THEY WILL ASK thee as to what they should spend on others. Say: "Whatever of your wealth you spend shall [first] be for your parents, and for the near of kin, and the orphans, and the needy, and the wayfarer; and whatever good you do, verily, God has full knowledge thereof." - Al-Baqarah (2:215)
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Monday 3 September 2007

The bimbo in a limbo

Bimbo? Who me? Heck no! I can’t seem to remember any bimbo moments of mine. Not that I have a lack of memory… but this surplus of forgetfulness that I have ain’t helping me. Oh okay, maybe I purposely deleted the embarrassing moments in my life…

I’ve actually been tagged by Typhoon Sue to reveal my blonde bimbo moments. Blonde? I do have some strands of grey hair (maybe even more than my grey matter, really) , but since none of my hair has gone blonde yet, (as if it ever will!) let me just tell you about a grey-haired bimbo instead…

*trying to recall*

Urgh… I think this grey-haired bimbo is getting too old to remember lah. Sorry Sue, unable to respond to your tag… you’re not going to sue me, are you?

Instead, allow me to tell you about the problematic teenage girl whom I was asked to talk to. This case had nothing to do with my usual HIV cases. The girl was simply a stubborn, problematic girl whose mother had given up trying to change her into a better person. As a matter of fact, the mother was the last person this girl would listen to.

So, how was I pulled into talking to this girl? Actually a friend of mine sought my help. The problematic teenager so happened to be my friend’s… emmm… niece… or cousin… I forgot (Ahh! My surplus of forgetfulness is showing again!!).

Anyway, as I had never met the girl before, my friend promised to bring the girl to meet me at a specified time in front of a specified restaurant. After introducing us, my friend left the girl with me. We figured the girl wouldn’t talk if my friend lingered around, so I told my friend I’d call her once we’re done.

I took the girl into the restaurant, ordered some food and started chatting. It wasn’t so difficult getting this girl to talk. She even admitted that she had been giving problems to her mother. She used to be so close to her father that after her father died she became rather rebellious. She never listened to her mother. Actually what made it even worse was the fact that her mother made decisions for her without even consulting her – with good intentions of course, the mother simply wanted the best for her daughter.

There was however something about this girl that reminded me of Zana. Remember Zana, the problematic young woman whom I sent to a shelter home before? The similarity between the 2 was that both of them tend to tell different stories to different people. In this girl’s case, I could sense that some of the stories she was telling me were simply made up by her creative mind. The stories simply didn’t tally and didn’t make sense.

After about an hour or so talking to this girl, I figured it was time to go. So I called my friend to come back and fetch this girl. We both then got up to leave the restaurant. Just as I was about to walk out the door, one of the waitresses in the restaurant chased me, and said rather loudly, “Kak, belum bayar!”

Alamak… malu… malu…

Already embarrassed, I apologized to the waitress, saying that I had truly forgotten to pay (I told you I had a surplus of forgetfulness, didn’t I?!) . After looking at the bill, I gave her a sum of money and told her to keep the change. Not much, just a few ringgit balance, but the main reason for telling her to keep the change was because by then I was too embarrassed to wait even a second longer.

Imagine, there I was, trying to help a problematic teenage girl who was always giving problems to her family… yet I ended up walking out without paying for my food. For all I know, the problematic girl may have thought I purposely walked out without paying but got caught instead!

BIMBO!!! How could I simply walk out just like that without paying?! (Ooops, did I just reveal a bimbo moment of mine?)

Anyway, since I mentioned Zana’s name, here’s a little update on Zana. Zana and her baby need to leave the shelter home by the end of this year. Due to lack of space, only HIV infected children are given priority. The rest will have to leave. While the other ladies are going back to the home of their parents, Zana’s family has still not accepted her. Or rather, her father still cannot accept her back into the family, and in that family, whatever the father says is law. With Zana herself still too stubborn to apologize to her father, I’m in the dark as to how I can get them to reconcile…

If Zana is to live on her own, she will need to find a job. But who is going to take care of her baby when she goes to work?

I’ve got to start thinking on what to do with Zana and her baby.

Yo! This grey-haired bimbo is now in a limbo…

14 comments:

J.T. said...

Oh dear! I would be embarassed too if I walked out of the restaurant forgetting to pay.

Good post, Pi. You managed to respond to the tag and tell a story about your work too. That's creative! ;)

I hope something works out for Zana. What kind of a job can she do? If she finds a job, she has to earn enough to pay a daycare centre or a baby sitter. sigh

nyonyapenang said...

Hi Pi Bani,

Ah....I have experienced that too...forgot to pay and forgot to take back my change...forgot where I parked my car....wait a minute...I go check if I got any blonde strands of hair. hahhahaa...

I too hope, something good turns up for Zana these next couple of months.

You take care and have a good week.

Pi Bani said...

JT,
Ya la... so embarassing I didn't want to go back to the same restaurant again... but I still did. Of course, the next time I made sure I remembered to pay! :)

As for Zana, the only work experiences she had before was as a security guard (I wonder if she really guards...) and before that as an assistant at a food court. I doubt she'd be earning enough to pay a baby sitter.

Pi Bani said...

Nyonya Penang,
So did you find any blonde strands of hair? Better than blaming it on old age kan? Hahaha...

I sure hope something good turns up for Zana soon. If not I'd probably have more and more grey hair in the next few months!

Typhoon Sue said...

yup. that'll do. everybody's got a bimbo moment every once in a while.

like JT, i agree that it's very creative for u to combine the tag with your usual stories. Nice!

my best hopes and wishes for zana.

