Three years ago I was working with a
"friend" whom I will call here "Baldy" for the apparent reason. Baldy
was doing business by means of his own company which I shall call "YNR".
It was Baldy himself who called me and offered me a job when I was in
dire straits after resigning from TNB (which will be another story)
several years before that. I had known Baldy since the 1990s when we
were working together in the same section at one of TNB's power
stations. When Baldy offered me the job, I didn't suspect anything since
I knew Baldy to be a friendly and helpful colleague when we were
working for TNB. That's what I thought!
It
was a wonderful seven months of doing work for YNR including a
one-month stint in the interior of Sarawak, which was my first ever trip
to the Borneo state. Baldy was initially very nice to me and was ever
ready to guide me in my work. During the first couple of months when I
didn't have a car, Baldy picked me up from my house whenever I needed to
go to his office for work, and he sent me back after work. Baldy
treated me to dinner on many occasions, and even allowed me to catch
forty winks in the office whenever I felt sleepy. I never suspected that
all his good deeds to me would come with a heavy price.
Baldy said to me that he would like me to work with him for the long term. He even said that if I were to leave his company of my own accord, he would like to see me leave as a successful man. Frankly, I thought I had found the perfect job. I didn't suspect at all that Baldy was such a big, ugly liar and manipulator!
I was very happy with the job so much so that I was willing to spend late hours—many a time going home between 2:00 and 3:00 a.m.; even almost "subuh" a couple of times—at the office to complete a project that had been delayed for nearly two years before my time. Believe it or not, initially Baldy set the duration for completion of the project at ten ridiculous days from the day he handed it to me! When you think about it, if it was at all possible to finish the project in ten days, why was it delayed for two years? Baldy was kind of pushing me to complete my work as soon as possible—I just said to him, "I'm only human!" Anyway, when we disagreed on something, we sort of agreed to disagree. Finally, I managed to complete my part of the project in three months of working into the wee hours that included weekends.
I guess that I was taken in by Baldy's goodness so that I confided in him about my private life including a run-in with a brother-in-law of mine. I told him about some of my weaknesses too! I was even willing to run errands for Baldy without any question. While in Sarawak, I drove alone from Batang Ai to Kuching and back—an eight-hour trip—to send off a trainer and pick up another. I even drove to collect photocopies of training materials from a shop in Sri Aman which was about an hour's drive from Batang Ai. On one occasion, I helped Baldy change his house's defective main water valve upon his request. And yet another time, I assisted Baldy to change YNR office's defective door lock even as his wife belittled our effort!
The trouble stemmed from a used car that a Baldy's teacher "friend" (or relative?) sold to me. The car was already sixteen years old when I bought it on installment with an exorbitant interest rate of ten percent! I didn't mind the high interest rate since I needed a car badly. Now, take note of the next sentence because that's where the trouble started! When I took possession of the car, Baldy's "friend" said to me that if I had trouble paying an installment, I just had to pay a partial payment and make up for the short payment the following month! I am the type of person who remembers the essence of another person's word when we agree on something or when that person promises me something.
The car's problems started right after I received it from Baldy's "friend". The very first problem was that the odometer was not functioning! How was I going to know how far the car had traveled in order to anticipate future problems and also to schedule the servicing? Next the fuel indicator remained stuck at "E" when I filled the fuel tank. When I changed the odometer, I had to change the whole dashboard as well since the plastic already crumbled during removal. Subsequently, the other parts that I had to change were the shock absorbers, engine mountings, a fan motor, water pump, gearbox seals, radiator hoses etc., and even the radiator itself since it already rusted inside—it made me wonder about the internal condition of the engine! Finally, I'm compelled to mention that every bone in my body would shake when I had to slam the trunk cover multiple times every time to get it shut.
Upon returning from Sarawak, I found myself in a situation where I had to use my salary for some extra expenses on top of the usual bills and debts that I was paying. Remembering Baldy's friend's "word" about making partial payment for the car, I texted the "friend" to ask for permission to pay half of the installment for that month and promising that I would make up for the deficit the following month. To my dismay, the "friend" replied that after consulting his "boss", he could not allow me to make a partial payment. Disgusted by the "friend's" about-face, I texted back to mention all the problems with the car but promising that I would pay the installments in full for that month and for subsequent months without fail. At the end of my message, I just retorted, "Apa punya lintah daa!" meaning "What a leech!". Immediately, my handphone was ringing incessantly with calls from the "friend" but I didn't answer a single call!
The "friend" must have gone running to Baldy and his wife like a dog running to its master with its tail between the legs because the next day Baldy called me to his office and—without giving me a chance to explain what actually had transpired between me and the "friend"—asked me to leave his company. Before that, I told Baldy that I would settle the spat that I had with the "friend" myself but Baldy wouldn't have any of it. He said to me that I was not able to change and he even related it to the run-in that I had with my brother-in-law. I knew then that he was keeping the personal things that I had told him as a trump card for throwing me out of his business. When I asked him how I was going to put food on the table for my family, Baldy cheekily said that he was not concerned about it—it was my problem and mine alone. And before he revealed his true colors, Baldy even had the cheek to request me to hand over the little part of his project that I was working on to him.
Baldy played the judge, jury and executioner on my life—a tad short of playing god. Baldy once said to me that his company was back in the black after getting payment for the long overdue project. So, it appears that he used and exploited me to get his business out of financial troubles. But I realized that Baldy did not make the decision to get rid of me alone. I knew that his wife had a hand in his decision. He even mentioned to me that his wife didn't like me right from the first day that I worked with him but...
If Baldy was truly honest about helping me, why didn't he first advise me about what I had said to the "friend" and then attempt to reconcile us especially since he knew the "story" of my life. "Firing" me at the first chance after my spat with the "friend" embodied Baldy's dishonesty and exploiting way of doing business. He used me and he abused my trust in him!
