We’ve all had moments where we’ve been tight on cash, especially when it comes to the end of the month and gaji belum masuk.
Well, a Subang couple found themselves in such a situation when they needed to come up with RM165 to replace the battery of their Proton Wira on Wednesday.
Thankfully, they were safe in the kind hands of car shop owner, Nicky Tan, who posted about helping them out with the ordeal on Facebook. It’s quite heartwarming too! Faith in humanity restored.
He shares,
“They gathered all the money they had which amounted to RM90, with a gift voucher and coins that made up about RM10.”
The couple searched the entire car, including the armrest compartment to scrape out as much as they could.
Tan said his heart broke when he saw the woman cupping her hands with all the coins they had. He instantly felt compelled to help the couple in any way that he could. He said in his post,
“I told the uncle I would give them a new battery and asked them to keep the coins and RM10 for their trip back to Subang. [They could] use the voucher to buy food.”
Nonetheless, the couple didn’t take advantage of Tan’s kindness. They insisted on him taking RM80 and the voucher as payment.
Tan said he would’ve even given the battery to them for free if they hadn’t assured him that their financial situation was still manageable.
“They said their life is hard but still manageable. Even after I offered the voucher back to them, they said their daughter gave them the voucher to buy groceries and they still have a lot at home.”
Although the kind shop owner didn’t make much money from the job, he told Malay Mail that he wasn’t bothered by it as seeing their situation reminded him of a time in his life where he was tight on cash himself.
There was a point in Tan’s life where he didn’t have enough money to eat.
“I’ve been through their situation before. I’m not rich but I’m not hungry. I think I’m so blessed as it is.”
Since posting about the poor couple, Tan has received many responses from netizens who praised him for his kindness.
Even though he didn’t expect his post to go viral, Tan says he hopes his small gesture will inspire others to help people who need it, regardless of race and religion.
“Recently there’s a lot of negative and racially sensitive news. I feel happy that everyone is giving positive feedback [especially] during this Merdeka month. It’s just a small gesture but I felt very happy after helping them.”
Kudos to you, Nicky! May we all practice being this compassionate to our fellow Malaysians this Merdeka.
Read more: M’sian Man Abandoned at Hospital With Only RM2 After An Accident, Saved by Kind Mother-Son Duo