Thursday, January 17, 2008

The Excuse.

I used to not buy daily papers except for emak's reading pleasure. Then I found I keep missing on news which affect me and now buy The Star 3 days a week - Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Today being a Thursday, I bought the paper and I would like to share a real-life funny incident quite like the comic strip I scanned from The Star today. The incident happened sometime in 1989, yet till today I cannot help but remember it with a small laugh.


Back then, I was a Life Insurance agent and was based in Brickfields, KL. Back then too, most of my colleagues and I did not have our own transportation and either rely on public or the car belonging to the agency's Assistant Manager(AAM). On the particular day of this incident, a lady colleague by the name Nina (arwah), needed assistance to go to a client's office in Damansara which then did not have any reliable public transportation. Then again, tell me, which parts of KL do have...even now? Anyway, she asked for my assistance to drive her there in the AAM's car which is a beat-up Ford Cortina. Now, don't get me wrong, I love Ford Cortina and Escort, but this car was, believe me, real beat-up!

To cut the story short, so there we were in the car and I began driving. At the main intersection - the car being a manual shift - I stopped to wait for a break in traffic while engaging the car in the 1st gear. Then, when a break appeared, I press the accelerator and steered the car onto the main road. In less than 2 seconds later, I tried to shift to 2nd gear - hey, this car is beat-up and certainly could not have taken the rev of a long 1st gear being engaged! I pressed the clutch and with my left hand and tried to engage the 2nd gear. Suddenly I felt my left hand in a position higher than it should be and I turned my face to see why it is so. What I saw, left my mouth gaping a short while and I called to arwah Nina to look - the entire length of the gear stick had come out of its socket! Well, arwah Nina did have a look but then said "Shahrir, stop playing games! I'm late already!" Her reply, made me laughed out loud!

Anyway, the AAM later had the car towed away to his mechanic in Sungei Way and arwah Nina called her client to postpone the appointment to another day. I can't exactly remember when, but Nina passed away some years after that due to asthmatic complications. Semoga Allah mencucuri rahmat ke atas rohnya.

Arwah Nina is, by the way, a first cousin to my friend MB, who drops by occasionally to make a comment or two.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

You sure do have funny experiences. Thanx for sharing.

cakapaje said...

Salam Cikgu,

Yes I do, don't I? And you are most welcome...always glad to put a little cheer in a friend :)

Salt N Turmeric said...

hehe. i didn kno tht gear stick can actually came off. i can only imagine the laughter in the car. must be sampai sakit perut! lol!

tokasid said...

Salam Shah:

Wow,the assistant manager sure know how to take care of the Cortina to the extend of gear stick coming off.
maybe the AAM thought that as long as the petrol is filled up every now and then,thats okay for the car.

Arwah Nina was either so tense on that day or she really thought you were pulling her legs.

AlFatihah to arwah Nina.

cakapaje said...

Salam Princess,

Lol! In fact, I did, laugh sampai sakit perut...but not arwah Nina.

cakapaje said...

Wa'alaikumusalam Doc,

That was it, actually! The AAM did not know how to look after the car.

And arwah Nina did thought I was playing around with her, much like the cartoon there :)