Nice Surprises, Kindness Of Strangers
By Ignatius Stephen

"Indonesia?"

"No, Brunei."

That surprised the motorist.

He turned on the key and looked at the youth fishing out change from a pouch.

The young man at the pump must have been about 25 or 26.

He was neat and tidy and his service was superb.

His pleasant manners and friendly demeanour were quite unusual in a hectic place like this, where ill temper and curt behaviour was usually the order of the day.

But this attendant smiled warmly and said thank you.

It was hot and humid, and there was a long queue.

But that did not seem to bother this energetic youth.

He remained cheerful.

"How long have you been working here?"

"Three years, sir."

And as he drove away, he could not help giving the youth a $10 tip.

"Thank you, sir."

It was the turn of the young man to be surprised.

He looked at the money again and his face lit up.

But maybe the motorist made a mistake.

"Don't worry. The money is for you. You made me very happy today."

The motorist, obviously very pleased, smiled as he pulled out.

Indeed, he was now in a good mood.

But only a few minutes ago he was a troubled man.

He had all sorts of problems, business and personal, and his misery was quite obvious as he went in for gas that afternoon.

And the long wait at the bottom of the line did not help.

But now, as if by magic, his ill temper evaporated.

And he kept smiling.

It had taken so little to break his gloom.

Astonishingly, it was only a few words of kindness from a stranger that lifted the dark clouds.

Someone he did not even know.

How strange.

The motorist, a Brunei businessman, began to think as he drove along.

Only a few years ago he would not have expected a local lad working the pump.

It was all foreigners then.

Now, here was a Bruneian and doing a good job of it. How everything has changed and continues to change for the better.

"Brunei boleh!"

He continued to smile.

Yes, Brunei boleh.

And he had seen Bruneians working overseas. Why not?

As long as they did things well and earned honest money. Not long ago he met a pilot from Brunei with a foreign airline.   -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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