About 2 months ago, when I was riding home from my study, the rear tire of my bike suddenly lost its pressure. I was in the middle of Sudirman Street when it happened, really thought I was screwed, cuz' on a road this "elite", there wouldn't be any tire fixers around.. Or so I thought to myself.
I start walking my bike until the furthest intersection, and whaddya know ? There's one sitting by on the sidewalk. So, I ask him to check it. I was hoping that it would only be a loss of pressure, but no, a spike came piercing through. The tires tube was already been patched a couple of times, and there's a thread of steel that came out of the tire itself (stupid Honda QC, if I'd been a little more enthusiast I'd ask for a new tire...)
The guy was grumpy at first, I really wouldn't mess around, he LOOKS like he can kill. To my surprise he was supportive about the problem, he even pulled the spike out (which was really in a hard place, I couldn't reach it with even my tiny fingers). Well, in the event of ice-breaking, I tried to chat with him. Again, grumpy at first, he'd answer uninterested, without looking at me. But as we were both waiting on the side for my tire to be ready, he began to be friendlier. He'd ask where I from, and so on and so forth. Then I ask all about him.
It was heartbreaking really. He told me that he doesn't have a home here, that he stayed in a room rented for Rp 300.000, a month --he'd make a maximum of Rp 20.000, a day. That the ojek riders on the intersection would make him patch without actually paying it. All of the depressing stuff.
You know, you could help so much to someone just by listening to their problems.
As we chatted, I start asking about his family, and believe me when I say, it's the first smile that came out on the guy's face, a wonderful one. He told me that he's expecting his first child, that he had been faithful waiting one in his 8 year marriage.
I hadn't have the chance to continue the chat, since my tire was ready at the time, but I can tell you this. The guy's a fighter. To have survived Jakarta in -- years, with that kind of job. I'd give a standing ovation if the guy's a performer. The guy had really changed from his grumpy, murder-looking face to this wonderful, would-be father.
So, impressed already with the story of his life, he installed the tube back on the the tire, and gave his final touch to it, swept the rims a nice and clean. I became really impressed then, so impressed that I decided to gave him Rp 50.000 I saved to be the week's bank saving. He actually refused it first; saying that it's too much for his services, but I made him took it anyway.
Now, if only our government, all echelons, even all Indonesian people have that same spirit and work ethos. I can only see good things happening.
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