Glamorous, not!

If at all there is one thing I am guilty of, it's the fact that I don't suffer fools gladly. While not proud of it, I do wish sometimes I had not come down too hard on such nitwits. After all, being a blockhead is bad enough, without someone telling you that you are.

Of course, the unkind ones would smirk and say I have a laser mouth. Lest it be misunderstood, even laser mouths come in different varieties. Most times, however, I don't shoot my mouth unnecessarily.

Once, I berated a cocky young man for jumping a supermarket queue, reserving another cutting dose for the cashier who served him despite that glaring fact.

The other shoppers were obviously annoyed with him but they chose to seethe silently. But I saw no reason to take such rudeness lying down. Why should I tolerate his insolence?

It is certainly not beyond me to reprimand people for whatever wrong they do publicly, from littering to intentionally driving the wrong way up a one-way street (that warrants 'the finger') to indulgent parents letting their boisterous kids loose in a restaurant, shrieking and squealing, running into patrons and furniture alike.

Whatever wrong people do in private is none of my concern, unless their actions publicly impinge upon and impact on the lives of others. This includes abusers of all shades and I have been alienated more often than I care to remember for standing up to a spousal abuser.

Last night I came face to face with yet another twit. Somehow, I held my acid tongue; maybe it was because I was on my way to solat (prayer). Otherwise he would have had it nice and proper from this old grouch.

We were at the Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club (KLGCC) in Bukit Kiara for dinner when the azan (call for prayers) sounded from a nearby mosque. Deciding to do our Maghrib before eating, we proceeded to look for the surau (prayer room).

This club had undergone a massive, multi-million ringgit renovation over the last one year. Because of the on-going construction, I ceased going to KLGCC for almost a year. Only Pak Abu was a regular patron, because the golf course was open (sometimes partially) throughout.

As such, I wasn't sure where the new surau was located. In fact I was quite lost, not knowing where the restrooms, restaurants, gym, changing rooms and a host of other facilities were.

As Awwa and I wandered, we chanced upon a club worker (he was in uniform), so I asked him politely for the surau's location. His answer, after giving us both a once-over, was a brusque "Member or Guest?"

Now, THAT really got to me. Does it matter what our status in KLGCC was when all we were looking for was a surau to pray in? Was he implying that only members could pray in the surau? Was KLGCC that discriminatory? If not, why bother asking?

I almost lashed out "Kalau guests sembahyang kat mana? Bentang sejadah kat tepi swimming pool ker?" (Where do you allow your guests to pray, by the side of the swimming pool?). Almost. But better sense prevailed.

Instead, I gave a curt, monosyllabic answer which got him scurrying past us, leading the way. Thankfully, the wudhu (ablution) cooled me down somewhat and I managed to do Maghrib in peace (of mind, that is).

Over dinner we discussed the unpleasant encounter. Obviously the fellow was suffering from a case of stereotyping. With the benefit of hindsight I could see where he was coming from.

Perhaps it was our dressing; covered from head to toe, with long black tudung, and sans make-up. One look and he had concluded these two 'kampungan' looking Melayus (especially the rotund makcik) couldn't possibly be members of a club as prestigious as KLGCC.

We were on a different planet altogether compared to the usual stylishly dressed and appropriately accessorised upmarket crowd one could find in there. In fact, we saw quite a few of these 'beautiful people' while dining.

What a sobering reality check that was. So I remarked to Awwa, somewhat forlornly: "We look so dowdy huh. We don't have a shred of glamour between us."

Back came the answer: "That's okay Ma; it's better to be covered like this and look glamorous in the eyes of God than be exposed and look glamorous in the eyes of men."