Memories of Kong Nick
My best friend and former roommate Che, just texted me the other day that my former boss and her future father-in-law just passed away. For a short while, I was saddened by the thought that Kong Nick, as he was called, have already left us. He was such a character.
When I joined Marigold, I was forwarned by some of my officemates about an elderly grouchy old man who is one of the owners of the company I was working for. People were telling me stories about him shouting at them or him being too strict about certain aspects of the company that they have to walk on pins and needles all day. I heeded those advices and whenever he is around, I try as much as possible not to cross his path and be as respectful as I can. But no matter how careful I was, something, anything , can really earn his ire. I remember one time when I gave out a memo to one of his "loyalists. " (Loyalists are people who see Kong Nick as their only boss…and those who report to him whenever other figures of authority make them do things not to their liking.) He never liked memos. He was on "old school"—those days when a man’s word is their bond and authority is exemplified by verbal confrontation. He was furious when his loyalist told him that I gave him (the loyalist) a memo. He was like: "who is this Bantol? who does she think she is?" I thought he was going to confront me about it and scold me right infront of everybody. But that, he didn’t do. Maybe because somebody told him that I was the new little harmless girl in R&D, or maybe he simply forgot about it. You see, anything can just irk him but it would just be momentary.
On happier days, you would see Kong Nick making fun of everybody. Yes, he has the potential to crack funny jokes too. Funnier than his jokes was his facial expression when he laughs. I remember days when he would just be there at the production office talking about his life experiences or about what future projects the company should be doing. I really liked listening to those stories. They were full of wisdom and naughtiness, the former more dominant than the latter. It would be sad knowing that he wouldn’t be there anymore to share those stories to everybody.
Though I have already left Marigold, I still feel like I am a part of it. Their happiness is my happiness and their loss is my loss. It was there where I furthered the values of trust, acceptance and happiness in simple things. It was also there where I got to know Kong Nick, one of its pillars, and probably one of the most colorful figures I’ll ever know in this lifetime. I am sure that in the hearts of everyone he’s touched, he will surely be missed.
