Compositions ✓

A stranger

He came, he saw, he helped. Then, he left without even telling us his name. To this day, I still remember his face and mannerism vividly. How could I ever forget him and the kindness he showed us?

It was during the March holidays and my mother and I were on our way to Malaysia to visit my aunt. We were in high spirits and the mood was set for an enjoyable day. Unfortunately, halfway through our road trip, one of our car tyres was punctured in the middle of the highway. As my mother did not know how to change a car tyre, we had no choice but to seek help. For almost an hour, we waved at every passing vehicle but no one slowed down, much less stopped. As if the situation could not get any worse, the weather changed suddenly. Thunder rumbled and lightning cracked open the ashen sky. Dark ominous clouds gathered overhead as rain threatened to fall.

"Where are all the helpful people! I can't imagine being stranded here for hours!" I began to whine.

Just then, a screech of brakes was heard.

A battered old truck stopped a few centimetres ahead of me and out came a towering man with broad muscular shoulders and strong heavily-tattooed arms. His weather-beaten skin was as coarse as an alligator's and he had a pock-marked face that looked like a pimple plantation. His eyes were so tiny that they were almost non-existent and his bulbous nose had the shape of a large garlic clove. To put it plainly, he was ugly and formidable looking.

"Do you need help?" the intimidating stranger asked in a gruff voice.

An irrational fear overwhelmed me, causing my heart to palpitate so fast that it might just leap out of my mouth. Instinctively, I moved behind my mother for protection.

"Ermh... yes please. Our tyre is punctured," my mother muttered hesitatingly after what seemed like eternity.

Without a word, the stranger walked back to his beat-up truck and took out a toolbox. Taking the spare tyre from my mother, he flashed us an enigmatic smile and started work. We stood near him uneasily, half thankful and half suspicious of his motives.

Minutes passed and a gentle drizzle began to drift down from the darkened sky. Heat was instantly radiated from the ground as the light drizzle cooled the surroundings. My mother immediately told me to get into the car while she took an umbrella to place over the stranger to prevent him from getting wet. However, as the rain got heavier, my mother also came into the car at the stranger's bidding.

"It's okay. There's no point in you standing here and getting wet too," he said, his coarse voice muffled by the pelting rain.

For the next ten minutes or so, we sat silently in the car and watched the good Samaritan fix our tyre. He was focused on the task even though the wind had grabbed the umbrella and he was drenched to the skin.

When he was finally done, he simply knocked on the car window and said casually, "Your car is good to go."

Before we could utter a word of thanks, he turned around and hopped into his truck. Then he left as quickly as he came. Just like that.

This mysterious man has left a deep and lasting impression on me because he has taught me two valuable life lessons. Firstly, he has taught me not to judge a book by its cover. When I first saw him, I instantly associated him with criminals. Nevertheless, he turned out to be the kindest person I have ever met. Thanks to him, I no longer form an opinion about others just because of the way they look. More importantly, he has taught me what it really means to help others. There are people out there who are willing to help those in need without asking for anything in return. These are the people who make the world a better place with their kindness and consideration. Although our encounter was brief, I will never forget this memorable character who gave my mother and me a helping hand and so much more.