I thought the week of later than late nights was over, but ended up on overtime again last night. Not by much, but I do love to complain.
As luck would have it, I got into the cab with a $10 note, a $50 note and some coins.
And as luck would have it, the cab driver was a Mat Rocker wannabe unkker with curly locks to his shoulders. I can normally get home on a $10 and a couple of coins, but not with the midnight surcharge tonight. I didn't think it's unreasonable to expect a driver to have change for $50 on a $15.30 fare, but of course he didn't have any, because obviously, "everybody" has been giving him $50 notes all night.
So, the so-called "customer" (s'posedly sometimes known as "king") has to go to a nearby 24-hour coffeeshop to beg for change, even though I really don't understand why it must be so.
Surprisingly, a few of the tables are actually occupied by customers. Not surprisingly, the young Malay dude manning the drinks counter refuses to break my $50. The grin on his face seems plastered there permanently, making it highly irritating to look upon.
'Buy something lah,' he grins, 'then can give you.'
I return to the cab. 'Unkker, you must buy something, then they will give you change.'
'Aiyah, coffeeshops are always like that! OK lah, you help me buy a kopi lah.' I've apparently become a coffee girl.
Back at the coffeeshop with $50 in hand, I order a takeaway coffee. The grin-y dude takes his time to make it, and then I hand him the $50.
Still grinning, he says, 'It's 90 cents. Don't you have $10 or something? We don't have change.'
I'm almost hissing by now. 'You said you would give me change if I buy something!'
So he asks his colleagues if they've got any change. Of course they don't, but they don't want to take the coffee back. 'Nevermind, you come and pay tomorrow.' Like hell I will.
Scowling, I leave the coffee at the counter and leave. I can't believe I'm dealing with this kind of sh!t at one in the morning.
Stomp back to the gratuitously smiling cab driver, reject his offer of driving to a nearby gas station to get change, and tell him I am going home to bring him the cash. Was tempted to not go back. But of course I did.
