Cheating even small sums.

"The guy who came told you his supplement can cure you of diabetes?" his lady friend asked. "Well, if the guy is so confident of his supplement doing that, he should not worry about letting you try a bottle of his supplement. Tell him you would pay for it if it really does get rid of your diabetes," his lady friend suggested.

"Well, I don't think he would want to give you a bottle to try. What if you refuse to pay him the money even when the doctor had certified that you are totally cured of your diabetes," the man told her.

"Come on! As though a person who can recover from diabetes would not pay a thousand or two for that marvelous supplement. Certainly the person would be so grateful for the cure that he would immediately pay for it," she protested at the preposterous idea of not wanting to pay.

"You think that is not possible? And you're talking about things worth more than a thousand ringgit. Let me tell you my experience as a hawker. I am selling noodles and each bowl or packet of noodles cost a mere one ringgit and sixty sen when I was hawking. There was this man who has been frequenting my stall for some months. One day he came for two packets of the noodles. When everything was ready for him to take the two packets of noodles, he told me he forgot to bring out any money. He told me he would bring the money the next time he would come for noodles. Well, he was already a sort of regular customer by then. Three months. Furthermore, the two packets cost only two ringgit and thirty sen. So I allowed him to take those two packets with the belief he would pay another day. Would you believe it? Since that day, for the last few years I was still there I did not see the chap again. He just disappeared for a miserable two ringgit and sixty sen! Just for two packets of noodles! Imagine that! So what more if it is a thousand ringgit!" the man demanded to know.

"You just said the chap did not appear again. Perhaps he died," the woman suggested.

"Okay, let us say this one died. But this is not the only one who have cheated. Some are even very creative with their stories. There was one who perhaps had some kind of conscience. The young man bought five packets and told me he had not enough money as he had to buy something else. So he paid for two packets and promised to pay for the other three packets the next day. Again, the young man has been frequenting the shop for some time and so what was three packets of noodles but merely
three ringgit and ninety sen. Nobody can get rich with such a small sum of money and none can be very much poorer with three ringgit and ninety sen less. Well, believe it or not, the man was never seen again. Another of your dead men?" he asked with indignation written all over his face.

"Well, he could have moved house to another town. You know, too far away to return just to pay three ringgit and ninety sen. The bus-fare itself will most probably be double or triple that," was the only possible comment of the lady.

"And you know there was one time when a stranger did go off with a free breakfast. The man came smartly dressed you would never realise here was a cheap-skate, small-time con. He ordered three packets of noodles and asked that one of the packets be prepared first as the friend in the car was waiting for him to give him one packet before going some place. For this friend, the guy wanted a very special packet with everything extra; extra noodles, more meat, added vegetables and eggs. When the packet was ready, the smartly dressed guy took the packet, rushed over to a car parked on the other side of the road and before anyone was aware of it, he was in the driver's seat and driving away. No chance of recording any numbers from the number plate. The next time I looked up from preparing the other two packets, the guy was gone with his car. And I was left with two packets without any takers. And, of course, no money! What a con! That guy was real creative, getting me absorbed in preparing another two packets for him and expecting him to return for them. Well, one thing you can say about these guys. They have brains, only that their brains were being wrongly used. And so, don't ever ask me again who would not pay for a supplement that had got them back their health. Many, believe me. Many!"

Well, there are certainly many types of people in this world and some of them would stoop very low for things free. Fortunately, I believe that those who are good, honest and caring still make up the majority. Thank God for that.