Buruk Sangka

One fine evening, as my husband and I were on the way up to our new apartment, something amusing happened. Our apartment building has one lift that only goes down to the carpark and two other lifts which go up to the unit floors. As we got out of the car park lift, I saw this crotchety pakcik gad look at us. I've seen him many times before, giving us dirty looks everytime we passed. I just passed it off as some unfriendly, overworked (overworked ke kalau keje dia duduk tengok orang without even questioning if they belong there?) harrassed guard just passing the time. Little did I know how his well-empty-space-endowed, diabolical head worked. As we walked out of the lift, he took one look at us, reached for some kind of button and pressed it.

And right then and there, the sounds of someone melodiously reciting the Al-Quran reverberated through the usually pin-drop silent lobby, loud and clear for all to hear.

Puzzled, my husband and I looked at each other and I glanced at my watch, wondering if it was customary for the lobby to play Quranic verses before a certain solat time, but it was well after the Isyak call-for prayers. So I turned around, and looked at the guard. And he had the smuggest, most self-righteous look I had ever seen on a moron. The apartment lifts arrived and we got in. Throughout it ALL, he never lost that smug look.

And it dawned on me that, probably not getting to a very high level in school because the empty space in his head was SO big that his little brain could not keep up with the rest of the kindergarten kids, the idiot decided to come to the conclusion that we were probably an unmarried couple who needed to be taught a very strong religious lesson and get scared out of our sinful living.

My assumptions are backed up by some other circumstances:

1. The fact that the lobby speakers NEVER play anything. It's perfect silence, all the way. I have NEVER heard a song, a jingle or even elevator music coming out of them.

2. Once, my husband was coming up to our unit with a trolley full of things. Somehow, the trolley tipped over and everything on it dropped and scattered all across the lobby. Coincidentally, this same guard was on duty, and he completely ignored the fact that my husband was in trouble and needed help. I have no qualms to say that any other guard would have lent a hand.

3. The residence is mostly inhabited by expats who are looking for convenience and an affordable-ish place to stay. I think the management would rather take a neutral stance when it comes to religion, rather than risking offending anyone. So I highly doubt they would actually play the audio of Quran recitation at the lobby. Furthermore, refer to #1.

So in conclusion: Aku yang ter-buruk sangka dan terlebih paranoid ke, pakcik gad tu yang memang buruk sangka sekarang?

Tolong jawab, plis?