Some people are so unforgiving when you don't get it. That's why fear paralyzes us before we can act. It's rare to see someone being compassionate when you slip.

But in the same year, the unpredictable happened.

I got a call from someone whose first name I can't recall but whose last name was Duck. He called in to make a payment for his credit card account.

The payment was made successfully but not until after he had turned the call into a class pronunciation session. It goes like this:

"Hi, thank you for calling (name of the bank withheld). This is Kenjie. How may I help you?"

"What did you say your name was, please?"

"Kenjie, Sir."

"Are you Japanese?"

"No, I'm not. I'm a Filipino with a Japanese name (and with a Spanish last name)."

"Gotcha. Is my account pulled up? Shall we process the payment then?"

"Absolutely! But before anything else Mr. Dock, to maintain security on your account..."

(He cut me off.)

"Excuse me. DUCK! (He corrected me in a snap.) DUCK like the animal. Not DOCK okay? It's something you see at the port."

"I'm sorry Mr., Mmm, Mr. Dock."

"DUCK." (In his coolest tone ever!)

"DUGH, DUGH, DOCK. (I feel so stupid now.)"

"You sound closer now. Again, DUCK. (He sounds reassuring.)"

"DUCK!" (I felt victorious.)

"There you go! Try this: Donald Duck!"

"Donald Dock!"

"You seem to be a very nice young guy. Okay, can we make the payment now?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. D (short pause) Hmmm, I'm sorry Sir."

"It's perfectly fine. Okay?"

Everything was taken care of (except my pronunciation) and we bid goodbye to each other. I was deeply grateful to him for his incredible patience.

After the shift, putting the duck thing right became my sole assignment.

So, I headed straight to an Internet café nearby and pulled up Merriam-Webster online dictionary.

And that very day, the sun did not set without the speaker icon being played and replayed till eternity:

Looking back on it now, I see it was a priceless learning experience. It helped me see the wrongs that needed to be righted. I can say, it's one of the most unforgettable lessons during my call center stint.

Making mistakes doesn't count to some people. If you're honest with people, you'd be surprised at how sympathetic and even helpful they can be.

Instead of making others feel bad, all they care about is to help. Needless to say, we need all the help we can get.

Thank you, Mr.... (clears throat), Thank you, Sir.