When I was in the middle school, there was a sudden wave of cases about suspects using drugs to rob or kidnap children and women in China. Such cases created severe fear for families with younger children. I could always hear my parents’ warning in my head. “Do not accept anything suspicious from strangers and take good care of yourself.” Furthermore, teachers at school also kept reminding us to “stay safe!” and be alert of potential criminals. Yet, in the midst of fear and suspicion, a girl in my city impressed me with her selfless behavior, which helped me to build my sense of trusting people as well as my willingness to help others when they are in trouble.
I still remembered the evening that I accidentally met the girl during my second year in middle school. It was a typical evening when I stepped off the bus I took to come back home from school. However, within a few steps a sudden summer rain started to fall. When I successfully located a convenience store nearby and ran into its doorway for shelter, the rain was already like water pouring down from a bucket. Since I did not have an umbrella with me, the only thing I could do was wait in front of the store, hoping that the rain would go away as fast as it came. Unfortunately, my prayer did not come true. I waited for more than fifteen minutes, yet the rain became heavier than before. When I started to think about running home directly, which probably is a ten-minute run, a girl who looked around eleven years old appeared in front of me. She had an umbrella with her, and smiling at me, she asked, “Would you like to share the umbrella with me, if you live around here?” |
“Well, my home is pretty close, just at…” I was pleasantly surprised, but just for a few seconds. The warnings from both my parents and my teachers echoed in my head. I remembered that some criminals recently took advantage of people by lowering their guards with children. “…But no, thanks. I guess I can make it by myself.” I said as calm as possible.
The girl seemed to be a little bit confused by my reaction, but she did not say anything else. The atmosphere became awkward, and I made up my mind to run into the heavy rain. However, only after a few steps, the umbrella I just saw in the girl’s hand unfolded above my head.
“You are afraid of me?” the girl asked. It did not sound like a question.
“Aww...It is not like that...” Unfortunately, I could not deny that I was a little scared. I grimaced and shuffled my feet. “It is not a problem for me to go back home alone—” I stopped when I turned to see her face directly. A frown appeared on her face. It was obvious that she was hurt by my behavior and it suddenly occurred to me that hurting her feelings also pained me. The feeling of trust was pretty strong, probably because she was the first one and the only one who would love to offer me help in the bad weather, and I just wanted to forget all the warnings about safety this time.
We walked and chatted along the way.
“Do you play sports?” I asked her.
“You are afraid of me?” the girl asked. It did not sound like a question.
“Aww...It is not like that...” Unfortunately, I could not deny that I was a little scared. I grimaced and shuffled my feet. “It is not a problem for me to go back home alone—” I stopped when I turned to see her face directly. A frown appeared on her face. It was obvious that she was hurt by my behavior and it suddenly occurred to me that hurting her feelings also pained me. The feeling of trust was pretty strong, probably because she was the first one and the only one who would love to offer me help in the bad weather, and I just wanted to forget all the warnings about safety this time.
We walked and chatted along the way.
“Do you play sports?” I asked her.
“Yep, I play table tennis and I am also good at swimming,” she answered.
“Oh, I am on the school table tennis team! We should play it together sometime!” I replied excitedly.
The time I spent with her flew by, and I never felt that the way back home could be so short. When we reached the gate of my home, I gave her my most sincere thanks. I still remembered her happy face saying, “I also want to thank you. My mom always warns me against talking to strangers, but I still wanted to help you when I saw you standing under the shelter without any umbrella.” She smiled to me. “Of course you do not look like a bad guy.” It shined beautifully in her eyes. “Thank you for trusting me.”
“Oh, I am on the school table tennis team! We should play it together sometime!” I replied excitedly.
The time I spent with her flew by, and I never felt that the way back home could be so short. When we reached the gate of my home, I gave her my most sincere thanks. I still remembered her happy face saying, “I also want to thank you. My mom always warns me against talking to strangers, but I still wanted to help you when I saw you standing under the shelter without any umbrella.” She smiled to me. “Of course you do not look like a bad guy.” It shined beautifully in her eyes. “Thank you for trusting me.”
Although this incident occurred almost five years ago, this memory never seemed to fade in my life. I suspect that the encounter under the shelter in that evening has potentially shaped part of me. Although trusting in others involves a risk, trust establishes a relationship and promotes communication among human beings. I believe that a bit of trust always makes a much better person, and this singular memory that plays constantly deep in my heart often reminds me of the feeling of trust as well as the urge to help those who indeed need help. This encounter was much more than sharing an umbrella.