Today’s Your Day, May Be Tomorrow’s Mine

To be stranded on the road or highway is the last thing motorists would want to have when commuting.

In numerous occasions, I would stop over and try giving helping hands on the stranded motorists along side of the road. For my own consumption, I find it satisfying when I stop over; to see the thankful looks in their faces for having someone concern enough to at least ask what their problems were. Sometimes nothing much can be done. But when some helps are delivered, they can get on the road again, I just love to see their happy faces.

Tell that to me, I was in the situation once when my car engine simply died at the traffic light, ran out of gas. It didn’t surprise me because I knew the car I was driving had a faulty fuel gauge all those while. I was a bummer in that sense for not spending only an hour of my life to get it fixed at the mechanic’s while I would only have to sit there in the fully air-conditioned waiting room reading car magazines until the mechanic comes to me and says “Siap!”. Instead, I had fun guessing when the gas would dry out based on the mileage traveled. With your own car, you’d know the fuel consumption well but not all the time you can get it right.

That’s what had happened. The car stopped, disrupting traffics. Small kids at the back in their evening ride while their mother busy preparing for breaking fast at home. With just minutes to spare before breaking fast, least expected people would stop for you. I tried to push the car. Pushing a Volvo was just like pushing a bulldozer, damn heavy. The gears set free, the door opened, and with all my might tried pushing from the side while still have to control the stiffened steering wheel and prepared to jump in to hit the brake if necessary. Gosh, if one was looking at me with that kind of look in my face, with the hardened loaves of butts sticking out in the air when I was in full throttle pushing, one would sure chuckle. Hardly a yard moved.

How happy I was when a group of young men in an elaborated Satria full of stickers with sport rims and spoilers and sub-woofers beating to the sound of music stopped over to help. From the cigarette smell in them I knew it too well they were not rushing anywhere for breaking fast. But, out of courtesy, I still voiced out my worry for them to be late for their fast breaking, and of course they said don’t worry. They helped me pushed the car to the side and get the fuel from a gas station some 3 km away. You guys sinful for not fasting but sure rewarded for your kindness!

On the turn of the Year 2007, I had a run on Guthrie Highway heading to my house in Saujana Utama. From the distance I saw a van in distress signals pulled over close to the guard rail. I switched to leftmost lane, slowed down the car and prepared to stop. And did. I hurried down just to see a family of foreigners – a father, a mother, two teenagers – a boy and a girl and a 3-year old toddler, of which later I learned they were from Australia. Before I opened up my mouth to ask what the problem was, the time I was walking to their vehicle, I already saw big smile in both the adults.

The gentleman holds up his hands in “kow-tow” style that reminds me my friend Alice Lee would have done when she thank me, and say To-Che, To-Che. It appeared that they had no mechanical problem with the vehicle. They were just busy studying the map. The time I reached their vehicle they had already had all figured out, and my help was least needed. They just showed their appreciations when someone care enough to stop over and ask. The way they thanked me made me feel like I didn’t deserve for what I did – just merely stopped over and asked. I walked back to the car feeling somewhat proud – feeling like a true countryman giving good impression to foreigners especially in the wake of Visit Malaysia Year this year.

Only last week, I was on my way home, going through Mahameru, not far from Istana Negara, I saw a Proton Iswara with hazard lights on in the mid of rain, slowing the traffics even more. Without second thought, I pulled over and stepped out with my EconSave umbrella to help. There were two couples in the car. It seemed that they had been there for the past 20 minutes, trapped in a car. They looked astounded over me smartly dressed in office attire with the blue tie on stopped over to help. And it was raining some more. After asking what the problem was, I asked the driver to open up the hood. I bent down checking because it appeared to me either starter or battery or distributor went faulty because it did not ignite. I asked the driver to start the engine when I was looking in it. It starts! Honest to God, I did not touch anything except I was just looking to determine where the wire goes. I had my fair share of surprise as much as they were happy but I didn’t claim credit in front of them. Instead, I asked them to send for wiring check once they safely reached their destination.

Next time around if you happen to have flat tyres somewhere and a Good Samaritan stops over offering help, it could be me. That is only if I would be able to determine someone in trouble ahead and still within braking distance of my normal cruising speed of 160 km/h.