Quality Moments

[Yesterday]

The engine of my automobile has been giving out a whizzing sound for the past few days. It got worst this morning. Even with the stereo blasting aloud, I could still hear the flipping sound. It was incalculably embarrassing!

Decided to take the car straight to the service centre after offloaded my kids to school. Managed to convince the guy to squeeze me in for a servicing as well, despite not having an appointment. Oops, my usual tricks! Knowing that it would be a whole day affair, I went back to the office, courtesy of my partner's chaffeuring.

By 3pm, still no call from the service centre, eventually sweet talked my partner to give me a lift to pick up my girl from school and drop us at the service centre.

We had no choice but to wait at the 'waiting lounge'. Sofa, Astro, mags, coffee machine, WiFi available. No grounds for complaint, huh? Well, surely I have. The sofa was too straight, too uncomfortable to slump backwards; the air-con was too cold as it was raining; the Astro has got no Wah Lai Toi or other Chinese channels; the mags were ancient. My girl seemed intrigued by the coffee machine. I certainly need my usual dose of caffein.

This gave my girl a chance to pour her feelings out to me. We chatted at length, from best friends to peer pressure, from Additional Maths to Biology, from the new PM teacher to Orlando Bloom (Umm... what's the connection here?), from Accountancy to Quantity Surveying(Mind you, I was just trying to discourage her, QSing would be the last thing she should consider), from blog skins to HTML.

She used to be adamant whenever I gave negative comments, but today, I could feel my words began to impinge on her mind gradually. Her visage gave indications that she was getting into the right frame of mind. I improvised judiciously and expressed my concern about her studies and priorities, as I told her ultimately it is all for her own good, is her own life that she is leading.

The car was ready by 6.30pm, a whole three-hour waiting. To my horror, the bill came to a whooping RM1,350.00. All the belts (fan belts, tensioner belt, belt polygrooved. Wait, wait, chotto matte kudasai, aren't they the same thing?) assembly came to almost RM800. I am fully aware that my car is equipped with a Mercedes CDi engine and also aware that Ssangyong has since come under the wings of Mercedes Benz, does that mean they can now charge me the Merz price?

That fella went, "Errr, Ma'am, we have given you a discount on the parts already and here is your free gift."

Trying to sweeten me up with two bloody tumblers?

PATHETIC!!!

Turned around, my girl was flaunting a smile. I felt incredibly contented and uplifted. I truly treasured the intimate talk that we just had.