Was Lost But Now Found...

... okay sambung from yesterday's post.

After breakfast, as it was still early and the roads were relatively empty, at Other Half's suggestion, we crossed over to Pekan China to the 'market' area to buy some fruits.

Saw this... roasted pigs all lined up. They probably have takers already. This is the month of the hungry ghost. So, I guess many are buying these roasted pigs for offerings to the spirits. I already have a friend complaining that she's eating way too much meat this month!

We walked around some more... this is my first visit to this 'market' this year. Back in our early days in Alor Setar, I used to go there quite often to buy the 'kuih'. And I bought some for my kids back home.

We were walking back to our car when I noticed this lady walking past me. I turned to look at her a second time as there seemed to be an air of familiarity about her. So there I stood digging into the recesses of my brains.... before it finally hit me! It was that lady who was lost 3 months back! She had sauntered down the road quite nonchalantly... and it took me a while to register.

My curiousity was aroused for she looked clean and well groomed.... unlike the last time I saw her before the police took her away, smelling of urine, her earrings missing as a result of being relieved by someone, disheveled, bewildered and crying that she didn't want to be locked up... So I told Other Half that I was going to follow her. I followed her to the riverbank where a sampan was waiting.... I could hear her talking to the boatman in Bahasa... the boatman seemed familiar with her.

Then she got onto the sampan. I quickly took some photos of the boatman who seemed amused with my antics. Then the lady turned over... and asked me in Hokkien.. "you taking my photo?" I said yes... She smiled for me. I shouted to her as the sampan moved to the middle of the river.... "Aunty, you can remember me or not?" She said in her 'funny' way..."No, you know-la, my memory not so good"... and smiled again. Then I asked her one final time... "Where do you stay?" She pointed to across the river bank and pointed to a group of houses... She has a home!

Isn't this amazing?... She's okay now. And back with her family! Now wouldn't that make your day? I immediately called friend to tell her of my encounter!

The odds of me meeting her was quite low. Yet I had to bump into her. I had to be reminded that it mattered whether we cared or cared enough to take action. You see, on my own, I don't think I would have stopped. But because my friend did, I stopped too. I had to be reminded too of other things. There were lessons here for me in this encounter that day. Maybe I'd write about that too someday...