I waited patiently for her to arrive and then, I went downstairs. It wasn't a sneaking out action anymore as everyone was in the living room. They saw me but I didn't look at them, pretending that I was so busy to get ready to go out. I thought that they would ask me where I was going, at least somebody would, but unexpectedly, no one did. So, it was a great chance to grab! My mom saw me too and she told me not to go back home late. I said okay.
My friend and I rode a motorcycle, and went to our other friend's place. She was shocked to see us in front of her house gate. It wasn't to happen as planned as we couldn't text messages via our cell phones, to arrange our planning. There was a network problem occurred that day. So, we discussed outside her house. We were facing difficulties to decide whether to buy the cake tomorrow or the next day as our birthday girl hadn't confirm us yet whether she could go out tomorrow or not besides, the network was not at it's best that day and hence we couldn't contact her further. So then, what are we going to do now? My friend asked. Let's go buy a birthday present for her. But, FRANNY, you bought it already right? I did, I bought three birthday presents for each of my three best friends when I went to peninsular during study week. So, I nodded.
Lucky me that I was ready with the present already as that afternoon, I only brought an RM10 note. It wasn't a brought by purpose actually, I had only RM10 in my pocket as if I said that I only brought an RM10 note, it meant that I didn't bring the rest cash of my money I had and that was actually wrong. I didn't have the rest of the money. I only had RM10, 10 solid, and we were going to buy a cake on that day and if I hadn't purchase the present yet, I wouldn't have any money to buy one for her.
As as as we arrived at a gift shop, we bumped into my sister, holding my nephew in her car. I went to say hi to her a while and asked for a little pocket money. Unlucky me, as she said that she didn't have small notes at that time. I said It's okay with a smile and waved a bye bye wave to my nephew.
We entered the gift shop. It wasn't easy, to pick which was the best gift to be given to her. That was how my friend felt. I knew, as I faced that too when I was making a choice to pick the best birthday presents for them at the time I was in peninsular. Most of my colleges were envy of me as I went to have a trip to peninsular assuming the study week holiday as if it was a school holiday. My sister insisted me to go, so I joined her seemed she offered to sponsor me.
While my friends wandered around the shop, looking for the gifts, I went to clothes section. That was the only section that I loved to go if I went out to shop. I like to purchase cute dresses. When I was in college, I purchased many new dresses and I was facing difficulties during the time to pack up my things to go back to my hometown for a semester break. My luggage was heavier than it was before, I mean, during the time I registered on the early semester.
I found one cute shirt of course and when I looked at its price tag, I was shocked a little as it was written there, it cost only RM10. It was cheap actually as most of the dresses I bought during last semester cost at least RM20 plus each. I loved that shirt! I wished to have it, the blue one! But, once again, I didn't have enough money. If I spent my only RM10 which I had in my teddy bear purse on that shirt, what was I going to use to purchase the cake later? So, I stepped away from that shirt, saying One day, I will have you! You'll see! You'll be mine! I went to my friend and it seemed that she had picked a gift for our birthday friend. She bought her a cute pinkish shirt and I loved that shirt too.
While we were waiting for a worker to wrap the gift, we gathered and continued our discussion on our planning to celebrate my friend's birthday. Suddenly, my friend suggested to have the party at that night, but it depended on whether our birthday friend could make it or not. It seemed that the next day everyone were busy and could not make it either. So, it was hard to celebrate it the next day. My other friend went downstairs to make a call to ask our birthday girl, using the public phone as it was the only way to reach her since the network was still down.
Our birthday girl agreed. She said that she would pick us up using her car by 7.30pm and the clock at that time was pass 6.45pm. We didn't have much time. We rushed to the cake house and I didn't have the time to consider whether I had enough money to spend on that day or not. I suggested them to go to a cake house which I had been to a few days before, on the day my sister and I went to buy a cake to celebrate my other sister's birthday. The cake house had many types of cake on display. So, we picked a chocolate cake and it cost RM36. It was quiet expensive as the cake of the same size which my sister and I purchased only cost RM24. Wondered if the cake we picked tasted even tastier.
