makcik keropok
November 6, 2009If you live in the Bangsar/Damansara area, you might have seen this one really old lady selling keropok and kerepek packed in plastic. She is very very skinny and she wears kain batik around her head.
Whenever I see her, there’s a sharp pain in my heart. I feel so sad that she looks so frail and she’s still selling things outside shops, on nothing else but the bare floor. Everytime people pass by and ignore her looking up at them hopefully, I feel like smacking those people. You don’t just ignore an old lady on the floor! Didn’t your mother teach you manners?! At least smile at her!
So I always buy buckets of snacks from her. Even if I don’t want them. Because I could always find friends and colleagues to eat them. If I had more hands, I would buy all the limited number of keropok she sold everyday. It’s not a lot anyway. 3 big packets of keropok for RM5.
I haven’t seen her in a while, so when I saw her yesterday I exclaimed and squatted on the floor in front of her, “Makcik!!! Long time no see!” I don’t think she remembers me, but she smiled anyway and asked how I was. Just like that I bought half of what she had laid on the floor.
A lady came next to us. “How much is one?”
“It’s RM5 for 3 packets. Buy 3 la.”
“No, I only want one,” the lady said in an irritated tone.
Boy, she irritated me! I gave her a look. I looked at her handbag; Gucci. Was it so difficult to give RM5 to this old fragile lady?! Who cares if you only want 1. Just buy 3 and give people la! You’ll get a better deal anyway.
The old lady looked so sad when Gucci walked away with just one packet. She sighed and looked up waiting for more people to pass by. And that made me want to cry. I wanted to turn back and buy the rest of the keropok she had, but my hands were full and I couldn’t exactly use my teeth to carry the packets.
So, I just walked away with a heavy heart.
My driver told me recently, “That old lady is actually very rich you know.”
“WHATT?!!!”
“Yeah, every morning her kid sends her to sell the keropok in a Mercedes. Then he picks her up again when she’s done.”
A lot of emotions came to me. Shocked, happy that she’s actually well-to-do, but at the same time sad because her kid makes her sell things by the roadside and leaves her there the whole day.
“She’s old, V. What else is there for her to do everyday? Maybe she enjoys selling things. She gets to meet all sorts of people, gets to fill her time etc.”
I thought about it and he had a point. Maybe it was her wish to sell keropok everyday, but still….I would never let my parents or grandma do that! If they were soooo adamant about wanting to sell things, then fine. I would accompany them, or at least get someone’s help to do so if I’m working. I would at least give them a proper table and chair to sit on and have their lunch all prepared. And a mobile phone so I can call them all the time…..OMG what if they have to go to the toilet?? I will have to put a portable loo next to them. And maybe a portable air-conditioner in case they get hot…and a little bed in case they get tired? OMG forget it…they’re not selling things by the roadside.
How could you let your own mother sit on the floor with worn-out non-slippers, in faded ragged clothes?! On the bare dirty floor that people pass by and spit on everyday!! At least lay out a mat or something.
What if the old lady suddenly fell while carrying those plastic bags full of keropok? What if she gets really tired? Where does she eat everyday? What if she’s thirsty and she cannot leave her selling area?
As anger was surging through me, my driver told me something else that made my blood boil.
He said, “But her son is heartless. He sent her one day, and she said she didn’t feel like selling today and she just wanted to go home. She begged him to send her home. He scolded her and forced her to sell anyway. And just drove off.”
I have no more words but $^£%&%@£%!$!£^$* YOU.
I pictured her face and I felt a big lump in my throat. I feel sick knowing there are people like the son around in this world. So rude, so ungrateful, so obnoxious, so heartless. If he doesn’t want her, I’ll take care of her! At least Opah will have a friend when I’m at work.
Sigh, I wish I had all the money in world. I know you all think the first thing I’d do is go to Chanel and wipe out the handbags, but really, I’d love to open an old folk’s home. A really fun, happy one. Opah can be my manager. Hehe.
heard yesterday or the day b4 yesterday news?
