BUANASENI

The Gun Incident Again

GUNS scare me. I recalled that in 2004, a gun was pointed at my head. It was as if future memory had been played in my mind showing episodes of my future wife and my unborn kids. If that happens again in 2009, then those images would have been my wife of five years marriage and my four years old son. In 2009, there was a “gun incident” but none was pointed at my head.

I was working in the Finance Department of a company that owns the intellectual properties (“IP”) for various Malay movies. Those days, significant portion of a movie revenue would be contributed by its Digital Video Discs (“DVD”) sales. The company had made a deal with a DVD pirate whereby they would produce original DVDs exclusively instead of pirating. The catch was, that pirate would use their “influence” to ensure that all the other pirates would back off and not do any piracy of those movies. The revenues were meant to be split between the pirate and the IP owner.

Observing the agreement that the IP owner had with the pirate, I was to collect the IP owner’s share of the sales collection. So, I went to pay a visit, reluctantly. I was waiting in the meeting room for the chief pirate, a Chinese Dato’. The wait wasn’t that long but it sure felt like eternity. So the Dato’, he came in. “Hello! Johan. Long time no see. Normally we just meet during Hari Raya open house. Why today you are here?”

“No lah! Dato’. Maintain relationship maaaa!. Like this Dato’. Usually, you would pay on time. However, I can see that the last few quarters, there hasn’t been any payment. I just wanted to check whether everything is ok on your side.”

“Ehhh! Johan, wait ahhhh! I don’t feel comfortable. My jacket is too tight.” He stood up from where he was sitting and took out a gun out from the jacket and placed it on the table.

“Ehhh! Dato’. What is this? I am nobody lah. I am no threat. No need to show your gun lah Dato’. We just have a chat lah. You just tell me how do you plan to settle this and I will talk to my boss lah.”

“Ehhh! What are you talking about? Why are you so scared? I am fat and this gun is taking too much space in my jacket lah. Aiyaa!!! Relaxlah.”

I smiled but forcefully. He then took a piece of serviette and a Mont Blanc pen from his jacket. He scribbled on the serviette what looked like a table with time frame and amounts to be paid back. Then he spoke, “Ok! Like this. I am facing some cash flow hick ups. If you guys can wait a bit, I will surely pay one. Here, look at this. How does this look like? Can work?”

I took the serviette and only stared at the total on the bottom right. The amount seems right rounded to the nearest thousand. I nodded. Then, I wasn’t sure which idiot spirit had entered my cerebrum, I foolishly said, “Huh! Ok! Dato’. Now can you sign on this piece of paper? At least I can tell my boss this is not something I made up”

The Dato’ stared at me. I stared at the gun.