I didn’t
linger, but rode off immediately and did not look back. My gesture had been misunderstood. I didn’t want to
judge that woman. She was right to refuse a ride from a stranger.
She was being alert and careful.
Why would a decent woman go off with a stranger? I pondered her words along the way: "Thanks, but no thanks!"
No, I wasn’t upset that I had
been seen in the wrong light. Instead, I felt amused and had to
smother an outburst of laughter as I rode away. But I
did not give up on helping others, especially when I believed my intentions were
honorable. If I was not successful in the beginning, I would
try a second time to see how it went. If, again, I was not well received, I wouldn’t make another attempt.
One morning I was on my way to
work as usual. As I approached Hua Muong district on my motorbike, I spotted a young woman standing by the roadway, holding a pinto1
with one hand. I slowed down by easing up on the throttle, and the
bike soon coasted to a halt very close to where the young woman was
standing. I got off the bike and pretended to tinker with it here and there for a while. Then I tried to start it up again. And since there was nothing wrong
with it, of course, it started right away. I turned to look at the
woman, who appeared very anxious and in a hurry to reach her destination quickly. So I asked, "Excuse me, are you waiting for
someone?"
"Well, uh m waiting for a cab," she
answered uneasily.
"If you’re in a hurry, can I take you
there?"
"Well, sort of... uh m taking this food to my
mother in the hospital."
"Would it be all right if I gave you a
ride?"
Overjoyed by my offer, she
accepted gratefully. I gave her a ride to the entrance of the hospital. She got off, mumbled her thanks once more, and we
went our separate ways. I arrived at work five minutes early.
After two weeks had passed, my friend came back to
reclaim his motorcycle. The bike was still in good shape as it had been
when he entrusted it to me. He said he’d be more than happy to let me borrow it
whenever I needed it....... |
