Of Batty Prawns & Oranges

In the hustle and bustle of our cities these days, random acts of kindness are something of a rarity. Yes, no doubt we have people coming to your aid when you are in an accident or if you are lost (a relatively easy thing to do in KL if you depend solely on the signboards to navigate your way)

But if you held your breath waiting for an unnecessary act of kindness from a stranger in a busy shopping mall, well, that can be best described by the Dutch as Dan kun je wachten tot Sint Juttemis! Which is waiting for a day that is non-existent.

What do you know, that day did exist after all for me today. I was at the food court at Tesco, Puchong waiting for my food. One of the ladies cooking at the stall decided to offer me a couple of pieces of cucur udang (fried prawns in batter) that she was preparing for their private buka puasa (breaking fast) meal. That surprised me and I offered to pay her for it but she refused and went on to add more pieces to an empty plate.

I collected my meal and went on to sit at one of the tables with my parents. A few minutes later, she appears by my table with a bowl of cut oranges. That really blew me away! In a busy food court, this lady who has never met me before shares her food with me with nothing but love and sincerity.

Her unexpected kindness put me in a beautiful mood because she was a reminder that while we have morons in public office who are asking Muslims to shun greeting non-Muslims & to stop celebrating Open Houses of other faiths, there are amongst us simple folk. Beautiful souls who understand that the essence of it all is just loving kindness.

I couldn't leave Tesco without doing something for her, however small so we got her some grapes and dates. Again, she surprised me. In front of a lot of curious patrons, she walked out of the stall and gave me the warmest hug.

There really are no words to describe how one life can touch another. Or how a couple of shrimp, some batter and a couple of oranges united two different individuals of totally diverse backgrounds.