New Eagle - Short Stories of Past Events

Kindness and money

U Lu Tua's Opel car stopped at a place on the side of the tar road, and Lay Lay's car was stuck.

The face of the big man, who had been driving the car calmly with some kind of hope in mind, immediately changed noticeably.

U Lu Tua turned the engine on again. He also angrily and violently slammed the gas pedal down four or five times.

The engine was making a constant, rattling sound, but there was no discernible reason for it. Even inside, the engine kept stopping.

Then U Lu Htaw realized that his car had run out of gas.

"Tauk... Very lazy guy, never respects work. Look, now he's running out of gas on the road."

U Lu Tua muttered angrily. However, there was no one in the car except U Lu Tua.

His driver, Maung Tin, took leave from work at around 2 pm, citing the fact that his wife was in labor.

That's why U Lu Hta drove home from work by himself.

"You bastard... you know what, tomorrow we have to warn the union to be more careful. The workers of the union only know how to ask for a raise and want a salary before the new month. They never respect their work."

U Lu Htaw muttered a second time before opening the car door and getting out. Then he looked around the area around the car.

U Lu Thua immediately realized that his car had run out of gas in a really good place.

"Tauk... It came from a real place. I myself was wrong to trust these creatures called workers."

The surroundings seemed very quiet. On the hills, there were large, imposing buildings. In some places, there were large, fenced-off courtyards. In those places, too, there was no one to be seen, as they were hidden. The way to get to the buildings was also a long way from the tarred road he was on.

U Lu Tua looked at his Omega watch. It was 4:30.

He sighed heavily, as if in great distress. He took a handkerchief from the pocket of his silk shirt and wiped the greasy sweat from his face.

U Lu Tua looked out over the tarmac. There was no hope for anything. All he saw was disappointment and anger.

The place was very clear of people. And this road was not a regular bus route. He had deliberately chosen this road so that he could drive calmly.

Apart from the occasional military vehicle speeding along the tarred road, there were no small three-wheeled vehicles or rickshaws. As a result, U Lu Hta faced a difficult situation where he could not come up with a plan.

U Lu Hta's office is in Yangon. He is the owner of a well-known cosmetics manufacturing company that manufactures and sells cosmetics. U Lu Hta also has another lucrative business. That business is a business that trades in diamonds, gold, and gemstones.

This business is a popular and widespread business among wealthy people like U Lu Tua.

The wealthy, unwilling to hold onto paper money, are buying up valuable diamonds, gold, and jewelry at bargain prices.

Here, U Lu Tua, who travels and eats his way around the world of luxury, negotiates trades by taking a break from time to time for some goods.

He buys some jewelry himself and resells it.

This business is a job that earns U Lu Tua tens of thousands of baht per month. And because it is not an illegal job, U Lu Tua is also exempt from paying taxes to the country's treasury.

At exactly 5 o'clock this evening, U Lu Hta had an appointment at his house for a person from Mogok who wanted to sell diamonds and gold jewelry. Then, at exactly 6 o'clock, he had an appointment with a wealthy man who was about to return to India and wanted to buy diamonds and gold jewelry.

U Lu Hta's idea was that if the jewelry from Mogok was worth the price, he would buy it himself and resell it to Kala. If it was not worth the price, he would act as a broker.

It was quite annoying for U Lu Thua when he had such an urgent matter and the car ran out of gas in the middle of the road.

Although he had a rich wife, Daw Mi Mi Gyi, and sons and daughters at home, U Lu Hta did not trust anyone for this kind of business. In this kind of business, which had to be handled after considering the situation, U Lu Hta was confident in himself.

U Lu Hta, helpless, scratched his head and slammed the car door shut. He even wanted to kill the driver, Maung Tin, for causing such a disturbance.

Two military trucks, loaded with soldiers, drove past his car at high speed. Seeing this, U Lu Hta felt an involuntary anger again.

At that moment, U Htay heard voices a few steps behind him, and he turned in the direction of the voice. He was as happy as if he had won the lottery.

Three young men were walking along the tar road towards U Lu Hta, chatting. Looking at them, U Lu Hta guessed that they must be workers.

It didn't take long. Three young men turned into a small alley about three and a half miles from his car and began to enter.

"Here.... Here. Brother Yin, please hide for a moment."

The three young men hesitated at the sound of U Lu Tua's voice.

"Please help me with a little bit of help. I'm doing a lot of volunteer work."

U Lu Tua walked up to the three young men and then spoke.

"Hey, how can I help you?"

One of the three young men asked.

"My car ran out of gas while I was driving. I need some help. If there are any gas stations nearby..."

U Lu Hta said. That was what U Lu Hta would say. U Lu Hta already knew that there was no gas station near this place.

“A gas station... yes. There is no gas station anywhere near here. It's just around the corner from the lake. It's less than a mile and a half from here.”

The young man who spoke first said it.

"I have a very important matter. If you three brothers can help me with a little bit..."

The three young men were waiting for a while. Then, the young man who had just arrived said, "We don't mind helping. But we are workers building a government warehouse. The warehouse is inside. Our work will be finished by 5 o'clock."

U Lu Tua looked at his watch. It was still a few minutes to 5.

He thought of something. He should call home and tell them. This was the best idea. If he called, his son Maung Maung Gyi would be able to borrow a car from a neighbor and reach where he was in about twenty minutes.

"Then there's no one nearby to call?"

"Would you like to make a phone call?"

The young man scratched his head, thinking.

"Hold on... even if it's a public phone."

"Ah... there you are, sir. Just walk straight ahead. You'll see me when you get to the top of the road."

I was very happy for U Lu Thua. However, I didn't want to leave his car behind to go to a place where I could make phone calls.

“Thank you, Maung Yin, but please help me with your help, O Kway. I want you to keep an eye on my car for a while.”

"Go ahead, sir... go calmly. I'll wait for you. Now... you two go to work."

Earlier, the young man had spoken to U Lu Thua, then turned to his two companions and spoke.

With that, U Lu Hta left for the place where he could make telephone contact at the top of the road, while the two young workers entered the small alley where the warehouse building was located.

***

U Lu Tua walked briskly to the top of the road.

The telephone booth, which was set up for the public to use easily in case of emergency, was located at the top of the road, but it was only about a furlong or two furlongs away from where U Lu Tua parked his car.

U Lu Tua was still walking with slow steps. Soon he saw a small telephone booth from a distance.

U Lu Tua was very happy. His spirits were high and he walked more briskly than before.

U Lu Tua approached the telephone booth like this.