Monday, 11th October 2010. The exact date of the most important incident that ever happened in my life. The incident that changed my life forever. As an orphan, my routine as Rahim Majid is ordinary, same as everyone else. But, on this special date, I felt some sense of excitement crept over me. I still can recall the cheerful, bright sunny morning. The birds were chirping, the trees were swaying in the wind and the morning sunlight flooded into the room. I picked up my saggy bag and grinned with joy, ready to start a brand new day.
I hummed the melody of 'Awaken' by Maher Zain, the popular singer. The calm atmosphere was very soothing and just perfect. Suddenly, my eyes spotted something among the green bushy bushes. My curiosity overwhelmed myself and within minutes, I stepped slowly towards the bushes. There, laid a lavender Gucci handbag. It was very strange to see a very expensive bag stranded in the middle of nowhere. I examined the bag carefully and found a tag. 'Mr. Jeremy Steven' was written on it. I opened the bag and as expected, the bag was full of money. Great, some scenes out of blockbuster movies just happened to me. Just great. Could I not have a peaceful, normal day?
I looked around to search for this 'Mr. Jeremy Steven' and felt slightly relieved to see nobody was around. Then, the thought of taking the money popped in my head. Mrs Jodie had been bugging me to death about the school fees. Well, I AM an orphan, she should know better about my circumstances. And yet, this money would help me pay for the fees, which will end Mrs Jodie's endless babbles. Hey, I am an orphan, what would you expect if you actually found a bag full of money? Just a little would not hurt, right?
Wonderful, Rahim. You even sounded like a criminal back there, I told myself. I groaned. Time to do some heroic thing, then. I should keep my innocent image, as an orphan should do. Maybe Mr. Jeremy would take a pity on me and give me some bucks for it. 'Look at me, I returned your bag which is full of money and I am an orphan. Care to please me?' Chuckling, I let my imagination ran wild. Rahim, you are one cheeky little orphan.
The police station was standing with pride in front of me. It gave me goosebumps, but nah, I did nothing wrong. I walked in, surprisingly calm, and lodged a report to the police officer. "You should be proud of yourself, boy. Honesty is a rare thing to see nowadays," the police officer praised me. I rolled my eyes and chuckled. If I am the only one honest here, than honesty is really dead after all. I gave him my thanks and left.
My stomach growled, and fiercely indeed. I did not take my breakfast yet. Glancing at my worn out watch, I froze. 9 A.M. I gasped with horror and started to run as fast as I could. So much for your heroic actions, Rahim. You are late, and Mrs Jodie surely gonna smack you up, the voice mocked me. Arriving at the school, I saw my classmates in the library, probably for NILAM. I tried to slip in, felling quite proud of myself, before someone stopped me. Mr Tan Chong, the discipline teacher. His presence raised fear. Because well, Mr Tan and I were not in good terms. He smirked, "Coming late to school, Rahim? Detention at the principal's room, let's move on," he said, pinching my ear and dragged me along the hallway. Everybody was staring. I HATE YOU, Mr. Tan!
He finally let me go when we were in the principal's room. I tried explaining, but he did not listen. He said honesty is a lie. Well, I did not deny that. He took a long metal ruler, the legendary king of detention. Uh, crap, I'm in big trouble. That is, before Mrs Jodie crashed in and stopped Mr Tan. Her face was red, tears had stained on her cheeks. What now, some kind of drama? Both of them ARE husband and wife, you know.
"Don't punish him, dear. He is not guilty," Mrs Jodie said with a low tone, clearly calming her husband down. I nodded repeatedly, and showed them my best puppy eyes. Truthfully, I felt like I wanted to puke. Dear? Gross. Mrs Jodie faced me, red cheeks and all, then suddenly, embraced me. I froze at the spot. What the he** happened here?
After hearing Mrs Jodie's explanation, it seemed like Mr Jeremy Steven is actually her older brother, and the money was for a big project that his company had invested on. Lucky me, I thought. Mrs Jodie was never stopping on thanking me, she said that the project costed her family's reputation. As for Mr Tan, he was genuinely sorry for his aggressive actions, he really treated me nicely after the incident, eventhough it felt awkward. Well, what could you expect? I am their adopted son, after all.
Yep, after what happened, they decided to take me as their adopted son, which I hesitated, of course. Accepting was like throwing yourself into a lions' den. But Mrs Jodie promised me that she would take care of the school fees. The RM 750 that was haunting my whole life. I gleefully accepted, and so far, everything seemed to be working out, with my new parents. So hey, being honest rewarded me the best things. I am sure that it will give you much better.
Marks: 29/30
2 Smart (2010).
p/s: Assume that Mr Tan and Mrs Jodie are Muslims.
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