Recently, my friend, Diana, asked for help on behalf of her childhood friend. If you are my long term reader, you must have read about my spatial challenge. After staying in my current address for at least 13 years, I only know how to drive to the market, the library and my mother's house. Mind, I do go to multiple other places by public transportation. I could go by LRT, MRT, Monorail, KTM, buses, taxi or grab. So unless you provide a means of going, I very seldom venture out of my comfort zone.
We'll give Diana's friend a name, we will call her Zoe. Zoe's mum is 89 years old and she lives alone. A few days back, the old lady woke up with a sharp pain in her neck and shoulder region. She lives above a shopping mall in a tiny apartment. All her daily needs could be met on the ground floor. Well, when a person is at that age, one could not reasonably expect her to be totally self-sufficient all the time. Zoe lives in Toronto, Canada. Her mom lives many hours away in term of time zone in little Malaysia. Even though Zoe talks to her everyday, she could not apply ointment for her mom. Hence she asked Diana to find someone to visit her mom three times for one hour each just for one week. There are three tasks to accomplish during this hour, 1.rub ointment into the affected region 2. teach her mom how to navigate the tv onto playing dvd 3. teach her how to use a new phone. Zoe offered to compensate the helper a reasonable amount for the time, effort and transportation.
So on Tuesday evening, Diana managed to talk Penny into driving to meet this old lady who needed some help. I happened to tag along as I did not have other fish to fry. Diana is born a Cantonese but she is English educated. Penny is a Teochiew but went to 6 years of Chinese education. If I had not gone along, they would definitely have communication problem. I ended up translating the gist of what came across into English. The elderly person spoke very literal, deep and beautiful Cantonese like what one hears on tv or radio in Hong Kong. My father would probably have spoken all that in Hakka as he spent years mastering the Chinese language up to the level of writing poems for weddings, shop opening, funerals and festivals.
After listening to the old lady's struggles for about an hour, we adjourned up to her unit. The rubbing of ointment commenced. Then Penny used the hair dryer to apply heat therapy for better circulation. I observed the professional way Penny went about it. It is interesting that she works as in accounts receivable. With three years in the right institution, she would be a tip-top physiotherapist. Then Penny went onto playing around with three controllers: tv, Astro and dvd. Now that may be easy for a three year old, I certainly could not handle it. I much prefer reading than watching movies. Last of all, the new hand set came out. All three of us could not figure out how to charge it.
The next day, by appointment, we went for session two. We waited at the appointed place. After ten minutes, we called Diana. Diana called Zoe by Whatsapp. Then the aged came into sight pushing a shopping cart. She misplaced her access card cum house keys. It s a good thing she has a second set of keys handy. We searched high and low, up and down, from kitchen to toilet, sitting room a second time and bedroom 1 and 2. Not a whiff of the red lanyard or the green card.
I decided to pray. I prayed in English, Penny in Mandarin and Auntie in Cantonese.
After strategizing, we all agree that the access card must be in the bedroom. After the guests left, the occupant came back, locked up and changed for bed. I found the card and keys. They were hung on the right knob of a mobile mirror. The mirror was placed neatly, close to the wardrobe. In the tiny bedroom, one has to be standing on a line about two feet long, and she has to turn towards the window to see one side of the access card peeping out for about half an inch. Else the lanyard and 80% of the card would be hidden by an ornate wood carving which is part of the mirror.
Back to what Zoe requested, Penny wanted to rub ointment a second time. Auntie took some time explaining how she didn't think it would help. She wanted to go to a physician in a nearby town. Then a lot of telephone calls and texting occurred. In the end we all agreed to call a grab. First we took her down for a filling meal before we saw her safely into the right car. Mission accomplished
(at least for Penny and I).
Diana's son managed to charge the phone up fully. Diana's daughter would have to take time to teach the old lady how to use it. So you see, it is not easy at all to be good Samaritans.
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