70years old parents,get their daughter to the court ,because the daughter,a lecturer,halau her parents from their own house which have been changed name to this woman..the daughter husband is also a lecturer..this kind of people teaches youngsters nowadays?gila!this actually happened in malaysia ok…
hey, i know the makcik youre talking about. she sells keropok in TTDI too. my mum sometimes talk to her as well, and you are right about her not being able to leave her selling area. so my mum always get her water and roti or some packed lunch to eat at her place. sometimes shes really thirsty but have no way to go buy air. i hope the story about the son is not true 🙁
hey V.. i know which makcik you’re talking about, and i feel exactly the way you do whenever i see her. i do make a point to buy banyak2 keropok too, eventho’ some dah ‘masuk angin’..hehe. its just so sad to see how cruel the world we’re living in, isnt it? 🙁
I havent seen her in a while. so its good to know that she’s still around..
any: whatt!!?!!! which newspaper is this? i tried to search online but cannot find.
syad: omg this makcik is famous! hehe.. that’s so nice of your mom!! i didn’t even think about getting her water…should do so next time i see her.
eveningstar: masuk angin ke? i loveee her kerepek bawang.
that’s actually a pretty noble thoughts u have there. an old folk’s home. crack me up with this—->Opah can be my manager.
I’m sure she would love too. =)
http://www.bharian.com.my/Current_News/BH/Thursday/Nasional/20091104232558/Article/
here`s the link….siapa punya lecturer la tu huhuh
Yes, I feel soooooo sad too whenever I see her around cuz imagine if this makcik was any of our relatives. And yes, I saw with my own eyes, she, coming out of that Mercedes!!! I was soooo upset because as much as it is her wish to sell those keropok pun, give her some form of security/companion lah! How can ANY son/daughter allow their grandma/mother to walk around in such weather on their own?! What more, Bgsr has a high crime rate. You think those merciless snatch thieves won’t attack elderly people ke? They’ve done it before so what makes the son/daughter think the makcik’s safe?? Arghhh. But fret not. Some shops like the kopitiam place next to MyMart actually give her food and drink. Bless them. Sigh, til today, it breaks my heart seeing her do the same thing every day :'(
omg i just read the article that any sent and i’m so happy that the parents won. and that they put the daughter and son-in-law’s full names for the world to see.. they should be shamed for life. my only disappointment is that there wasn’t any picture of them! i hope they’re ugly.
anh: you saw her come out of mercedes? did you see the son?
i was just thinking….where does she go if she wants the toilet?!
aneesa: heheh i’m going to have to teach opah how to use the computer to do excel spreadsheets and type letters….that should take a few years.
you know, probably the guy in the Mercedes dropping her off everyday isn’t really her son. maybe its a scam, like the Burmese ladies with kids sitting outside of mosques hoping for people’s sympathy to give them money. At the end of the day, we all know the money goes to the ‘puppeteers’. I’ve seen this hardworking old lady. I may be wrong about her ‘son’. I really really hope I am. Cos if that’s the case, thats worse. What do you do knowing that the money you donate (in this case, spend) will not go into the pockets of those working hard for it but to the conniving bastards slaving the poor people instead? Spoke to a friend of mine bout this. We are lucky to have the life we have and to have options and the ability to choose and decide.
like in slumdog millionaire! that’s what i thought too…but she looks too cheerful to be a “puppet”…if it’s true, it’s a serious thing!! would involve the police.
