Help extended by strangers and the kindness along with it, is never forgotten, especially when you least expect it.
Although this happened more than half a lifetime ago when we were in our teens, it remains imprinted in my mind, indelible and spurs me to help others.
It was summer and my friend and I had returned to London after a holiday in Europe. We were teacher-trainees from Brinsford Lodge, a Malayan Teachers' College located in Wolverhampton. It was too late to hitch-hike back to college
and being short of funds, we had banked on another friend for a night's lodging. We went to her apartment only to find that she wasn't in. Unfazed, we sat outside her door and waited. The hours passed and it was close to 11 p.m. but there was still no sign of her.
Then a bobby (an English policeman) passed by.
He told us we could not wait there and asked us to follow him to the police station. We sat there and waited. Calls to my friend's apartment were not answered. The police officer said that we could not stay at the police station. He said that he would take us to a place where we could help.
Guess where he took us?
To a Chinese restaurant!! There he had a word with the proprietor, Mr Wong and then he left. The first thing Mr Wong asked us was whether we had eaten. When we replied in the negative, he had his kitchen rustle up dinner for us.
Then only he asked us what happened. We explained our predicament with the waiters hovering by. Then Mr Wong assured us that we would be his house guests that night.
When the restaurant closed a short while later, one of the waiters came up and gave us their day's tips.
We felt most embarrassed and reluctant to accept but Mr Wong said that we should as it was their wish to help us. His waiters didn't like the idea of two young ladies hitch-hiking back to their college and wanted us to take the train instead.
We were very touched by their kindness and rather ashamed that we had landed ourselves in a situation which, if not for these kind strangers, could have put us at unknown risks.
Mr Wong took us to this home where we spent a comfortable night. The next morning after a good breakfast, he drove us to the railway station, purchased the train tickets himself and saw us to the train. Perhaps he wanted to make doubly sure that we would not hitch-hike back!
Brushing aside our thanks, he told us to take good care and not to hitch-hike anymore as it wasn't safe.
Mr Wong and his waiters, complete strangers, yet were compassionate and generous. They didn't think twice about helping us, two young ladies brought in by a policeman.
This was one of the lovely rainbows in our student lives in a foreign country.
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