Sunday, August 21, 2005

A lost boy...

We were at the KLCC mall this Sunday afternoon to window shop and enjoy the day as usual, in a first world facilities...A five minutes drive from our home...May spouse were with me and this time our daughter who had just return from Boston accompanied us, so to say it is a crowd....Adding to the already crowded scene in the mall...After the usual window shopping which end in us buying and then having our usual coffee break at the Strudal...We decided to move on as the crowd beginning to swell...People were everywhere and at this time of the year there are many tourists from the middle east and they are easily notice...They Arab woman are in their black veil with their spouse and children along...Some of the kids wear modern western dress...Just like those other kids do...Jeans and shirts...Kids are kids..We all are happy to see them around among the other tourists.. There are our guests and we are all happy that they are here in throng, enjoying our hospitality and enjoying shopping as well, that in a way boosted our economy...As usual on this Sunday, this mall is crowded with the young and old, the families with their children and of course the tourists from every parts of the world...We are indeed a very happy bunch of people...Malaysian an already mix race society, became more colorful with the addition of the tourists that look happy among us... There were seas of people, I walk pass the food court and one could hardly find an empty seats...What else Malaysian do but Makan Eat, it is part of the Malaysian culture...Even MacDonald advertise the 'M' as 'Makan' in their promotion...While browsing in a book shop, my peace was jolted with a loud cry of a kid in the midst of the crowd...I look on and kept hearing a young kid scream on the top of his voice, calling for his Mom, who does not seem to be anywhere near...He kept screaming and got the attention of everyone..He was delirious, lost and frighten...Crying and crying...The crowd began to come to his aid...I was there near him, so I thought that, young kids always love old folks like us...So I approach Him and slowly put my arm on his shoulder and try to calm him...He look at me and in my usual self with kids, talk to him slowly and manage to communicate non verbal with him....We soon got connected although it was only me that talk, he just kept mum...I told him Jangan menangis nak, Atuk ada...Mari kita cari Mak...Ikut Atuk ye ... [do not cry son, grandpa is here, let look for your mom] He responded and I was happy that he has accepted me as his friend...Friend, that's what old folks like us love...The feeling of love passes from Me to Him.. It is a mutual respond when love is transmitted....I held his little hand and slowly walk him forward while consoling him all the way...That we are looking for his Mom...People around were looking and look pleased...We continue to walk and I kept talking, he did not say a word, for he was traumatized....He just follow, holding my hand tight...I took him to the Information and Service Counter and told the young ladies mending the counter that I found this lost boy...She smiled and thanks me for bringing him over...The boy look at me and still did not talk...I told him.. Go on and sit there and wait for your mom while they make the announcement...I guessed He understood..With him in a safe hand, I move on and browse along while waiting for my spouse and our daughter do a last minutes 'damage' at the store nearby....Meeting them we decided to order a take away of KFC and before we left I went to have another look at the boy and found that he is no longer there....I believe that He has found his mom and happily united...We that I left happy and my thoughts wondering as well!!...How come that the Mom just left the kids of that age alone in the midst of the crowd...Where things like kids get kidnap are not uncommon nowadays, carelessness with kids is an unforgiving act...Kids are kids, they love to wonder on their own, especially so in a such an open space like the mall, they do not care or know of the danger and only when they stop to wonder that they began to look for their love one...Like this kid that got lost today...To parents my advice is that never, never leave you children alone, even a minute in such a crowd, anything could happen...God forbid...Do understand they are mere kids and kids need the adult to lead and take care of them, Always.....I get angry with such incident of the carelessness of parents...They have kids and they must be responsible for them, no matter where and when..... Friends that had been my day...Happy that the kid get united with his love one and yet sad with the attitude of such parents...That is our world today...Let works together with compassion, making it a wonderful place to live and enjoy life....

2 comments:

Liz said...

Pak Idrus,

Nasib baik Pak Idrus jumpa dia, kalau orang yang tak bertanggungjawab bawak lari ke, lagi teruk kan.

Once I used to do the same at SOGO. I saw a 10 year-old boy crying near the excalator. I asked him, did you lost your parents? He nodded. Then I took him to the information counter so that they could announce the missing boy.

Macam tulah kalau masa Sale. Semua orang shopping sampai lupa anak kecil dah hilang.

Pak Idrus said...

liza, thanks, be good and do good is what all of us should do always..