“Duit Boleh Dicari Tapi…”

I have a little situation just now. I asked a jobless friend to do something for me since everyone else in my department was busy with something. If I were to do it myself, it would take the whole sleepless night for me. The job was simple, but it became tough because of the time constraint. I was being selfish because I did not want to engage in the petty stuff since I have more important thing to do, so I called a friend who needed extra income. I actually paid for the work prior to handling it to her.

She came this morning, and said to me she finished it all in one night. She woke up at 4 AM just to continue with the work. She was concerned about my deadline too. And she even asked her family members to help her out. She came to the office bringing all the work, I noticed that the job that she did in 1 night, was not even half from what we both could do in all the day hours. She must have doubled her intensity, and not to mention that she got lack of sleep and even injury, stress and anything – just to complete the task for me. While she was out to take her lunch, I was thinking again, Have I paid for that hardwork? Of course I remember. I did pay for it already. But the little voice inside me saying that…what I paid was NOTHING compared to what she did. I could never complete the task, I would still be pressured by counting every minutes that pass. I suddenly realize that, yeah, it could be a simple work that anyone could do, but not anyone would do it, especially with the little amount of money. I thought that “I should pay her more.” Maybe the amount that I paid for her was enough for the kind of work but something was not feeling right. She deserved more. 

This is what I did.

When she came back, I took out my wallet and pulled out a few notes and put it on the table near her. She saw it and I noticed she was surprised because she knew I have paid the day before but I pretended I FORGOT that I have paid her. She always know that I am a person who has my mind all over different stuff so I might overlook things – in the worst case scenario I could possibly forgot to pay or even pay double – I mean, Yeah, Thanks that I could make people think that I could be that careless. Hehe. Anyway, she did not say to me that, “Eh 256, I thought you have paid me yesterday?” Of course she didn’t dare to say it because I know she needed the money and yet she knew the effort that she did was beyond any amount, especially when she made it on time. She helped me to make it on time. My evil side told me that I could spend the money on something else. I didn’t have to double pay her since she put such a low value to her energy and time. I mean, from our other conversations, I learned that she didn’t expect to get paid much.

Then my angelic side told me that…Whatever that I have paid her, I could earn it all back. It wasn’t even a lot. The commitment that someone showed, and how I appreciate a friend who did something for me, it was beyond any value. I could underpay her and get away with it, and I officially take advantage from someone who is less fortunate than me. So my angelic side won. I paid with a light heart. She deserved it. Money is just money. It’s NOTHING compared to the good bond between humans; especially friends. If I want to find the right time to be kind and nice, THIS IS THE TIME. I do it to the deserving friend. Like people said, “Duit Boleh Dicari…” Life is just temporary. Money is not our master. If we have a little more than others, we share it. It might not be much, but the little joy that we bring to them, will go a long way. One day we might be the one in need, and we understand that the good conscience in someone in my position now, means A LOT. And that day, you know that you would be saying, “Only God could repay her.” The heaven must be smiling. :))