Since there were three of us, we shared our money and divided into three. So, each of us had to contribute RM12 each. I pulled out my RM10 and I said honestly to my friend I only have this and pointed the money to them. They said it was okay and my friend helped me to pay extra. Wondered if that okay really meant okay. But, it wasn't my friend who helped me to pay extra money whom I doubted. It was me I doubted. Seriously, I wasn't okay with that...it was humiliating that I did not afford to pull out another RM2 from my purse to make a full contribution/payment. I knew, I was so sure that my friend said okay because she thought that I had no small amount of money, for an RM2 to give. She must be thinking that I had only huge amount of money in my purse at that moment. She might think that I only had few pieces of RM50 or even RM100 in my purse. In fact, it was actually an RM10. Only a piece of red paper, valued RM10. Not RM50 or even worse RM100. I didn't explain any further, telling her that her assumption about my money was actually wrong. I didn't as I am bad in explaining things.
As we stepped out from the cake house, the time was 7.00pm. We had to go back home by that moment, to get us ready as our birthday friend was going to pick us up so soon. My friend and I who lived in the same village said bye to my friend who lived near town. I rode the motorcycle with her back and on our way back, I suddenly thought of something. I was at that moment had no money left in my purse and the party which was supposed to be held the next day was shifted to that night. What was I going to use to purchase my meal? I had no cash left...
As I arrived home, I rushed into my room, grabbed my towel and went to the bathroom. I took a bath. While pouring the water through my body, I was thinking of a way to have another RM10 to spend later. I needed not much. Only RM10. The only one whom I could think of was my mother. I made up my mind that I wanted to ask her for an RM10. So, I quickly finish myself with my bath and went to wear clean clothes. Before asking that RM10 money from my mother, I had to wrap my gift to be given my friend first as I hadn't wrap it yet.
I was done with wrapping in a few minutes and as I was about to put a nice ribbon on its outside, I heard a car engine stopped in front of my house. My birthday friend had arrived to pick me up. I couldn't budget my time precisely as she used to text me first before she was on her way to pick us up. This time she didn't. She just couldn't as the network wasn't okay yet. She couldn't text me like she always did and she couldn't make a phone call via her cell phone either. I just knew it as my cell phone didn't ring at all and I didn't receive any messages from her either but I was sure that she did try to reach me. Oh, how I was getting mad at the network that evening.
I threw away the ribbon as I didn't have time to put it on my gift. I quickly put it into my bag and ran downstairs. I opened the window pan to double check that it was her waiting me outside. It was really her, even if I didn't see her face clearly through the dark, I recognized enough with her white car. A bit old already. I closed the window pan, turned to my mother who was sitting at the couch, keeping an eye to my nephew. It was the climax of the story! It was time! She knew that my friend was waiting for me outside and I was in rush. I approached her and opened my mouth. Can I have an RM10? I said it! Even if I said it out with a cute voice and a smiling face, in just a few words but I was suddenly felt that it wasn't as simple as I thought it would be. She got up slowly after she asked me back whether I had spent the balance of money she gave me a few days ago. I remembered about that RM10 that I spent to buy the cake in the evening. I answered her with a guilty voice, I spent it all already.
She went into her room. As she was getting up, lifting her old body, I was given the time to look at her face. The air seemed to be suddenly stunted. The time was seemed to be slower down by somebody. As seemed I was asked to see and looked through her face at that time, after I asked her for an RM10. She looked a little sad, a little disappointed. She showed me a hard expression which could touch anyone's heart when they saw it. I could see through her that she was actually didn't have much money to give. But, she was still getting up, going into her room to get RM10 for me. She went out with a worn out RM10 red paper. I wanted to cry, but I couldn't do that. I said Thank you! with still, trying my best to draw her a smiling face before stepping out of the house.
I entered my friend's car and went to KFC to celebrate her birthday after picking the rests up. I ordered a set of snack plate as it only cost RM8.90. I pulled out my worn out RM10. I pushed it slowly down the table and said to myself, Mom, one day, I will give you back this money but followed by many and many more money! You'll see! I enjoyed the celebration and I loved the cake as it really tested so good.
I went back home, and before calling it as a day, I sat on my bed before closing my eyes for bed. I cried, thinking of each single thing that I faced that day. I loved my friends, all three of them, but they were differ from me. Sometimes, it was annoying to hear them saying that they refused to ask their family to send them extra pocket money when I heard them talking on the phone when we were in college. Their family wished to give them money, but they refused to accept them. But for my case, my brother was always be the one who make a phone call to home, asking for money and my family refused to send some as they had no money to give. I seldom did that as I assumed that if my brother had asked the money all, there would be no money left for me. Well, I thought it was okay as he needed it more than me...
-The End-
