today's tuesday

It was not yet six pm, but a long line of people were already queing up for the food. They received the styrofoam box placed in their hand and walked down the corridor in an orderly manner.

First, rice was piled into the box. Then a spoonful of hot curry covered the rice. A packet of Nesvita is given out along with a straw and finally there were the bananas and the biscuits.

The surrounding was definitely different from Klang, I must say. The tarred road, which leads to a dead end is covered with grime and dust. The tall buildings all around gave all of its shadows to the road and the five feet corridors. Success may lie in the buildings but who should know what came together with the success?
The people were different, too, but no more different than you and I. Some were old and bent doubled by age, a few still had traces of youthful energy in them. Still others owned lines of age on their faces.

I'm sure all of them had a different story to tell. Abusive husband, maybe. Quarelling parents, irresponsible children. Broken hearts and healing bone fractures. Radiotherapy and rats.

The cardboard in the old man's hand maybe his bed. Beg besar yang berwarna biru itu munking mengandungi seluruh kehidupan wanita yang tua itu. Ada antara mereka yang berjalan terencot-encot. Segelintir pula mempunyai tangan yang tidak boleh berhenti terketar-ketar, bagaikan penyakit yang mengombak badan mereka menetap di sana sejak mereka belia seperti kita.

Ramai yang berbudi bahasa, langsung berbeza dengan rakyat Klang. Mereka mengucap "Terima kasih" dan "Bye" apabila kami memberi senyuman yang kecil. Satu tindakan yang sopan yang mampu menyentuh hati seseorang, walaupun perkataan tersebut disebut seperti bisikan.

Meskipun saya tidak tinggal di tepi jalan seperti mereka, I still wonder about their living conditions and why they put up with it. There are shelters and such, but I guess they do not want to give up living as they are now.

There is One who looks at all of us all the time. Our every step we make is watched, every word spoken. He is the one who loves us, the one who, as Raoul sings in Phantom of the Opera, "will guard and guide".

"...he restores my soul"