Let me tell you a true story about myself

One afternoon, I, as many other people would do, went out. There were these few people doing something at the open drains beside the road. They were doing that something near a road intersection so I slowed down as I approached them because I'd rather not be hit by some other driver. The road wasn't busy so I had the opportunity to stop.

I saw some normal happy faces. "They were doing their job," said I. Normal job, I should say. I lowered down my window and greeted them.

What on earth would you think they were doing? At first sight, I, just like many others, would think that they were fishing. You would think the same way, I believe. Look at a few people peering down an open drain beside the road with some sort of long rod in their hands. You will think the same way as I do.

Now then, here comes the fantastic part.

I asked, "Banyak ikan kah?"

("Are there many fish?")

One of them, extraordinarily enough, wasn't wearing the normal fishing attire. He was well groomed.

He said, "Banyak eh."

("Yeah, a lot.")

Confused, but still with the idea that they were fishing, I asked:

"Bedurih tah?"

("Have you caught any?")

I can't remember what he said here. But it made me think. He then said:

"Kami bukan mancing ni..."

("We're not fishing...")

Oh heck, at this point in time I glanced at the apparatus that they were using. And their attires, again. Obviously they weren't fishing. They had vertically stood up a pole in the drain. On my far left I saw some surveying equipment. I now understood that they were measuring the depth of the drain. They were surveyors, for God's sake. Not fishermen.

Embarrassment.

So, as anyone else would do, I switched to plan B: Buang kes.

"Oh," I said, "Dalam kah air atu?"

("Is the water deep?")

"Dalam jua lah."

("Yeah.")

So then I bade them goodbye. With a thick face.

Thank God that whole thing happened in less than half a minute. It made me wonder, though: what impression would that bloke have on me?

"Oi you, young fellow, don't judge a book by its cover!"

And, by the way, why would he say yes and everything about the fishes when he wasn't fishing? I got caught there.

Heck. Tell me, what should I do when I stumble upon him again in the future? I wish he won't remember me.

So, moral of the story, as I have said just now, would partially be to not judge a book by its cover.