Kindness of Strangers

Other commuters seemed unaware of my fear, but he placed himself between potential danger and me

I DIDN’T SEE HIM coming towards me. He approached from behind and I had my head down, but suddenly aware of him, I looked up. A young man in his early 20s was peering over my shoulder at my phone, trapping me in the corner against the train door.

I’ve lived in Singapore for over ten years. Places are busy and well lit and I’m used to feeling safe. That day was the same; I was on the train around lunch-time. It was an ordinary journey on an ordinary day.

A couple of people were standing in the middle of the carriage, while others were sitting. I was leaning against the screen next to the door. Most of us were engrossed in our phones, heads down and index fingers flicking.

In crowded places we endure the proximity of strangers but the carriage wasn’t crowded and this man was standing much closer than he needed to. I straightened up and moved my phone away. He looked straight at me, swore under his breath and stuck his finger in my face.

I froze, my heart thudding. Words swam into my mind: ‘move’, ‘scream’, ‘push’, but I did nothing, I said nothing. Clearly disturbed, and muttering incoherently, he was

behaving in an unpredictable way. I didn’t want to provoke him. He stood there, his face close to mine for what felt like minutes but must only have been seconds and then he moved away.

No-one appeared to have noticed; eyes were averted as they often are when faced with odd behaviour. The man meandered around the carriage for a bit, then turned back towards me, approaching again. I froze.

At that moment, a middle-aged man crossed the carriage and stood next to me. He didn’t say anything, but simply stood by me, like a shield. The young man hesitated and drew back. Feeling safe, I mouthed “thank you,” and the man stayed by my side until the train stopped and the young man got off. Then my protector crossed back to his side of the carriage.

We both got off at the next station. I followed him, hoping to catch up and thank him again but he was soon lost in the crowd. Our paths had crossed briefly but I can’t forget his kindness. He heard my silent appeal for help and placed himself between potential danger and me, a total stranger. Such kindness makes an ordinary day extraordinary.