Seven Years Seven Stories

1.

I was in an elevator going down on my way to work. The elevator stopped, the door opened and an elderly Chinese lady walked in. We looked at each other and while she said "Good Morning", I said "Jo sun" at the same time. Were we both guilty of subconsciously stereotyping?

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2.

"We will keep you here for observation for a couple of days", said the doctor at the emergency room. The ambulance had brought me there for the second time in 12 hours.

And so I was checked into the General Medicine ward at Princess Margaret Hospital. It was a open ward with about 10 to 12 beds. I probably stood out for two reasons. Firstly, for being the only non-Chinese person in the ward. Secondly, for being the only one under 80 years old. The ward was shared with the Geriatrics department.

Scheduled activities broke the monotony of doing nothing. Meal times, medication times, visiting hours, periodic checks. Unfortunately two unscheduled ones also did. One afternoon a gentleman was wheeled away on his bed in an emergency. He never return. Another night, I was woken up by the sounds of a lady crying. In the background was the quiet sobbing of family members. They surrounded a bed that was curtained off. I hope he went in peace.

Thankfully I was there for only two nights.

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3.

At first I thought it was cool. I was flying out the bus, arms stretched out and body parallel to the road. I was making an exit like superman. In a micro second I realized I had tripped while getting off the shuttle and was going to hit the ground hard. And hard it was. The fall was funny. Lifting my head to just see feet walk around and past me without any hesitation or even feigned concern was funnier.

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4.

I usually get into office earlier than most when I have lots to do. One morning I must have been the first person to arrive in the vicinity of my desk. I was just about to get started with work for the day when a guy walking past my desk says loudly, "Hey! Guy!". I look up to see someone I had seen around but had never had never spoken to.

"Have you had breakfast yet?", he asked.

I don't normally have breakfast and I was in early because I had work to do. But it seemed too much to explain to a stranger.

"No", I responded. 

"Let's go",  he said.

He was so friendly, it almost seemed impolite to not accept. So I went along and he ended up buying me breakfast and inviting me for a fishing trip over the weekend. We still see each other at work and, till date, he still doesn't know my name. But I wish he was on the bus I flew out of. He would have stopped.

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5.

"Can I help you?", said the pretty girl with a smile.

I looked around. I was really tempted by what I saw. It had been a long time since I had given in to those kinds of desires. But it was really late at night and I know nothing good happens after 2am. I took in the sights and smells and sighed.

"No, thank you. I'm just looking", I responded.

Then I turned around and walked out of the McDonalds.

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6.

I sat down at the only available table in the tiny street side wanton noodle place with a feeling of complete failure. I had ordered food at the till but had been unable to convey to the proprietor, who spoke no English, that I wanted to take away my food. I tried "take away", "take home","take out", "to-go", "parcel" and any other phrase I could think of with no success.

Soon after sitting, he comes to me, looks me in the eye, points to the street outside and shouts "GET OUT!!"

If I had thought about it, I should have been grossly offended and would have walked away from the place. But instinctively my eyes fill with joy, I smiled emphatically, responded.

 "Yes! Yes!".

The table next to me laughed at the interaction for two reasons I assume. Firstly that he used “Get out” for take away. Secondly, I actually understood that he didn’t mean I should leave.

Five minutes later, he handed me my food packed and ready to go.

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7.

A typhoon was coming. The observatory had announced that they would raise a T8 signal at or before 5:30pm. This meant that people are advised to get home and indoors before that. I left the office around 4:30pm.

The rain wasn’t bad enough for me to mind on my walk to the train station. I like rain. It brings back a lot of memories. As a 6 year old wading in shin high water on the way home from the school bus stop as the monsoons flood the streets of Bombay. As a young adult taking shelter from a down pour under a huge road side tree alongside a girl I had a massive crush on and who didn't know it. As a 25 year old riding home from office on my scooter at 2am getting soaked by torrential rain because it was more important to get home after a long day at work than staying dry. In my first year in HK, sitting alone at my bay window on the 55th floor staring at the rain falling on the ..….

“Excuse me”, said this young woman. I was suddenly pulled out of my thoughts. I did not know her nor had I ever seen her before. She had been walking behind me and had caught up.

“Are you going to the MTR station?”, she asked.

“Yes”, I replied tentatively. What did she want?

She then lifted her umbrella a bit higher and held it a bit closer to me. Her face made an expression indicating that I could walk under her umbrella with her.

I was a bit confused. But I realized that I was so lost in thought that I hadn’t been conscious that the rain had gotten heavier and I was getting wetter! Bless her soul for offering a gigantic person space under her tiny umbrella! The random act of kindness was so heartwarming. I would have loved to share the umbrella and get to know this kind stranger a bit more.

Unfortunately, and more embarrassingly, I had to admit to her that I had an umbrella in my bag. I just hadn’t bothered to take it out. What an idiot she must have thought. She smiled politely and walked away.