In This Crazy World of Ours

Mr. and Mrs. Wong

"I haven't got all day," the cashier whines. He sighs loudly. 

Mr. and Mrs. Wong are panicking. They can't understand what the cashier is saying, but they know that he is pissed and the line behind them is too. They only came to the convenience store to buy a single sack of rice, but they don't know how to pay the cashier and they only have limited English proficiency. 

This is the downside of being an immigrant. 

With trembling hands, Mr. Wong slowly hands out their money pouch to the cashier. The cashier gives them a weird look. "What, am I gonna count this?" he asks in an exasperated voice. 

The Chinese couple can now understand what the cashier is saying. "Yes," Mrs. Wong says in a tiny voice. "Please count." 

The cashier snorts. "Whatever." He grabs a large amount of money and returns a nearly empty pouch to the couple. "Next!" he shouts. 

Suddenly, a teenage boy with wavy brown hair approaches the couple and stops them. "Zao an ba ba," he greets them. The couple smiles at him. "Please stay here," he tells them in an even voice. "I have a present for you." 

"Hey mister," he addresses the cashier in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear. "Rice is only 12.95 bucks. How much did you get from them?" He points at the Chinese couple huddled together with the sack of rice at their feet. 

The other people in the store starts to eye the cashier suspiciously. "Hey I got the exact amount. I'm working here, dude," the cashier says defensively. 

The teenage boy clenches his jaw. He can't start a fight in a public place. He's Markus Rothmaier, one of the student leaders of Warden's Academy for Boys. He knows that the cashier is lying, but if he can't persuade the man to give back the money he took from the couple, he'll have to think of another way to save the immigrants from the cruelty that they don't even know. 

Markus comes nearer to the cashier. "Look, how about you return the money to them and I'll just pay you?" 

The cashier gulps. Then slowly, he opens the counter and gives back the money he took from the Chinese couple. Markus reaches for his jeans' back pocket, and gives a 20 dollar bill without even waiting for the change. "Keep it," he tells the cashier. 

He then carries the sack of rice and escorts Mr. and Mrs. Wong outside the store. "Here's the money, ma'am," he tells Mrs. Wong. She smiles gratefully at him. "Thank you. We know man is lying but we can't speaking English," Mrs. Wong replies. 

"How we repay?" Mr. Wong asks earnestly. 

"Ah, that's nothing, sir," Markus replies. He then hails a taxi cab and ushers the old couple inside. He sits in the passenger seat with the sack of rice. 

"Destination?" the driver, a stubby man with long white beard, asks in a soft voice. 

"Where do you live?" Markus asks Mr. Wong. 

He hands out a small piece of paper to Markus. It's the address of an old apartment downtown. Markus gives it to the driver. The driver shakes his head sympathetically. "Seriously, who let the old people live in this place?" he whispers to Markus. 

When they finally arrive, Markus pays the fare but the taxi driver doesn't accept it. "We're both doing something good here, my friend," the driver tells him. 

Someone taps Markus on the shoulder and he looks back to see Mrs. Wong handing him a small red pendant in the shape of a dragon. "You a kind man," she says. 

"Oh thank you, but I cannot accept that. That might mean a lot to you," Markus replies. 

"No, no," Mrs. Wong tells him. "You deserve." 

She puts the pendant in Markus' jacket pocket. Markus observes that she has frail hands and he can't help feeling sorry for them. 

"Might I ask what your name is?" Markus says. 

"My name Shen Wong," Mr. Wong replies. "And she An Wong." 

"Well, Mr. and Mrs. Wong, I'm afraid I might have to leave you now. I still have school. But please, do not hesitate to call me. And I'll be visiting you next week again." Markus hands them a personalized calling card. Each student in Warden gets a set. 

The Chinese couple smiles warmly at him. Then unexpectedly, they hug Markus. 

After making sure that the couple is safe inside their home, Markus calls up some of his friends and tells them to meet him up in the library. 

He's setting up a fund raising event for the Wongs, and also for the other immigrants who are having a hard time in the US. 

                                                                 ______________________

"You're like a modern Good Samaritan," one of his friends tells him. 

"The Good American! That's a good name for our fund raising activity," another one says. 

Markus smiles at them. He's thankful that he has supportive friends. "Ok, so everyone alright with the plan?" 

Words of agreement echo throughout the library. A roaming staff gives them a warning. 

"Let's do this then," Markus says with a big smile.