For the life of me I still could not understand why some people feel the need to inconvenience other people by, say for instance, stealing a spark plug cap. A spark plug cap! That small piece of insulating rubber that bridges the gap between the spark plug and main alternator wire (Unlike most conventional two-wheeled scooters where the spark plug cap is hidden beneath the chassis, my motorcycle features a spark plug cap on the outside of the engine same as those four-wheelers used in atv racing).
Known locally as a kwako or gwaco, it’s inexpensive as loose change costing somewhere between Php25 ($0.50) to Php 60 ($1.00). It’s a crucial piece of motorcycle part, however. Without it, electricity cannot flow from the main alternator and into the spark plug. Without that spark, combustion does not occur, hence- a dead engine.
Seeing as it’s dirt cheap, I therefor could see no reason why anyone would want to steal one. But steal one they did- mine. Imagine my surprise and chagrin to find out that I had to wheel my bike to the safety of our school just because someone stole my kwako.
I’m suspecting the parking boy did it because earlier that evening, I did not want to park on the spot he indicated. I guess he just wanted to piss me off, so I made sure to not let my annoyance show. Instead, I calmly and with all the dignity I could muster pretended that it was not because of the kwako that I had to walk.
Lesson learned- never piss off the parking boy. Or better yet, never park in unscrupulous places to begin with.
