Sunday, November 16, 2008

today, i met a kid whom i like a lot. he's a scrawny boy, probably about ten or eleven. he is so young, yet he is already helping out at his dad's bbq seafood stall. he is so young, yet he already has dyed hair. he is so young, yet he has probably seen more than his peers.

many of the kopitiam patrons think that he is a rude fellow, because he gives cheeky replies when they ask why is their food taking so long, because he talks loudly, because he swears. but, i see a little boy who has learnt to protect himself himself by having a sharp tongue. i see a little boy who has learnt to swear because his father does it. i see a little boy.

some may think that he is incorrigible, an egg gone bad. but i know he is not. i know he has so much more potential, than the kids of the lawyers, the teachers, the doctors, the whatevers. yes, the hawker kid. because, behind the rude words and gestures, i see respect in his eyes. something that is probably missing in the son of the lawyer, and the daughter of the doctor.

i dunno how a kid triggered so much thought. but i really hope he has enough sense to not go astray, because there is so much more for him to achieve. ;)