I wandered through the streets, passing by the places we used to walk by, hoping to catch a glimpse of her shadow. It was a cold and chilly night, just like the day she...... I shook my head, not wanting to recall the day. The day where she left me, the day where she left us, the day where she left forever.
After a while, I found myself at a coffee shop nearby. The place was bustling with life, some drinking and laughing loudly while some ate quietly. Some stared at me as I walked into the area, others looked away, as though they were averse to my sight. I must have looked like a mess. How could I not?
I spotted an empty seat across this lady and walked over gingerly, still shivering from the cold. She looked up briefly when I sat down, her face void of emotions. She seemed to be in her forties as tiny wrinkles framed her eyes.
My stomach growled. I reached into my back pocket for my wallet only to remember that I hadn't brought anything along with me then. I ran my fingers through my hair and sighed.
As I got up, a hand rested on my shoulder.
“Boy, this is for you.”
A piping hot bowl of prawn noodles was placed in front of me. I looked up, an uncle in his sixties was smiling at me.
“Uncle cannot give you a lot, but this should be enough to warm your stomach. Come, faster eat.”
He walked away.
I stared at the bowl of noodles, remembering how she used to love prawn noodles so much that we would travel around Singapore just to find that perfect bowl of prawn noodles.
“Come, Uncle give you a bit more of the fish cake and one egg uh. It's okay boy, whatever happens, will pass. Finish this bowl of noodles and everything will be okay.”
Without warning, tears fell down my cheeks. All the grief and sorrow gushed out of me. The uncle smiled at me sympathetically, as though he knew what was going on. It doesn't matter if he knew what happened or not, the thing is, it mattered that he thought I needed his help. And he gave his help. That's all it mattered.
Thank you Uncle. Thank you for showing kindness to a stranger.