaliate back with some sacarstic remarks, but I held back and kept quiet through the U-Turn journey to Expo. I felt unjustified... Yes, I have stood on the wrong side of the road because of my heavy load... But surely I do not deserve such a blasting lecture right?
As the cab drove in towards Expo, the uncle was still mumbling and grumbling away. When the uncle stopped the cab for alighting, I broke my silence and said... "Thank you Uncle. So sorry to have made you go a U-turn and stuck in jam. Paiseh ah.."
The taxi uncle turned back, looked at me, broke out in a smile and said.. "It's OK lah.. Buay Yao Kin" (in hokkien again)
I could have rebutted or rebuked the uncle with my one million and one valid reasons. But I held back and choose to appreciate and bless him.
The power of the 'Thank You'.... Short as it may be, but it sure makes someone's day!
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