Chapter 7 Jobless in My Home Town.

In shame I left that "prestigious"Centre.Yes once I had great admiration for it but having been it and almost obviously destroyed by it,I left in disgrace.To me what appeared to be "prestigious"had diminished with me,it never was that.To me the Centre was rubbish for it is not as great as others amplified.

Many felt that I messed up my position,well,it was their opinion when you are down what they said appeared to be the truth,but to me I knew very well that I am good not what they say I was.It was a matter of opinions.I am a firm believer of fate,yes,fate and it was never with me.The Manager was damn bias and against me,a planter from the Chinese plantation.He treated me without due respect.Well he was the Manager an a corrupted one I dare say.

Although I was not retained by them I still feel proud of my being a Chinese Planter for I am honest and never corrupted as him.I maybe at his mercy this time around and I was the ultimate loser.He was a racist and I am not.From his body language I know he does not like Chinese planters that was why many under him were never promoted.

I went straight back home to Teluk Anson.That night I had a very very lonely night standing at the jetty where we once learned to swim looking forlornly ahead in tears.It was high tide and the water level were almost up to the jetty.As it was already late no one were around as I shed tears thinking deeply,pondering about my future.

My thought ran into why I was bout about with such misfortunes.I though maybe it was really my own fault.Yes you may want to work hard but fate had it that what you did were wrong to that extend that be ridiculed.Perhaps I was never made to be a planter.Cannot be if I can passed an examination many Senior Assistant failed that I ma not really that bad.I was at that jetty for more than two hours.

I felt lost and i needed some shoulder to cry and clinked on while I recuperate from mu setback.I knew a young girl but felt she did not possess that strength of support which I required so badly in times of need.My mind traveled back to another girl friend whom I had neglected in the past.Yes,she was more matured and she knew me better,now I needed her support immediately.With her support I can strive on and forged bravely ahead.

Unfortunately she was no more around her home town - so I set out to locate her.It was no easy task as I had to locate her through her friends.I was lucky for her friends were ever willing to help out and I got her address.Armed with that I immediately left for Yong Peng ,Johore to find her.Obviously that surprised her,yes I was damn lucky and wasted no time in winning her back.With her with me I began applying for planting position again.In time of need a woman's imminent support make the difference.With it I stood up again staunchly.

Following weeks I loitered around town and incidentally met another planter,my dear friend Moothy.To my utter surprised he too was retrenched by his agency.What a coincidence.So together we painted the town red.We were not from the same schools and about the same age.Of course I knew him well.Every evening we would met in front of the Great World Park for a cup of coffee or soup.Later I secured a position as Manager of Ulu Selangor Estate and joined it.He was still jobless when I last saw him.

Actually I was only jobless for a few months before I was re-employed as Manager of Ulu Selangor Estate,Kuala Kubu Bahru,Selangor.This plantation was only 1500 acres and it occupied half of a big hill,therefore it was hilly in actual fact slopping down on the western side.This plantation can well to viewed from a distance from the highway.There was a terrible tragedy happening to this plantation before I joined it.

Accordingly more than half of its tapping force were wipe out in an accident along the main trunk road just after a Malay "kampong".Its transportation overturned killing .Tappers and a few workers were from a tiny town called Rasa.Every thing were back to normal when I joined them.The whole area was matured rubber.

No sooner had I settled down I met its Visiting Manager,another European planter from "Swine Babi".He was very prompt as was he right on time on the appointed date of his visit.Mind you he turned out to be a walker - a marathon walker.From a down spot he began walking,initially at moderate speed then on seeing I could catch up he accelerated faster which somewhat seems to be a run.Well admittedly I could not match his powerful strides.At the half way mark I became breathless and could hardly follow him and allowed him to venture around on his own.To me this guy apparently was taking as though the visit was just another practice walkaton for him.He even had the nerve to advise me to take up running every evening.

By noon he had finished his field work and we returned to our office where he saw our crop figures etc.and query in several questions.By 2.00 p.m. his job was completed and he left us.Smiling broadly as he left advised me again to run every evening.
My opinion was that we were planters not runners or walker,taking the fields for his practice was never right.He was super fit for the walk,yes I managed to follow him half way.What about older planters like my predecessor,definitely there was no way he could have walked along with him.Well,it takes all type of men to be a planter and he definitely was some specimen.

Somehow fate had it that we never met again as I soon resigned from the plantation.The plantation owner were people who prefer to listen to his contractor rather than the Manager he employs.Apparently the contractor having been with him for many years was a trusted friend.With I would not tolerate his insolence and all the old practices in the plantation.He went directly to the Boss who rather listen to him than me.It became a question whether it was the contractor or me,he allowed me to resign before the six months period was up.Yeah I may have resigned but made a wiser man.

Some funny employer and he was a well known man in the rubber Industry those days and had written a thesis on extraction of rubber oil from rubber seeds,what utter rubbish.Mind you he was a "Dato".

I left that to join K.C. Cheah Sawmill.Pahang