Ribena Pastille: A Story About Conscience

Today is my fifth day of attachment in a community pharmacy near my house. It was boring, but i did learn many thing during the attachment there. The pharmacy is next to a liquor shop (kedai arak) where many people drink outside the shop and they are druken.

This morning an Indian man i would say about 50 years old walk in into the pharmacy with his grandson which is about 3 years old. 

Being five days here, its the 3rd time i saw him walk in. He is smelly and he wear dirty and shabby clothes but his grandchildren look clean. He always come to buy Ribena Pastille for his grandson before he drinks outside the next shop near the corridor.

But today he dont have enough money, the Ribena Pastille cost 90 cents and he only have 40 cents. He promise he will come to pay another 50 cents tomorrow.

At first my pharmacist dont want to give, the man pleaded and he promise to pay tomorrow because his grandson really wants it and he start crying. Then the man walk out and just about when he want to walk out of the door, the pharmacist (a women about 30 years something) ask the staff to give the boy the Ribena Pastilles and she just take that 40 cents.

At first I thought my pharmacist is stingy. It is just 50 cents and the boy is crying for it. 

Then only learn from my pharmacist that the men always come, he always dont have enough money to buy something, always owe but rarely pay and yet he has money to buy liquor and some cigarette in the shop next door.

Even if my the pharmacist did not sell it, it was the man which has no conscience. He could afford to buy liquor but could'nt even buy his grandson that 90 cents item.

I look through the door. The man is at the corridor of the next shop look half conscious, drinking and smoking. His 3 years old grandson is sitting on the dirty floor eating the Ribena Pastille but look happy.