Standing Under the Rain with an Old Man

Warning:  All words post.


I can never do what my roommate did.  She is having her final paper today and last night after coming back to the room, she was sitting on her bed reading a story book.  I was like O.O

Normally during exam times you can spot various symptoms popping out from your friends, roommate or housemates.  For example, one of my housemate was mopping the floor this morning at 8 a.m.  I promise you I've never seen her lift up a mop for the past few months until today.  At eight.  In the morning.

Other common symptoms are of course the Zombie-Like symptoms:  blood shot eyes, cranky and moody, rages easily, very bad case of severe dark eye rings - cough, flying salivas everywhere, headache and groans + mumble inaudibly most of the time.

There are also those who fakes illness to get a Medical Sick Leave or some of them really DO fall sick during the course of 2 weeks where they have to take numerous torture papers during the span of this two weeks but whatever it is, I've never seen one like my current roommate.  She manage to sit somewhere in the room and just concentrate and study weeks before and when the actual paper is coming, she could go on Facebook or read a story book so calmly.

I am one of those who had to pull an all nighter because I have to cram an entire semester (or even 2)'s knowledge into this mere 12 hours (not proud of it!) and most of the time, I go to the exam with an hour or maximum of three hours sleep.

Oh well enough of exams and all.  (Ma & Pa, please don't lecture me on this.  It's long over :D)

Yesterday, it rained all day long where I am at.  From morning until night and early yesterday, I went to Shell Station to fill up my car.  There wasn't anyone else there because it was quite early and I didn't bring any cash with me - I only brought a card with me.  The cashier was rude, downright unhelpful and unpleasant.  She told me there is a problem with my card after 1 try and refused to try it the second time and just keep waving  at me from behind the counter, indicating that I should "get lost".

Fine.

I went to a second Shell Station and my goodness, the cashier was lovely as mad, helpful and there isn't any problem with my card at all.  She was asking me all about the upcoming Lunar / Chinese New Year whether I have prepared all the food, clothes and everything and before I leave, she wished me a very Happy Chinese New Year.  Seriously, two person doing the same thing could produce a very varying result.  One makes you feel like burning her hair (not a smart idea when you are at a petrol station) and the other makes you to want to just hug her and wish her all the best.

Anyways, when I was halfway filling up my tank, a guy from the booth next to mine called out to me and my first instinct was:  "Is he trying to scam me or some shit like that" due to all those chain emails about people distracting another so that they could enter the person's vehicle and something like that.  I looked and him and he told me my tyre on the passenger side is punctured and when I walked over to look at it, the tyre indeed IS punctured.  I was immediately ashamed of my initial thought and thank the guy profusely for pointing that out to me and just when I was wondering what I should do about this, an old man who works for Shell came over to me and told me to back my car up to the Air Filling Machine.

Note that the Air Filling Machine is positioned in an open space where there are no roof covering it and the uncle just walked out of the shed, straight into the rain and helped me fill my tyre up.  I was so touched that I just got out of the car and stood under the rain with him even though I didn't do anything.  I know it might be stupid to others but I thought that I could not let this person, who is older than my parents help me fill up my tyre under the rain while I just sit in my car and wait while listening to the radio.  It just doesn't feel right that way.   The uncle told me to get to the mechanic immediately to get the nail out (yes there was a nail sticking out like a sore thumb in my tyre) and get it fixed.

As  I was on my way driving to the mechanics', I can't help but think to myself that I am really a very lucky person, surrounded by all this nice people.  People whom I have never met in my entire life and maybe never ever again (like the guy from the next booth) yet they bothered to point out to me and helped me (old uncle).  It's a very small gesture from them and it does not affect their lives even if they decide to not point it out to me but for me, it's a very big matter because driving on a rainy day with a problematic tyre IS a problem.  Not so much of the changing of tyre or calling for help under the rain but rather safety problems.  Perhaps I could be speeding and I could have injured myself in one way or another if the kind stranger had not point it out to me and I could be stranded for some time at the Shell Station if the old uncle had not helped me.

It really made me think that at times, it might not mean much to you but what you do or say to others could mean the world to them at that point of time.  So be nice to thy neighbour.  Be nice to thy kins and be nice to anyone that you could.



mish <3