Happy New Year ***

I had never liked the girl. All the time flirting playfully with the other boys there. She was barely a teenager. How could her parents let her be here in the predawn hours of the day, alone with these two teenage boys?

A sudden chill. Just at a specific location, just at the left ankle. And as soon as I dismissed it as another old age symptom, there it was again. This time it felt damp as well. I looked down. Yes, there was a wet spot right there. And soon the cause became apparent. Two bags of ice, dripping wet, held at the correct angle so that the drips fell right on my ankle. I looked up, to see this Chinese teenager. His face was full of pimples. He wore the shabbiest clothes, crumpled for better effect. But his watch was a Calvin Klein. Probably from Petaling Street, I thought. As he caught my stare, for a moment he looked puzzled. And then he realised that he had been soaking my sock with his ice bags. He moved back instantly.

“I am sorry, uncle. Sorry, Sorry...” he went on and on. I just stared on for a few moments before turning back to the girl at the counter. She was waiting expectantly. How stupid could one get. Here I was, buying a loaf of bread, which I had placed on the counter, together with the exact amount of RM2.10, and she was waiting for me To do what ? I looked at her, the irritation apparent on my face.

“Lagi 20 sen encik. Sekarang harga dah naik.”

The grave situation took a moment to register. The bread cost RM2.30 now. And I had brought exactly RM 2.10. The only option was to put the loaf back, go back home, and bring the correct amount.

As I was about to turn away, the girl said, “Tak bawa ke? Ta apa Encik. Kali ini ta apa.” I turned back to look at her again. How pretty she looked. And what a courteous smile she had. What a well brought up girl.

And just then, I heard the Chinese boy speak, “Uncle, here is 20 sen. No problem uncle. Have a nice day.” I turned around to see a bright faced boy, eager to be kind to a stranger, who had not moments ago fixed him with the fiercest of stares.

"Happy new year," they echoed. Yes, indeed.