A Dream Takes Root

Jordie called about a month ago. That’s when it all started. He was all excited. He couldn’t contain himself. What’s up? I enquired. I’ll tell you in an hour. Meet me at the KFC, One Utama, he said. We are Petaling Jaya residents so it is convenient to meet there.

We used to meet at a number of odd places to discuss our project which is as yet to get off the ground. It’s a mixed development housing project and Jordie is my partner. Conversion of the land and other related matters with the authorities were taking time.

This time Jordie was all excited and all excitement. I could see it must be something big, current, something challenging and something that brings the big bucks fast, naturally.

I have an idea, he said. We need not even have to seek prior approval from the authorities. We can start straight away. It is all up to us.

Whoa, hold your horses! Tell me first what is it, what’s bugging you, I countered, trying to bring some semblance of reality.

A birdhouse, yes a birdhouse he said, repeating it just so I got it. You mean……I interjected. Yes, he said not giving me even a chance to finish my sentence.

I have heard of these birdhouses. I thought the enterprising guys just converted not just any old and abandoned buildings but these must be somewhere along the Perak coasts or something.

No, it need not be by the sea nor near some caves, no nothing like that, Jordie said. It is now even in the centre of towns. It can be in the city or it can be outside the city he emphasized. So your 15 acres of land is just ideal, he said. Most of them have just one or two shoplots converted and they have neighbours who occupy the adjoining lots.

My, I was thinking to myself. What with my 15 acres? Quite a few dozens of birdhouses can spring up from there, may be, I wonder how many?

We’ll just build one birdhouse Jordie said, as though he could read my mind. He could somehow guess and answered my quizzical look at the same time!

It is already a month since and we have done our homework. I scoured the internet for information and Jordie scoured the country side for the physicals.

Tomorrow is the day of reckoning. Yes, we are driving south. We are going to test whether the land in Kuala Pilah is suitable for a birdhouse.