Last night

It all started the way it was supposed to. I could never guess I would end up writing it for you and me. A few friends of mine and I were invited to join a surprise birthday party for our American friend who came along from the United States to join our film-making team. While she was taking a shower, we all sneaked in and sang Happy Birthday song when she got out. Surprised, she thanked us also. After having the birthday cake together, we managed to go out to have some roasted beef at Phsar Tapang. Roasted beef there was quite good, and yet it is always crowded with people who beg for food and money over there. It was very sad to walk away from them, from children holding his hands to you…But many of us chose not to give, not because we are mean, yet because we want to tell them we must never beg. We must remember that if others could survive with their own labour, it is essential to be able to do the same. Things went smooth from eating roasted beef at the place to going to a quiet (!) night club where we found that only a gang of all of us joined. When coming back from the night club to find my bike, I realized I lost the bike ticket. I was hurriedly searching through my pocket while I was spotting this young lady in tattered clothes breastfeeding her baby and crying. It’s a painful look, but why didn’t I get bothered to ask her what’s going on with her? I felt very bad and now regret not doing so. I was buzzed by the guard with his goggling eyes that seemed to tell that I was cheating. I could leave the place by keeping my bike ID with them. But did everybody notice something like me? The point now was why I did not remember to check with her. She was sobbing bitterly. Was it because of her husband? Was that because she was worried of what tomorrow would bring for her baby and family?

2 thoughts on “Last night”

  1. It’s difficult to pick out the ‘professional’ beggars who often look more pitiable than the real ones. But if we lose our compassion and concern we become even more pitiable than them. No easy answer, I regret.

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