Lessons From Choki Choki...

As I arrived at my home last week, my brother, Izu, reached for my hands and left a sum of money in it.

I smiled and wondered.

"What is this?" I asked him.

"Err.. In Malaysia we have this thing called MONEY", he answered briefly.

"yeah. I know that silly. What is it for?" I replied, laughed at his stupidness.

"I did owe you right? But, I'll pay more soon. This is just half of it." he answered.

Yes, he does owe me but I don't expect for a return. He asked me to buy him a pair of shoes and I did, to fulfill my responsibility as a brother. If I didn't, who will, right?

"Where did you get this much? I won't take it if you get it from mom" I asked after a short silence.

"Haha.. I'm richer than you now, you see. I can get Rm 120 for two weeks", he answered, leaving me blank again.

"What exactly are you doing?" I was eager to know more.

"Easy. Choki Choki. I sell it in the hostel, the students have no choice than to get it from me. haha.." the proud face was in his face. It was in mine too.

He was caught before selling sausages to the student. His method, buy a lot of cheap sausages and fill it in a pail of hot boiling water, the well-known method by desperate students for generations. And sell it for fifty cents per sausage. 

I'm not actually worried of him getting caught or senior students cheating him. That school he's in, is my legacy. 

My eldest brother, and my cousins was in there and no senior students has ever actually touch him. The only thing I worried about, and I ought to, is the warden.

And now, Choki Choki?? I have no idea. It's not that my parents don't feed him enough or not giving him pocket money, in fact, my mother always complaining about him asking her to visit every weekends. It's just that he loves to has money on his effort.

I once asked him of what he wants to be and the answer has never changed. "I want to be a businessman. I want to buy a lot and lots of cows and sell it. Then I want to buy a lot and lots of cars and sell it too." Obviously, I don't know what he choose to keep. But that is his answer from kindergarten -I remembered my mother's friend, his teacher told us about it and we laughed so hard- until now.

He's a good student, I can say that. With his results of 4A's in UPSR and 6A's 2B's in PMR, we are proud of him. But he never shows much interest in sciences although he scores them. Guess that numbers, or in this case, money, are very much of his interest.

The story of him and Choki Choki taught me a lot of things. I have most everything that he has, or even more, except for the fact that he's taller than me and quite tougher too, but I can't beat him in this matter... That also leaves me with a question, "Why can't I?"

Yes, my father forbids me to work as part time when I was in 3 months holidays or what, but that's not an excuse. 

Also, the story of him and Choki Choki taught me of one thing. To gain money is a lot of effort and the effort don't have to wait for a degree or a master.

And, about the money he gave me, I'll think of something useful for him, InsyaAllah.. ^^