Comfort Amidst Chaos
Lost but Found

 

          One Sunday morning a few years ago, my younger brother and I found ourselves casually walking down the marble stairs of the Tiu Keng Leng MTR station and then down the escalators. As the tiled, ceramic walls and concrete floor came into view, we realized that the train had already arrived and would close soon. Not wanting to have to wait for the next train, we darted through the station and hurried over to the gate. I managed to enter the train on time, closely followed by my mother. However, my brother, who might have been about five then, reached the gate but was terrified that the doors would close in on him and didn’t enter. My mother tried to convince him that it was safe to head inside, but he still wouldn’t budge. As a last effort, she motioned for me to come back off the train, but it was too late.

          As the doors closed, I stared through the window at them, exasperated. My

mom tried to motion to me through the shaded window, but I didn’t understand

what she was trying to convey. So, I was now alone on a train, with no way to

communicate with my mother. The loud whirring sound of the train

overwhelmed my senses. Panicking, I couldn’t think properly and decided to

alight the train at the following station. Looking back, this seems like an odd

decision, although maybe that’s what I thought she would do too. I stared at the

empty train tracks through the tunnel, anxiously waiting for the next train to

come among the mass crowd of commuting people. I tried to recall what my

mother looked like, but I guess I had somehow forgotten what she was wearing

on that day.

          As the next train came and went, I wanted to go see if I could spot my

mother, but to no avail. I had no idea what to do. I tried to shout out of

desperation, calling for my mom. No answer. I was scared and alone. Then, in the

corner of my eye, a young worker at the MTR station slowly approached me.

          Although I was scared at first, he comforted me and asked what was going on, so I tried my best to explain the situation. He reassuringly brought me towards the MTR control room, where he and his colleagues kept me there and made sure I was safe. They gave me water and the telephone to call my mom, although the “Unable to connect, please call again later” just rang repeatedly into my ears. As I stared at the clock going towards noon, the worker walked towards me and gave me some food to eat. I was extremely grateful and was shaken up by the fact that he had done so for me. He smiled and then proceeded to leave the room, even coming back a few times with things like a toy car or a children’s book to make sure I wasn’t bored.

          My mother did eventually connect with me later on. The worker

explained that I was lost in the Tseung Kwan O Station. She came over soon

and picked me up to go home. She was very appreciative of how the MTR

crew took care of me, and the two of us went back home, waving goodbye to

the friendly workers.

          To this day, I’m still incredibly grateful for what they did for me. I didn’t

expect it to make such a lasting impact and difference in my life, but it has

inspired me to show kindness to others, just like what they did to me. While

we may feel distant from everyone, kindness finds a way to bring people

together and tear down our borders.

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