By Mc Haven Adinail B. Tuason
It was a cold-breezy morning, and loud footsteps were heard from a young man running to the bus stop. When he arrived at the bus stop, he took a moment to catch his breath and sat on the bench. There appears to be another person on the bench. It is an old man, wearing a trench coat, who seemed relaxed. On the other hand, the young man’s appearance was formal, and he seemed nervous.
The young man pulls out sheets of paper and starts rehearsing at a volume the old man can hear. The old man turns his head and realizes that the young man is preparing for a job interview and is memorizing his lines. The young man seems troubled, and the old man wants to help him in any way possible.
But the old man stays observant for now. It had been a couple of minutes, and It was now silent on the bench. The young man had finished his rehearsal and was waiting for the bus to arrive. As time passes, the young man slowly starts fidgeting and frequently looks at his watch.
The old man sees that the young man’s tie is not proper. He takes this opportunity to help him. The old man stands up and approaches the young man.
The old man asks, “Are you alright? You seem very nervous.” To which the young man replies, “Ah, yes. I’m doing okay. Did my panicky behavior disturb you?”
“No, I’m sorry if you took it that way. I just saw that your tie is not proper.”
“Ah, I have completely forgotten about my tie! I was too nervous to realize.”
“Do you know how to tie a tie?”
“Nope, I just tied it the way I think it is supposed to be,” said embarrassingly by the young man.
The old man proceeds to fix the young man’s tie and clothing while giving out words of encouragement, and the young man takes it to heart. They talk for a while before the bus arrives. When it does arrive, the young man is confused when the old man is not going.
The young man asks him, “Is this not your bus?”
And the old man answers, “You could say so. Good luck out there!” while having his thumbs up.
The young man smiles and gets on the bus. The bus takes off, and the old man stares as the bus gets farther and farther.
The next day, the young man walked confidently towards the bus stop, now feeling confident because he had passed his job interview. He just needed that one push or someone to encourage him. Arriving at the bus stop, he does not see the old man. Instead, there is a student practicing her speech. He saw this as an opportunity to repay the old man back. And so, the cycle of kindness begins.
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