The Most Embarrassing Moment Of My Life

The day which I was waiting with eagerness emerged – the day when I had finally received my first pay. It was 2 o'clock in the afternoon, in my beautiful home country Nepal. The sun was bright and its light made all the flowers particularly colourful and vivid. Chirping birds and humming bees could be seen and heard everywhere, and I realised again why I loved my country so much, with such beautiful nature all around. I was waiting outside for my parents in the blazing sun. Finally, they arrived in their best outfits. My mother was dressed in colourful saree - saree is the Nepalese female garment which is mostly wore by married women. She looked very stunning in that attire. My father was dressed in smart, gleaming white shirt and stylish trousers. He looked as though he was in his late twenties although he was actually 40 years old. “Where are we going?” They asked. I replied, “It’s a surprise.” Then we booked a taxi and went to the best restaurant in Butwal. The feeling of giving my parents a treat after receiving my first pay was exceedingly special for me, and very emotional. The view on the way to the restaurant was jaw-dropping. The flowers and trees on each side of the road added more enjoyment to the journey. The view was like driving through a beautiful botanical garden. The cool breeze from the nearby snow-topped mountain blew gently towards us and helped to make the heat less uncomfortable. Finally, we reached our destination. I still remember the tempting aroma of the food we could smell as we reached up to the restaurant. “Is this our destination?” said my mother, with a smiling face. I nodded, with a great grin on my face. A queue was snaked around the building – people were waiting in the roasting heat to order their takeaway food. Faint music could be heard over the indistinguishable babble of noise.

The waiter took us straight to the table that I had reserved earlier that day. Next to us was an incredible bamboo plant growing in a beautifully-decorated terracotta pot, reaching right up to the ceiling. Our table was decorated with a mass of yellow daisy flowers, arranged in the middle of the table in an exquisitely-shaped glass bowl. The pure white tablecloth, the lush green bamboo leaves and the yellow daisies all made a wonderful setting for our special meal. “Excuse me, here is your food,’’ said a waiter. He was quite young and wearing a smart restaurant uniform – a crisp white shirt with a small purple orchid pattern near the top left-hand side. The quantity of food was massive! Again, and again, the waiter returned with bowls of steaming food. I wondered if we would manage to eat it all! It was all so tender and cooked perfectly. It took us nearly two hours to get through the meal, but we managed to clear our plates – not a crumb was left and just as well - it was too good to waste!After that, we washed our fingers in the tiny bowls at the end of the meal, the waiter brought us the bill. And, I confidently opened my bag to take out my purse – but my purse wasn't there! Suddenly, I realized that I had left the purse at home, on the edge of my desk. We had been in such a hurry that I had forgotten to pick it up while leaving the house. I was so ashamed. I was reciting so many questions in my mind. I was so embarrased that I couldnt even look up at my parents. But I finally looked up, and my father was smiling kindly. He had already taken out his own wallet and was giving the money to the waiter. “You’re the best, Dad,” I said quietly. When we reached home, I ran up the stairs, grabbed the money and raced back down to my father. It was the most embarrassing moment of my life, because it was meant to be an occasion to show how grown-up I was becoming, with my first job. Instead, I had to accept that I wasn’t as grown-up as I thought I was! It certainly taught me a lesson for life, to check everything before leaving home.