Finally I would like to say to Baldy if you're reading this posting, "You can go and f**k your business and your wife! You can keep my bonus and any compensation that I asked from you. Instead, one day I will pay you the balance of the price of the jalopy that your "friend" sold me. At the end of the day, I wish, I hope and I pray that you and your devil of a wife will pay a higher price either in this life or in the hereafter for what you did to me!"
Baldy said to me that he would like me to work with him for the long term. He even said that if I were to leave his company of my own accord, he would like to see me leave as a successful man. Frankly, I thought I had found the perfect job. I didn't suspect at all that Baldy was such a big, ugly liar and manipulator!
I was very happy with the job so much so that I was willing to spend late hours—many a time going home between 2:00 and 3:00 a.m.; even almost "subuh" a couple of times—at the office to complete a project that had been delayed for nearly two years before my time. Believe it or not, initially Baldy set the duration for completion of the project at ten ridiculous days from the day he handed it to me! When you think about it, if it was at all possible to finish the project in ten days, why was it delayed for two years? Baldy was kind of pushing me to complete my work as soon as possible—I just said to him, "I'm only human!" Anyway, when we disagreed on something, we sort of agreed to disagree. Finally, I managed to complete my part of the project in three months of working into the wee hours that included weekends.
I guess that I was taken in by Baldy's goodness so that I confided in him about my private life including a run-in with a brother-in-law of mine. I told him about some of my weaknesses too! I was even willing to run errands for Baldy without any question. While in Sarawak, I drove alone from Batang Ai to Kuching and back—an eight-hour trip—to send off a trainer and pick up another. I even drove to collect photocopies of training materials from a shop in Sri Aman which was about an hour's drive from Batang Ai. On one occasion, I helped Baldy change his house's defective main water valve upon his request. And yet another time, I assisted Baldy to change YNR office's defective door lock even as his wife belittled our effort!
The trouble stemmed from a used car that a Baldy's teacher "friend" (or relative?) sold to me. The car was already sixteen years old when I bought it on installment with an exorbitant interest rate of ten percent! I didn't mind the high interest rate since I needed a car badly. Now, take note of the next sentence because that's where the trouble started! When I took possession of the car, Baldy's "friend" said to me that if I had trouble paying an installment, I just had to pay a partial payment and make up for the short payment the following month! I am the type of person who remembers the essence of another person's word when we agree on something or when that person promises me something.
The car's problems started right after I received it from Baldy's "friend". The very first problem was that the odometer was not functioning! How was I going to know how far the car had traveled in order to anticipate future problems and also to schedule the servicing? Next the fuel indicator remained stuck at "E" when I filled the fuel tank. When I changed the odometer, I had to change the whole dashboard as well since the plastic already crumbled during removal. Subsequently, the other parts that I had to change were the shock absorbers, engine mountings, a fan motor, water pump, gearbox seals, radiator hoses etc., and even the radiator itself since it already rusted inside—it made me wonder about the internal condition of the engine! Finally, I'm compelled to mention that every bone in my body would shake when I had to slam the trunk cover multiple times every time to get it shut.
Upon returning from Sarawak, I found myself in a situation where I had to use my salary for some extra expenses on top of the usual bills and debts that I was paying. Remembering Baldy's friend's "word" about making partial payment for the car, I texted the "friend" to ask for permission to pay half of the installment for that month and promising that I would make up for the deficit the following month. To my dismay, the "friend" replied that after consulting his "boss", he could not allow me to make a partial payment. Disgusted by the "friend's" about-face, I texted back to mention all the problems with the car but promising that I would pay the installments in full for that month and for subsequent months without fail. At the end of my message, I just retorted, "Apa punya lintah daa!" meaning "What a leech!". Immediately, my handphone was ringing incessantly with calls from the "friend" but I didn't answer a single call!
The "friend" must have gone running to Baldy and his wife like a dog running to its master with its tail between the legs because the next day Baldy called me to his office and—without giving me a chance to explain what actually had transpired between me and the "friend"—asked me to leave his company. Before that, I told Baldy that I would settle the spat that I had with the "friend" myself but Baldy wouldn't have any of it. He said to me that I was not able to change and he even related it to the run-in that I had with my brother-in-law. I knew then that he was keeping the personal things that I had told him as a trump card for throwing me out of his business. When I asked him how I was going to put food on the table for my family, Baldy cheekily said that he was not concerned about it—it was my problem and mine alone. And before he revealed his true colors, Baldy even had the cheek to request me to hand over the little part of his project that I was working on to him.
Baldy played the judge, jury and executioner on my life—a tad short of playing god. Baldy once said to me that his company was back in the black after getting payment for the long overdue project. So, it appears that he used and exploited me to get his business out of financial troubles. But I realized that Baldy did not make the decision to get rid of me alone. I knew that his wife had a hand in his decision. He even mentioned to me that his wife didn't like me right from the first day that I worked with him but...
If Baldy was truly honest about helping me, why didn't he first advise me about what I had said to the "friend" and then attempt to reconcile us especially since he knew the "story" of my life. "Firing" me at the first chance after my spat with the "friend" embodied Baldy's dishonesty and exploiting way of doing business. He used me and he abused my trust in him!
Finally I would like to say to Baldy if you're reading this posting, "You can go and f**k your business and your wife! You can keep my bonus and any compensation that I asked from you. Instead, one day I will pay you the balance of the price of the jalopy that your "friend" sold me. At the end of the day, I wish, I hope and I pray that you and your devil of a wife will pay a higher price either in this life or in the hereafter for what you did to me!"
