You... Me... Outside... Now...

Just yesterday, I was having coffee with a friend downtown. What seemed like a very quiet afternoon was soured by a certain event. Halfway into our conversation, a man from the next table put his chair next to us and asked me...

"Eh...you zin pai simi?"(You very bad boy izzit?)

I was puzzled and asked for the reason. He claimed that I had hit him but I never apologised. So I said, I must have not felt it but I told him that I did not mean it and I'm really sorry.

That was not enough for him, he wasn't appleased because I had only apologised after he brought it up. I apologise once more. Next up, he said, he wanted a fight

"You think I'm with a lady and a child, I easy to bully izzit? Let's go behind."

Me think its because I was wearing my decent-looking specs, in decent working attire and he thinks I'm the easy one to bully. Naturally, being the civilised guy that I am, I refused and said that I had already apologised,"Why blow up the matter?"

Since I wouldn't move, he wanted it in-situ(on the spot). And kept telling me to punch his face(giving me the advantage). I was tempted to, but no, people were looking. My immediate thought was if I had hit him first, anything that goes up to the authority, would have been my fault.. I...not so stupid... End up, he was pacified after countless times of telling him to cool it.

He went back to his table, where a lady and a child was sitting, mumbling,"Wah siao liao wah siao liao"(I'm crazy already, I'm crazy already) They got into some argument, which was actually a continuation from their previous conversation. Me thinks that this guy, to start with, is a beng in his 30s. Next up, he had some serious issues at hand hence he was agitated at the slightest irritation(I believe I had bump into him drinking coffee when I sashayed past him to the coffee counter).

Finally I heard him asked the lady,"You got penknife or not?". At this, my friend stared at me and I at him, we heard it right. I paused, I look at the coffee mug on my table, should I take the initiative and wrack it on his head ... then I realise it was the most shiok way but definitely not the best way. Anyway, I'm not sure if the penknife might be meant for me or for himself(they were arguing(not in a loud manner) quite strongly regarding the issue which I shall not disclose as I was wrong to eavedrop). Just to be sure, I went over to him and told him,"Brudder, sorry, just now I really din mean to hit you, I really did not know that I hit you, if I knew that I had hit you, I would definitely have apologised. So everything alright?"

He paused momentarily, calmed(probably after his cigarette) and said in this Big Brother tone,"Ok, sua!(settled)"

I tried to seek confirmation,"Sua?"

"Wo chu lai hun de, gong sua jiu sua!"(I come out to "do business", whatever I say counts)

"Ok, steady."

And that ends the scenario. Thinking of it, that was too civilised of me. Had I been another Beng, there would definitely have been blood on the scene.

I tried to think of another scenario where I could have wracked the mug onto his head and which I would definitely follow-up on(hit one time also hit, might as well give him no chance to recover), but if things got out of hand, my finger print can be traced from the mug. If I tried to make a quick escape, I would need to steal the mug and risk being chased after. But if I tried to pay for the mug before I run off, I would leave my finger print on the dollar note. *Haiz* Damn, it aien't that easy to commit a petty offence in Singapore. Isn't there anyway that this issue could have been resolved in a violent way and with me getting scot-free?