originally told by my cousin
4 Apr 2026
It's Raya, so me and my cousin lepak and chat til midnight.
I barely remember how did we ended up talking about this "kid". The tale of the bravest kid I know.
The story goes like this...
* * *
A teen boy, 16 years old at that time. He is very polite and brilliant.
My cousin is a teacher, so it is common for students to greet him with "selamat pagi".
This boy, as my cousin proclaimed, is not exactly one of his students. But the way this boy greet him caught his attention. While other students typically greet their teachers just to get away from the situation, this boy greet people with sincerest of style and politeness.
"he literally bow" said Cikgu Naz, my cousin.
Out of curiosity, my cousin asked his name and his class. For the sake of privacy, let's call this kid Robin.
* * *
Fast forward to some time after that, the school had an outdoor camping program.
That night, Robin and his friends were playing. In Robin's hand was a flashlight. Perhaps he thought it was a funny idea if he beamed the light to one of the teachers there. So he did.
Unfortunately for Robin, the male teacher is not amused. He called him, confiscated the flashlight, and broke it on the spot.
What Robin thought as harmless joke is interpreted as disrespect by Cikgu Borhan (not real name).
* * *
Still on the same night, Cikgu Borhan and other teachers took a break in the room. They were having tea and biscuits.
Then, Robin went in and approached Cikgu Borhan, from the side. Cikgu Borhan was sitting in a chair, facing other teachers. He noticed Robin, but is reluctant to even look at him.
Robin braced it nonetheless, and apologized to Cikgu Borhan. He confessed and regretted his demeanor.
Cikgu Borhan, despite so, ignored Robin. He actively pretended that Robin isn't there. According to my cousin, he just went on talking to other people, asked for more tea, and jokingly said "did you guys hear a voice?".
Robin, with tears, still is not giving up to apologize.
Other teachers who were there, tried to help the awkward situation. They plead to Cikgu Borhan to drop the act already.
Finally, Cikgu Borhan soften up. He turned to Robin and accept the apology. He praised Robin for being courageous, and for doing the right thing.
The story doesn't end there, but so as to keep things simple, this is conclusive enough.
I was so touched upon hearing this story. It made me reflect about the qualities that most people generally lack: courageous on the right thing.
When I was that age, I'm not as brave as Robin.
You may argue, anyone can be brave, yes, but bravery on the right thing is a high-stake situation. In general, this is a form of "responsibility and accountability".
For a 16-year-old-boy, possessing responsibility and accountability is something impressive, because that's what makes man a man. Not muscles, not salary, not position.
Mohamad Shahrim
author of The Laksamana
