Yusuf was coming back from breakfast and a quick promenade back and forth to the iconic Merlion statue from Singapore. It was only his 2nd day in the bustling South East Asian metropolis for him. The excitement of a tourist discovering a new city was untouched. Especially after licking his fingers due to one of the finest Indonesian dishes he’d just had in the street food area. It was none other than rendang Sumatra.
After a great start of that day where Yusuf took endless pictures of every building he could lay his eyes on, he reckoned he ought to take a break. A nap was more than needed. One couldn’t be outside indefinitely in that scorching heat.
He went back to the hostel he had booked on the Arab street, one of the city’s most backpacker concentrated streets. And there were good reasons for that. The multitude and variety of street food stands with their modestly priced offers was one of the convincing factors. One needed at least a week to try out every type of dish from that street, containing Malay, Chinese, Indian, Turkish, Middle Eastern, Indonesian and other such delicacies. As a foodie himself, Yusuf thought about reconsidering staying only 5 days there.
However, for the time being, Yusuf was preoccupied with more basic needs. He was yearning for a refreshing shower and a bit of sleep to get back his energy so he could resume his exploration of that intriguing city state.
Once back inside the hostel, he went straight for the shower. It was his first contact with the hostel’s shower, as he had arrived quite late the previous night, completely shattered after a long flight from his home country, Oman. His exhaustion compelled him to sleep as a log the second he embraced the pillow after checking in.
The moment Yusuf had been waiting for was finally due. He went on this dark, damp hallway and saw 3 wooden doors, all serving the same purpose. All of them looked equally unkept and shabby. They needed at least a new paint job. Little did that aspect matter to the hostel’s newest guest, though. What mattered was what awaited on the other side.
Many claim that a book shouldn’t be judged by its cover. Nonetheless, a certain degree of susceptibility still resides. The reason for that in the first place is that there inevitably comes a time when a book’s cover matches exactly what lies beyond it. And the shower cabins from that particular hostel backed that theory in its entirety.
The door opened to a minuscule shower cabin where everywhere one looked, there was a faulty detail to be noticed. The floor was made of cracked tiles where a few of their corners were missing, exposing the cement underneath. The walls didn’t seem to have had a proper washing in a long time. Maybe ever. On top of that, bits of mold could be seen in the corners. The exposed water pipes were rusty and up above a spider web was hanging there untouched. One might assume that the spider living there had been a permanent resident of that particular shower cabin ever since its inception.
“Surely this isn’t Singapore.” Thought Yusuf. “I had way better conditions where I stayed in Mauritania. For a way better price too.” He went on in his head. But in fact, it was still Singapore, not too far from the famous Marina Bay. He didn’t quite expect to end up in a place like that, despite the good reviews he saw on the internet.
“Well, as long as there’s water running through these pipes and at a fair pressure, I can deal with it.” Yusuf went on, as he put his hand on the faucet. But lo. There wasn’t hot or warm water at all. A cold shower came all over him. As shocking as it was, the inside heat made out for it. The water pressure could be better too, but it got Yusuf going.
Despite the spider web up above, no spider made its presence felt while the guest was covering every inch of his body in soap. However, a different kind of visitor was about to check on him. In that tiny damp space there was also a sink. Next it, there was a crack and through it none other than a cockroach came through, casually walking on the wall, inspecting everything with its long antennae. The whole thing must’ve been 3 inches long.
Yusuf took notice of the visitor. He winced and wanted to leave the cabin, but his situation wouldn’t let him. The man was all covered up in soap. So, he had to reconcile himself with the fact that there were 2 souls sharing that space for the moment.
“Serves me right for booking the cheapest hostel I could find on the internet.” Thought Yusuf, as he turned bitter while still showering. That shower cabin sure was e piece of work.
Yusuf had to keep an eye on the cockroach while he finished getting cleaned up. He didn’t want the gnarly creature to do anything unexpected. That type of big bug had always frightened him, as far back as he could remember. The last thing he wanted was to touch the cockroach.
Nonetheless, Yusuf’s wary attitude turned out to be not that necessary after all. Many minutes passed and the cockroach was simply wandering the wall in a slow, unhurried manner. The 6 legged creature didn’t have any interest of coming even close to Yusuf. It had other things to worry about and the human presence next to him was just a matter of indifference.
Strangely enough, contrary to what Yusuf was used to feel towards what he deemed as a disgusting, horrific looking foul animal, he began changing his attitude about his little shower cabin partner. He thought to himself that they were both sharing a special, intimate moment, both wearing nothing but their skin. They were both being equally vulnerable, subjects to the life’s dangers that could strike unexpectedly at any second and without any warning.
Thus, Yusuf began coming closer to the little fella with long antennae. He started studying the details of that creature he’d once found so repulsive and unbearable to look at. A strange sense of connection was felt on the man’s behalf.
Soon enough, he could distinguish the face of the Singapore cockroach. He could look into its eyes and those eyes seemed to be looking right back at him, while sort of waving with the antennae. The more he looked, the more he projected human qualities on the creature.
That tiny little cockroach face compelled Yusuf to think that even such a bug might as well be a sentient creature, filled with reason and compassion. A benevolent spirit which, just like Yusuf, simply did his best to make things better for his own kind.
He kept thinking what was the cockroach up to. Maybe the bug was just wandering through that shabby hostel to find something for his little cockroach community living elsewhere, possibly in a hidden corner of that same building. What if the creature was looking for some resources to bring to his cockroach partner and his cockroach kids and enjoy a nice cockroach meal together, all in good old cockroach fashion?
As Yusuf enquired so much into the existence of that little beast, a brutal knock came on the shower cabin door. Someone else was requesting the use of that service. The knock was so raucous that it caught both beings by surprise. The cockroach swiftly ran up the wall until it couldn’t be seen anymore.
Back to reality, Yusuf put the towel around him and in an instant left the shower. The little cockroach interaction made him forget completely about the shabbiness of that wretched cabin. Still, it’s worth mentioning that Yusuf felt as if a whole new perspective had just been delivered. He felt as if he was drunk on a thousand discoveries. He found himself in a world without any doubts. There wasn’t any more enquiry such as “why is it like this or that?”. The solution was simple and always there. It was like this or that because it simply was. And Yusuf took comfort in that. And all that was needed for this breakthrough was the simple presence of a cockroach.
With that realization, Yusuf spent the rest of his Singapore sojourn wandering aimlessly through the bustling city, observing and admiring all its aspects. Wherever he looked there was something to be seen. And whenever he was back into that dump of a hostel, he didn’t even pay attention to the dilapidated condition of the shower cabin. Instead, he was yearning to meet the cockroach again.
However, the cockroach was nowhere to be seen again. Probably his errand had been completed. His sole mission might’ve been to meet Yusuf and trigger his little revelation. At least that’s what the man himself liked to believe.
Despite Yusuf’s wish of meeting his tiny new friend every time he would enter the shower cabin, the cockroach didn’t turn up. Days passed and the wandering man switched to a new destination, bearing in mind the creature that had made such an impression on him. Who knew that such a little act would spawn such an intricate stream of consciousness on this man’s behalf?
As he went on travelling, Yusuf would never forget that encounter. As a matter of fact, he even gave a name to that cockroach in particular. He would always be remembered as Corry Roach. And from that day on, everywhere Yusuf went, he would make the tale of Corry Roach known. The people simply had to know about Corry Roach.