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I had been feeling under the weather, enduring days of medications and strict food restrictions. But when I finally woke up feeling refreshed—and hungry—I decided it was time to treat myself to a proper meal, one my long-suffering tummy truly deserved.
Without hesitation, I picked up my friend and we drove to our favourite street-corner Mamak at Bangkok Lane, Penang - famous for its charcoal stove-grilled Roti Benggali and fried mee goreng. We ordered our usual: thick slices of perfectly toasted bread slathered in melted butter, half-boiled eggs, mee goreng and pasembor.
As I dipped a corner of my buttery toast into the soft-boiled egg, ensuring it was thoroughly soaked, a taxi pulled up. The driver stepped out and, finding all the tables occupied, picked up a packet of nasi lemak and approached an elderly pakcik in a worn kopiah, sitting alone.
“Pakcik, boleh saya duduk sini?” the driver asked politely. The pakcik nodded.
With our mouths full, my friend and I decided to indulge in a bit of people-watching—arguably the best Mamak pastime, second only to eating. We both glued our eyes on the pakcik's table, watching the two strangers of different races, chat about weather, food and high cost of living.
Ten minutes later, the taxi driver got up and paid his bill. As he settled his tab, the pakcik called the Mamak over and pulled out a crumpled five-ringgit note to pay for his meal.
“Dia sudah kasi settle, pakcik,” the Mamak said, nodding towards the taxi driver.
The pakcik smiled, his hand trembling slightly as he almost dropped the rolled tobacco between his thin lips. “Terima kasih!” he called out in his raspy voice.
The taxi driver responded with a simple gesture—placing his index finger to his lips and patting the pakcik’s shoulder. The message was clear: Good deeds are best done quietly.
As the taxi driver left, the pakcik, instead of pocketing his five-ringgit note, handed it to the Mamak.
“Ini buat apa, pakcik? Saya sudah cakap, dia sudah bayar,” the Mamak said, puzzled.
The pakcik smiled, mimicking the taxi driver’s earlier gesture by placing his finger to his lips and replying softly, “Ini untuk dia.” He nodded towards another elderly man sitting nearby in shorts and slippers.
The Mamak grinned and accepted the money, his eyes reflecting a quiet understanding.
Witnessing this chain of kindness, my friend and I felt inspired. We decided to join in and looked around for someone whose bill we could settle. Most of the diners seemed well-off, except for an older man with a walking stick resting between his knees. We chose him.
I signaled to the Mamak and handed over a twenty-ringgit note. “Kira!”
“We like to cover his bill too. Berapa semua?” my friend asked, pointing at the man with the walking stick.
The Mamak shook his head with a smile. “Dia punya bil adik tak payah risau,” he said.
Puzzled, I pressed further. “Why not? What’s wrong with us settling his bill?”
“Dia punya bil sudah settle,” the Mamak explained, and then, seeing our confusion, added, “Dia susah punya orang. Kita memang tak ambik duit dari dia.”
We were taken aback. The Mamak and his team were quietly helping someone in need, asking for nothing in return.
“That’s amazing,” I said to my friend, genuinely moved.
“Apa susah, kita duduk sama-sama, kita tolong sama-sama,” the Mamak replied simply, with a warmth that stayed with me long after we left.
In a world that often feels increasingly self-centered, it was heartening to witness ordinary folks going out of their way to help others, not because they had much to give, but because they chose to.
If we could all adopt the spirit of the kind souls I met that morning at the humble Mamak of Bangkok Lane, imagine the greatness our nation could achieve—greatness as satisfying as their charcoal-grilled Roti Benggali.
Fa Abdul is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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