Tuesday, February 06, 2007

A Man in Charge of a Wartel

About 500 meters away from my home, there is a man his 60s whose daily job is sitting right next to a telephone booth in Wartel (a telecommunication stall where you can make local, long distant & international call (almost a common sight in every part of Indonesia).

I assume he can not read nor write, for the only thing he does while sitting is babysitting a baby whom I assume could be one of his grandchildren. What intrigued me to write about him is his being honest and full of trust in others or customers.

Never does he count the money he receives from the customers. Never does he also read how much money he gets from the customers. So how does he know that the customers pay the bill once they finish using the phone? He is just sort of handing out a calculator on the desk and asking the customers to count by themselevs how much they have to pay!!!

The first time I used the service, I felt kind of strange and did not believe what I was going through, for he sort of trusted any one who used the service without any doubts or fear of being cheated.
(THIS IS the time when I started to wonder
if there had been any persons who cheated on him).

Well, it is simply possible, since he never checks the bill. He just takes any amount of money from the customers. As far as I can guess, he is really a trustworthy man and a kind hearted one, too. He keeps smiling and sometimes lets out a cough or two--signs of his aging. I do like using the service he is having. It is one of the best service I have ever known so far... Even when he does not talk.

His simple smiles and his being kind to his customers make me feel welcome and calm.

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