“Doors are closing…” the usual monotone recording of a voice warning commuter of the closing doors rang out in the train and the MRT station as a few more passengers rushed into the train. I was lucky enough to grab seat in the train a few stations ago and rested by already very tired legs as I stood on the bus to the MRT station for half an hour. From these, I experience one part of being a teacher already, as our teachers in school usually stand throughout the whole one hour or one and a half hour lessons and they have to teach. This was one of the reasons I do not usually create trouble during lessons as standing for so long and having to dill with clowns in the class must not be an easy job.
As the train doors started closing, a grumpy looking elderly woman squeezed through the closing doors quickly and with much agility. She was carrying two big bags of what seemed like vegetables and meat to me. Seeing that she was capable of being so agile at her age and with her hands full of grocery, I had respect for her as my grandmother at home was already on wheels. However, as I observed her closely, she was actually panting and her palm clutched her chest tightly. I laughed to myself as the “stunning” move was obviously too much for her.
Before she was walked in, the whole carriage was filled with the loud and not very polite conversation between two teenage boys who were sitting on the reserved seat for the elderly, disabled, people with toddlers and pregnant woman. It was as if the old lady was their strict discipline mistress. When the old lady stepped in, the two teenage boys stopped their conversation instantly and put on two very big ear phones and blasted the music into their ears. They pretended to sleep in order not to give up their seat to the old lady.
The old lady stood next to them, placing her groceries on the ground of the MRT and leaned her body against the plastic transparent “wall” separating her and the teenage boys. One of the teenage boys did a stupid action, which got him into trouble. He opened one of his eyes and looked around to see if the old lady was still around, before “waking” his friend next to him. The old lady saw this and took her chance; she went to them and asked them politely if it was okay if they gave up their seat for her as she could not stand for too long. The teenage boys looked at her and asked if she could wait until they reached their station before giving up their seat. The elderly woman glared at them in disbelief and just shook her head in disappointment. She muttered something in dialect under her breath, which means “Parents are not doing enough to educate their children”.
I was disgusted by their reaction when the old lady politely asked them to give up the seat which was reserved for her. I remembered what the school always emphasized on “respect the elderly and care for the young”. I got up and gave up my seat to her. Her wrinkled face broke into a toothless grin and praised me. When she looked at the red badge on my left collar, she asked if I was from Hwa Chong. I answered her proudly and told her “yes”.
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