Touched
I have been thinking a lot of this friend recently. Many years ago, she did something that till this day, I’m still very touched by it. It was a very small thing but I remember it well. Perhaps because up till now, no one else has done the same thing or even something close to what she did. Maybe because it is something that I myself may do to another person and I never expected someone to do the same to me.
This friend and me were friends in JC. We were not classmates. We were friends from the same ECA( yes, it was called ECA in my days, not CCA). We were both Student Councillors. As such, we had a councillor room and while other students had to pay rental fees for having lockers in the school, we had lockers/cubby holes right in our councillor room for each individual councillor, for free! CK and I were in the same committee in the councillor. I like to say that all councillors are close and enjoy each other’s company, but the fact is, we’re not. But I love my fellow councillors. In fact, other than my days in council, I can’t remember much about the studying in JC part. I enjoy JC so much because of the fact that I’m a councillor. That explains my crappy ‘A’ levels results. Anyway, back to the point. Due to the fact that CK and I were in the same committee, we get to work on some projects together sometimes and when it’s over, sometimes we go home together. By going home together, I mean just walking to the bus stop together.
One day, there was a pasar malam at the housing blocks outside our school. CK and I were walking to the bus stop together and were talking about the pasar malam. We were saying that maybe we should find one day during the week to go to the pasar malam (they usually last for a week). I was agreeing to go together and happened to mentioned that I would like to get ‘muah chee’ from the pasar malam as that is my favourite food. This was only mentioned in passing and then we headed home.
The next day after school, I went to the council room to take some books from my cubby hole (we always head for our cubby holes after school to decide if we want to take or leave our school books home). Upon opening my cubby hole, lo and behold, I found a box of ‘muah chee’ in there! It was in a red plastic bag and there’s a note attached. I can’t remember much of what was written, but I still have the note with me (lazy to go hunt it up). The overall meaning is that CK remembers that I mentioned that I like ‘muah chee’ so she got it from the pasar malam when she went there. I was so touched then that I was tearing up. It was such a sweet gesture.
I guess now I’m thinking of this thing that had happened so long ago (more than 10 years ago) is because I lament the fact that while I’m still touched by the act so many years later, I don’t keep in contact with the person anymore. True, we have each other’s contact numbers, we’re friends on Facebook (I think), but we don’t call or talk or meet up! The last I saw her was at her wedding and that was two years ago. After that, we don’t contact anymore. Although CK did something small to touch me, we were never very close. Close enough that she invited me to her wedding, which I was very honoured, but not close enough that we talk often. It’s only during council days, when we had to work together that we talk. Both of us had our own circle of good friends.
No matter what we do, every small act may be an act of kindness to some one else. On the opposite end, every small act may be an act of cruelty to another person. Be very careful how we act as many years later, our actions may still be remembered by the person we performed it on, be it good or bad. I’m guilty of many bad actions. After all, no one is perfect. I try my best to do small things that touch people, not hoping that it will be remembered, but hoping that it will brighten someone’s day, just like how it brightens up mine that day, so many years ago.
