The Obliging Indian

My experiences take place in very ordinary circumstances; however some of them are really unforgettable. I would like to share one of them with you today.

A few days ago, I had to travel from Manila to Surabaya. However there was no direct flight, so I had to make a transit in Singapore. Once there, I wanted to go to Novena Church together with my friend Eddie.  We went there all the way from the airport by riding the state-of-the-art MRT. It is excellent and makes travelling within the city very comfortable, however our way to Novena was rather tiring because we brought our luggage along with us; I brought just a trolley bag, but Eddie brought two ones. That physical effort was especially hard for me because I had a cold since a couple of days ago. So, both of us were very tired during our stay at Novena. That’s why we decided to take a snack at the canteen before leaving. We had a nice time there eating some bread that Eddie had bought in Manila on the eve of our trip. Once we finished I needed to blow my nose because of my cold, but I didn’t have tissue paper, so Eddie asked me: “Do you need some tissue paper?” and I replied: “I will just take some in the toilet”. Then a few seconds afterwards, there was an Indian approaching Eddie. Until that time I hadn’t noticed his presence at that canteen, it was like he just appeared suddenly there from somewhere. Frankly speaking, he looked to be a bit poor because he was very thin; in fact all his bones were clearly noticeable. Also because the clothes he was wearing was very simple, it wasn’t fashionable at all. Besides, the Indian looked a bit old, because he just had a few teeth and his face skin was sagging. He was bringing along a little black plastic bag. When he was in front of Eddie he put his right hand in the plastic bag and then he withdrew a green Kleenex pocket pack. Then by using body language he moved his hand holding the green Kleenex pocket pack toward Eddie like offering it to him. Obviously, I thought that he wanted to sell it to Eddie, but then Eddie asked: “Are you giving it to me?”, and the Indian g nodded his head meaning “yes” and he just gave it to Eddie. He never spoke, he just used body language. That man was special; I will never forget his keen ear ready to serve others and his silent generosity. No one asked his help, he just overheard that I needed tissue paper, and he gave it to me without asking anything back, in spite of his poverty. This detail will seem a drop in the bucket to many people, but if everybody acted like this man did, then we would fill that bucket, and many problems will be solved. Probably my friend you are reading me now, so I give you thanks again. Thank you very much.