Lee said...

Hi Pi Bani, you still young ada memory problemos?
Aiyaa, wait till you lepas batu enam puluh like me, ha ha.
Its funny, but we can remember what happened yesterday, but not ten minutes ago.
Thus, what I do is, I keep those yellow sticky memo pads in my car, my bedroom, kitchen, and pads of note paper beside my computer, even one in the bathroom. Anything urgent, important, I chepat tulis.
You and Nyonya Penang forgot to pay after makan.
I forgot what dress my wife wearing one day quite recently and at the supermarket, I thought she beside me as I talked to 'her', then took 'her' hand when the hand was snatched back!
Alamak, the fright and shock, baik ta'kena heart attack. I really apologised, and baik pun my Mrs nearby I called her and explained to the lady and my wife.
Thank goodness the lady could laugh about it, "thats okay, its a mistake".
Thats why I keep notes and diaries. Ha ha. Keep well, Pi Bani. Lee.
Ps, I can imagine how malu you felt at the restaurant, ha ha.

Pi Bani said...

Typhoon Sue,
I'm sure if I go back waaaay to my younger days, there'd probably be loads of bimbo moments I could share. Tapi malas nak pening kepala to recall them all, so I just chose the latest bimbo moment lah, one which happened during the course of my voluntary work... easy lah to combine tag and story!

Pi Bani said...

U.Lee,
Yes laa... with over 20 children, too many things to think about, I tend to be forgetful lah! Those stick-it notes would be good, but I don't think anyone has ever walked into a restaurant, ordered some food and put a note beside the plate which says, "Pay for food!" ;)

But your case worse lah. Aiyo, taking somebody else's hand instead of your wife's... are you sure you weren't just being "naughty"? Hahaha!

Lee said...

Hello Pi Bani, hey, I was not being naughty, itu orang punya isteri, la.
Baik pun ta'kena lepak till muka senget one side. But, she did give me a nice smile after I apologised, with my isteri by my side. Ha ha.
Pi Bani, I nak detour sini sikit.
As you are young, and I know you living in Ipoh, do you, or can you remember I think 1972? that big half a mountain came down on rows of houses somewhere in Ipoh. I forgot the name of that area. Gunong Rapat?
I was driving some distance away when the earth shook, my car shook and I thought kena bad earthquake. Then saw a big, huge dust cloud rising upwards, thought Ipoh kena atomic bomb meletup.
Then I kaypoh towards the dust cloud....half the mountain had come down, really huge, burying a lot of people. Kesian betul.
After days and some weeks of digging, they gave up, made it a grave site.
Apa nama tempat tu?
By the way, is that Taman Tun Sambathan lake gardens still there? Got one huge Ipoh tree too. I remember I dated an SYT there malam, after dinner at the kedai makan there, kita duduk tepi the lake, I tie a fishing line to my toe tangkap ikan. Nearby ada sign, 'No Fishing', ha ha.
One night dapat sangkut an haruan, but I released all the ikans I caught as not keen on lake or mining pool ikan, muddy taste.
Tried same trick at Taiping lake gardens too. Alamak, kena marah la by SYT's...they grumble I use them as excuse go fishing at night, thus they become accessory to the fact if kena tangkap, ha ha.
Hey, otherwise how to fish at these places? Right? Ha ha. Lee.

Pi Bani said...

U.Lee,
1972? I was in standard 3 lah... too young to be bothered with masalah negara! Can't remember for sure but I do remember I think there were 2 incidents of gunung runtuh. Can't remember which is which, but the earlier one would be Gunung Ceruh, this one got people living inside the caves while the other one yes I think somewhere near Gunung Rapat area.

As for the taman, do you mean Taman D.R. Seenivasagam? That's the more popular taman here besides the Japanese Garden. Both still exist but I don't visit these places anymore. Used to go roller skating in Taman D.R. when I was in primary school (ya la, that zaman where got roller blades!). Nowadays I think if I wear roller skates, I'd fall down the moment I try to stand up...

Lee said...

Hello Pi Bani, alamak, saya suda error sikit, its Taman DR Seenivasagam. Ha ha. What to do? Da lamah ta'pergi Ipoh.
Wa, you boleh roller skate, huh?
You know, if you can roller skate, you can ice skate, needs ten minutes of practice, boleh jalan.
I too can roller skate old days, my parent's house had a cement badminton court so skated there. Then when in England for further studies, went to the Birmingham Bull Ring Mall where they had ice skating. I tried it out for the first time.
Hey, like itek to ayer la. 5 minutes I could jalan like expert, ha ha. Just like riding a bicycle, we don't forget our balance.
But now? No way, jatuh, suma tulang patah, ha ha.
Thanks for your info.
Wa, you only standard three then, huh?
Alamak, I now feel so old, ha ha. Lee.

Unknown said...

Hi Pi,

Apa lah you ni. Cerita you ni cerita serious but you made me laugh...aduh! Hmm..no wonder you can handle all these problems presented to you by your chargees. You are made for them..a guardian angel in this Ipoh mari Makcik 'Rawk'. Take care.

Pi Bani said...

U.Lee,
What do you mean you now feel so old? I thought you are ONLY 60+? Life begins at 70 kan? :)

Pi Bani said...

K.Ruby,
Always, always, try to look for the brighter side of things kan? Makcik Rawk pun Makcik Rawk lah! Punyalah rawk sampai lupa nak bayar bill...