This comes at a time so relevant that I thought it’s a God’s plan.
I woke up this morning with an intense back pain suffered from 2 falls I have got myself within 1 year. The luxury of immersing myself in the bathtub and falling asleep for a mere 15 minutes in the hot water soothed the discomfort a little. Then it came the lunch that I have gulped down with no sign of missing appetite anymore, good sign I guess?
The story started with a true last-minute bus ticket purchase that saw me ended up with a melancholic west-coast travel. It was supposed to leave the station at 230pm but to fill up all the empty seats it took off at 4pm. To make it worse the bus was actually heading to Alor Star. So for sure it will be stopping in Butterworth but not the station in Penang island. In between, it had to stop at Gopeng, Ipoh, North and South of Taiping too. A sarcastic voice unavoidably blamed myself for the lack of planning that caused myself so much troubles in the end.
Before departing from KL, my phone has a 50% battery level and nothing I could do to revive it. When the bus almost started to move, it halted and the door slided open. A lady in her 60’s with thick glasses and gray hair came on board. I observed that she had trouble walking properly on the deck. She stopped beside me and took her seat.
As usual I made small talks. She told me she was kind of frustrated as her bus from Larkin dropped her in KL and then she had to take this back to Gopeng. The dude who sold her the ticket convinced her that she will be arriving at Gopeng Central. [In my heart I thought “Damn I’m luckier than this Aunty at least I am able to walk and take care of myself if anything happens.]
Apparently this was the 2nd time she came back to Malaysia after residing in Singapore for more than 50 years. She is going to visit her elder sister in Gopeng. In between chats, she asked me where I have been in KL and I did not hide and tell her that I am looking for a job. Her eyes narrowed and raised the question WHY. If you are going to get a good life you must head to Singapore she said. You’ll be paid handsomely and “fairly” she uttered the last word with a smile on her face. I could see her hands shaking while trying to fix her glasses.
Then the bus did not stop at Gopeng. I could see worries grow in her. She took out her phone and tried to call her relatives. It did not get through because it is with a SG SIM. “My sis is going to worry about me. She is at Gopeng Central right now.” I did not blink and offer her to use my phone. She showed me the number and I helped her to dial. It went through but because lack of information she was on the phone for more than 10 minutes making about 3 separate phone calls. When she passed me back the phone, she was apologetic and kept mentioning: “I’m sorry your phone battery drained. I pay you back?” I took over the phone and looked at the battery level, it was 18%. And I was 5 hours away from home, I didn’t know that.
The heartwarming moment came when the bus stopped at the roadside. The driver asked those who are supposed to descend in Gopeng to wait at a bus stop instead. I took over the luggage of aunty and led her down the bus. She was shivering in cold and I was half wet with the drizzles hitting my face. “When you come to Singapore please pay me a visit”, aunty said with a relieved smile on her face this time. “I will, aunty. You wait under the shade, OK?” I pointed her towards the bus stop and she moved slowly there. When I was about to clamber up to the bus, I heard her voice. I turned and she talked with the loudest voice I’ve heard from her. “Just be careful it will be late when you reach Penang.” I waved and smiled.
I did not have her SG number. I don’t know really if my phone could survive when I reach Seberang Prai. But thank God. It was a little something that I have experienced that warmed my heart.
We live day in and day out, working to feed ourselves and families; studying to get good grades and graduate; searching for happiness in a thousand possible ways. Actually happiness can be as simple as a smile on someone’s face. He or she might be someone you may not know prior to that encounter, or might just be with you for less than a couple of minutes in your life.
I want to say thank you, Aunty. Your smile made my tough day a little lighter. I’m happy to make a small change in your life and be myself again.
[To be continued]
Just Flaunt It 