Wednesday, November 11, 2009

need I be embarrassed...?

My mission was to get a cab directly from my place (already late!!). Little did I noe that my gramma-in-law was waiting to take the train with me...

At Pasir Ris mrt station, there's already a train filled with passengers. So I told gramma to wait for another train, so that we can have a higher chance of getting a seat (she's alighting at Outram- long journey!).

However, the station master decide to cancel that train service and all the commuters inside scrambled out right when another train was arriving. And they didn't bother to queue at the side of the train doors. Was even dismayed to find most of the seats already filled by those commuters from Tampines. I told the gramma to go ahead and (try to) get a seat.

Those peeps were pushing and jostling that old lady aside, lah. Not surprisingly, she didn't get a seat. :(( So the both of us stood at the intersection between 2 carriages, which is right beside the priority seats. All the way till Tampines. And that's when this young angel board the train....

I can't help noticing him looking up & down at me, then looking around at all those who are seated. I can sense that something's gonna happen so I looked away. True enuff', he came up to me and asked, "Do you need a seat?"

I was all wide-eyed and sheepishly replied, "Uhh.. it's okay. I'm fi...." Didn't get to finish my sentence before he went off to the lady seated right beside where I stood, "Excuse me, can't you give up your seat to this lady? She's with.. erm.. a baby." (Guess the word 'pregnant' didn't come to mind).

The lady hurriedly got up and say, "Oh sorry, I didn't know.." (I stood beside her the whole way from Pa'Ris to Tampines with my 8.5mths belly). So I took over her seat, looked at the guy and said, "Why, THANK YOU!" Honestly, my back was already starting to ache, that time.

Kinda' felt guilty towards gramma, who was across from me. She ought to have a seat too. For her to have my seat after I alight at Eunos, that's a few more stations to go. Thankfully, the seat beside her was vacated 2 stations later. Seriously, the person seated there sat from Pa'RIs to Tanah Merah, which ain't that long a journey. Couldn't she have just given her seat to that old lady instead???

KUDOS to that young guy (looked like he's a poly student, in T-shirt, berms and slippers, reading notes) for his graciousness. Honestly speaking, I dun see myself doing that, even when I DO have the right to, given my condition. I gotta' admit that I just dun' have the guts to do that. And when I sat down, I was feeling a lil' 'paiseh' cos' the attention did come to me that time. I guess I shouldn't cos' I have the RIGHT to that 'Priority' seat, no??

He really made my morning. THANK YOU again, whoever you are.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

What that young lad did was a nice gesture. If only everyone is like that. :-)

mkia said...

yeah.. my friend called him my, 'train-hero'.

...everyone in need deserves to have 1 such person around them.