A Malaysian scene

The chendol stall was crowded.

The haggard old beggar lady approached the people at the stall. She had a bundle of her belongings under her arm. “Tuan, lapar la. Beli minum,” she pleaded in a small voice. Most just ignored her, and turned away. They did not want their moments of pleasurable slurping of the chendol spoilt by this dirty old lady.

Sitting on small plastic stools among the crowd, savouring their bowls of cool chendol were two young men, smartly dressed, and sweating in their ties. They were obviously well to do businessmen. Their driver waited a short distance away in the BMW.

The old lady came near them. “Tuan…. Lapar”. She looked up at them plaintively, ready to be shooed away. The men looked at her. One of them turned to the chendol stall owner, “Bagi satu chendol pada dia”. The other man stood up. “Amoy, duduk sini.” He offered her his stool.

The old Chinese lady sat down thankfully. “Telima kasih tuan.” A smile cracked her wrinkled face. She slurped down the chendol, occasionally looking up gratefully at the two Malay businessmen.