ambivert: the scamming sale

something that happened today is worth a mention. though it was one of those little things in life, it affected me, as well as kaisheng, deeply.

i was tending to the shooting club's fund raising booth during lunch. people came and went, asked for the prices, gave witticism, complained that the items were expensive, and either bought some stuff or simply left. truth is, some items on sale were not really cheap, especially the small tube of haribo, priced at $1. when you know it costs only imnotgonnatellyouhowmuchitcostssogofigureyouself.

some time in the middle of my shift, long came to our stall (kaisheng was there then too). ip patrons were quite rare, so i was surprised. and i felt rather awkward coz long is one of my ip mates. (i mean, the whole point about the sale was to cheat people money. cheating your friends isnt exactly satisfying you know.)

"im going to buy one of those haribos," long said. "how much is it?"

i had the feeling that the question was addressed to me. but i just couldnt bring myself to tell him the price! because i knew how cheaply we bought it for. so, ashamed to face him, i turned away for a moment. i considered offering him a cheaper price, but in front of other shooting club members also manning the stall, i knew i couldnt do it.

and that's when someone showed long an index finger. One Dollar Please.

without hesitation, long dug into his wallet to fish out a $1 coin, and selflessly contributed it to the sale. he didnt even complain about the price. he just kept his face straight, and gave us the money without reluctance.

when he left, i was inundated with overwhelming guilt and shame. i could have just given him half price or something. after all, i was one of people in charge of the sale (and also one of those people benefiting from it). yet i wasnt able to do that. long, on the other hand, was so compromising. he knew the price was high, yet he didnt react at all. he willingly gave up part of his allowance for the sake of supporting his friends.

I DAMN RESPECT YOU LONG.

if basketball or 02 or any organisation youre affiliated to does fund raising/organise some event in the future, i'll definitely support you.