Nothing last forever

When I knew my hubby for the first time, he was working as a Technician for a fire-alarm related company. He drove van and ran around the city to service the fire extinguishers, installing and checking fire alarm systems inside the buildings, etc. He worked there for around six years then decided to quit so that he could find a better work that was more suitable for him, also to earn more money to feed the family.

Since he wanted to earn more money, he tried to do sales job. He tried twice. One was in the handphone shop, another one was in the jewellery shop. However, he was too honest and unable to sweet-talk the customers, also he couldn’t stand to stand up too long inside the shop. Therefore, he decided that sales job wasn’t his cup of tea at all.

Many times he couldn’t have a heart to charge the customers, especially the elderly, who claimed his/her hand phone spoiled, but it was actually not and only needed to do some small adjustment to turn it on again. Same thing happened in the jewellery shop. He couldn’t have a heart to allure (a.k.a. trap) the customers (mostly elderly aunties) who was attracted to purchase a cheap $10 pendant or stone bracelet, to purchase a much more expensive gold/diamond jewellery. He just worked there in less than a month and decided to quit.

He was quite desperate, not knowing what he was good at, or capable with. His saving diminished slowly as he still needed to pay bills, house loan, and other things (since he didn’t work, no CPF was contributed into his account, which therefore, he had to top-up cash money to pay the house loan). He struggled that period quite badly and almost fell into depression as he had to be jobless for quite long period of time.

Luckily, he had a cousin, few buddies, also family members who supported him all the time. Buddha also pitied him with his situation until one day his cousin’s buddy was offering him to work under his company, to engage a contract with other company that allowed him to work as a personal driver.

I might say it was a fate ba! It’s his good karma to be able to get this job. It was really good from the start. The company that his cousin’s buddy had a contract with, employed his Boss, a Thai-Chinese man who in his 40s, as an expatriate to work in Singapore. He married with a humble and down-to-earth woman who would stay in Singapore once in a while to accompany her husband.

When I said about his good karma, it referred to his Boss and his Boss’s wife who were very good and kind-heart. Although his Boss was graduated from Professorial degree and held a very high post in the company, he respected everyone including my hubby who worked only as his driver. He was also a very humble person. I often heard my hubby praising over both of them, especially his Boss. Sometimes he couldn’t believe such a person existed in this world.

The place where his Boss stayed was quite far away from where we lived. My hubby had to take and switch bus twice and it took him more than an hour just to commute one way (including waiting time for the bus to arrive). He often grumbled and called me when he missed out the bus, which made him waiting for another half an hour for another bus to come. Every morning, he had to go out early from home too. Luckily his Boss usually worked only after 9.30am.

He was quite happy with his job in first few years. But after that, there were some changes made in contract as requested by the company, which made his salary decreasing. However, my hubby still continued with the work, on account of his Boss and his Boss’s wife. Both of them had been very kind to him and treated him well, that’s what made him stay.

There were ups and downs in his life working in this job. Good thing was when his Boss flew overseas, it meant holiday for him. Sometimes it could be as long as one month. I always envied him for this :P But when his Boss stayed in Singapore for weeks continuously, most of the time he had to work continuously too, sometimes with no days off. He had to work during weekends too as his Boss loved to play golf.

His Boss’s wife would give him cookies (handmade by her sister) when she came back from her home country and sometimes buy goreng pisang or fried banana after shopping some Thai food in Beach Road. Every Chinese New Year, the couple would hand in red packet to him as a token of hard work appreciation, which came out from their own pocket (My hubby’s job didn’t entitle him for 13th month salary or bonus just like others who worked in the company. Therefore, the additional red packet would mean a lot for him).

Day passed, years went by. Today it’s a last day of my hubby serving his Boss. My hubby had decided to stop working as he wanted to try another opportunity offered by his cousin’s buddy, still to work as driver, but in different way. It’s been almost six years he had worked with his Boss and it was time for him to strike while he still could. He had to quit this job with a heavy heart, as he would no more serving his Boss and his Boss’s wife.

Since early this month, when his cousin’s buddy announced the discontinuation of the contract, his Boss, his Boss’s wife, and his Boss’s secretary were all asking what the reason was and tried to persuade him to stay. However later on, both of them understood his situation and supported him to pursue his dream and to grab the opportunity.

Few days ago, he sent off his Boss’s wife to the airport. She flew back to her home country. After dropping her off, his Boss’s wife gave a hug to him and he almost cried. This morning, he sent his Boss off to the airport. After dropping out his luggage from the car, they talked for a while and before separated, his Boss asked him to give him a hug, wished him good luck, and passed another red packet to him. He was so touched for both his and his wife’s gestures and kindness. Both of them had treated him not just like a low-class driver where usually others might do, but more like a good friend, or maybe more than that?

He was deeply touched, couldn’t resist more to hold his tears and finally burst out after he left, and called me right away. On the phone I asked him to express what he felt so that he could let the sadness go. I know it’s hard for him to separate with these two persons who have meant a lot for him in his life. He even said it’s been such a long time since he last cried.

Hubby, his Boss and lady Boss - Housewarming Steamboat Jul 12

Actually, I admired my hubby for his spirit and passion to serve his Boss and lady Boss. He put his heart, effort and did the very best into his job. He always did his job full of responsibility, always prepared in advance on the locations he needed to go, checked the arrival and departure times, always be early to wait and not to be waited, be honest with his overtime hour, didn’t anyhow utilize the company’s vehicle, and so on. Sometimes he complained when he got tired because he had to wake up so early to fetch his Boss’s niece to school (as he was not a morning person), or to stay as late as past midnight to wait for his Boss finished his entertainment’s job. However, he continued doing his job happily, again, on account of his Boss’s kindness.

I tried to appease him, “There is nothing lasts forever in this world. No matter how good they are to you, one day, you still have to separate from them. Even if it’s not today, in one year, in two years, or more, they still have to go back to their home country, and you still have to move on to find another job. Since this is your decision on what you want to do, let this passes on. I am sure they also felt touched by your dedication and kindness towards them these past six years. But you see, they could accept the fact that since it’s a good opportunity for you to have a better career, they never selfishly insisted you to stay with them, no matter how much they wanted you to stay. And the fact that they treated you with respect and wanted you to stay had shown how much they treasured you as a good and kind human being.”

Farewell gift by his Boss's secretary

Well, the day has come. Nothing last forever, really. I hope my hubby’s sadness will be over soon and I really hope that his dream of the new venture will come true and hope everything will go smoothly. Wish you all the very best Dut, and good luck!! :)