sighh my heart goes out to her and i wish there was something we could all do to help her 🙁
omg V, I know exactly which old lady you meant! I think all bangsar people already recognize her. so kesiaan kan? I mean hellooo! an old lady selling keropok all by herself? everytime I saw her, I’ll definitely bought 3 packets of the keropok. cannot tahan lah tgk the nenek kan? I couldnt even look at an old lady/man eating alone at the mamak stall or something. serious shit, I feel so saddd 🙁 anyway, my friend told me that there was one night, his friends saw this old lady peed on the roadside, outside maybank I guess :S
Hey, I know this makcik too.. In fact, we’re friends now. Hehe.. You people can see her around noon right in front of Maybank (Bangsar), she’ll be there right beside the ATM machine entrance. Well I don’t know whether it is a scam/trick or what, but we always present her new clothes right before ‘Hari Raya’ every year, but yet she seems to wear the same top over and over again. And because she came at the right timing at Nirwana few months back, I even invited her to join my table and buy her drink, ‘teh ‘o’ panas’ to be exact, her favorite laa tuu.. Me and my sis chit chatted with her for a while, but she seems to keep quite regarding her life though. Well, im just too curious to know who send and fetch her home all this while, is she being tortured, being force to do all this job, etc.. and hopefully it’s not a scam lahh.. Anyway, that’s all for my part. See you soon makcik keropok!! I’l buy your keropok pisang and 2 of ur keropok pedas-pedas sikit..
there’s another makcik in kelana jaya too..she gets dropped off by a dark blue bmw..
i am not from Bangsar, hence never see the makcik..but my heart goes to her. sad sad :(. how could the son (if only it is true) let her sell the keropok tepi jalan. at her age, she supposes to be relaxing at home playing with cucu ok.ish!!
btw, i’ve googled and the lecturer is from UITM. give UITM such a bad rep.aish!! x malu betul.
V, here’s a profile of the ungrateful daughter (Re: Berita Harian article) –
http://rajasuzana.cgpublisher.com/biography.html
How shameful! And I can’t believe she said that her salary is not enough to support her parents. Her BASIC pay alone is RM 4,400 for God’s sake. (Re: http://uthmdehati.wordpress.com/2009/01/22/kisah-si-tanggang-moden/) Ridiculous.
And somehow, I have a feeling that this Makcik Keropok might be a victim of a syndicate. I could never imagine a son doing that to his mother. =(
Oopsie, I accidentally typed the wrong URL – http://uthmdehati.wordpress.com/2009/01/22/kisah-si-tanggang-moden/
You have a heart of gold! x
Yeah, I’ve heard stories about her coming out of a Merc but am not too sure how true that is.
I was eating at Madam Kwan a few years back, took two pictures of her, you can check them out here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/arafiazaid/2737035200/in/set-72157606015409887/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/arafiazaid/2736194989/in/set-72157606015409887/
I saw her from a distance. I was in front of Bgsr’s Mcd and she was dropped off by the roadside. So I didn’t get to see the son/scammer properly! If this was a scam, something should be done. Using elderly people as your bait? PFFFTTT. Heartless.
Oh my goodness. I’ve been passing by that area every working day at lunch time. She is always in front of Public Bank!! Yes, she has been there from 2007. That was 2 years ago and yet she is stil sellin on the floor. I do help her to buy some keropok sometimes.
I’m not sure whether the story abt her comin out from merc and abt her son. I feel very sorry for her..
Maybe from now on, I wil get her a bottle of water perhaps? God bless the ppl who helps her.
great post! you have a very naaaaaaaais heart. i like ur writing, i can feel them 🙂
hi PD
that is the famous makcik.used to bumped n bought her keropok.since 2000.
she always stationed at in front of maybank.
masih ade ke dia till now,2010?
earlier this year i think i saw her..
kesian
hello..
i know this mak cik too..always see her right outside maybank in TTDI..sometimes another mak cik accompanies her, and once i saw 2 small kids with her..dunno who the kids are but the other mak cik always hangs around the area too..i love her white kerepek ubi and the pedas ones..sometimes she gives another packet of a different kerepek for free..sigh..i always wonder too about her meals and toilet needs..i think she goes home quite late at night, cos the latest i’ve seen her was around 10pm..i really, really hope no harm happens to her while selling her stuff..she looks so old and frail..she should be resting at home at her age..my heart breaks everytime i see her..