One memory shall always remain clear in my mind of last night. It wasn't the moment we heard the explosion. It wasn't even the moment we were shrouded in a thick cloud of smoke. Instead, it was the moment when a rag-tag group of people were running helter-skelter across the highway, in the middle of the night, with cars whizzing past at a hundred kilometres an hour. Yes, that is a moment I will never, EVER forget.
The trip began normally, with the four of us settling into our seats in the bus, waiting for the long, arduous journey to begin. I reclined mine and leaned back, plugging my ears with the country-gospel blend of music by Tracy Lawrence. It didn't take me long to fall asleep. When I finally regained consciousness, it was pitch black. Night had fallen, and the stars must've failed to put up an appearance. Yawning, I took a swig of water, squinting at my watch to see what time it was, but in vain. The other choice was to check my phone, and I was feeling a little lazy for that. So I settled back down, hoping that the journey's end would come soon.
Well, it did, and a little faster than I expected. For suddenly, in the silence of the night, an explosion shattered the lull of slumber in the bus. Everyone instantly jerked awake. Our eyes roved wildly to find the cause of the commotion, but it soon became apparent when the bus started drawing to the side of the road, before finally stopping. The driver left his post while the rest of us were peeking out the windows, trying to see what was happening. A trail of liquid, originating from our vehicle, was slowly snaking its way across the highway. Whether it was water, or oil, none could tell.
Then, without any warning, the bus was shrouded in a thick cloud of white smoke. Some of the more nervous passengers left the bus, maybe fearing that it would explode and send them to heaven. I stayed put, trying to figure out what could be going on. when the bus' engine spluttered and died. Slowly, the smoke cleared, adnwe could see again. But it wasn't a pleasant sight. For all of us were suddenly stranded in the middle of the North-South Highway, with no way of making it to our destination.
For me, it was the first time I faced such a situation, so I was totally blank in the area of what to do if such a thing happens. Godd thing a friend of mine on the bus had face a similar situation before, and when a second bus pulled up in front of ours, she urged us to run for it. However, as we were located in the middle of the bus, by the time we finally got out, the available seats were already taken. Disappointed, we joined the tiny groups of people scattered at the side of the road.
One thing i noticed was that most of us pulled out handphones, and started making calls. I wondered what they could possibly be doing. Calling a cab? Informing their family that they would be late? Or even trying to get someone to drive all the way to the middle of nowhere we were stranded in to pick them up? I was the only one who neglected my phone, knowing full well that it would be pontless, because we didn't even know where we were. That was when another bus pulled up, but this time on the other side of the highway.
(At this point, I feel a need to explainthe layout of the area, for those of you who have not been there before. There were two separate highways going north, one was headed exclusively to Ipoh, while the other was the normal one. these two run side by side, separated by a divider made of stone. Our bus was on the latter, and the this newcomer bus stopped on the Ipoh one.)
We watched anxiously as our bus driver clambered over the divider and ran across the highway towards the other bus, where he apparently told his coworker of our predicament. then he looked back towards us, lifted up his hand and showed seven fingers. Seven seats. For almost twenty of us. And this time I never hesitated, knowing full well that if I missed this one, I might end up stuck there for the rest of the night.
Immediately, I swung myself over the divider (thank God I was tall enough!) and simply ran towards the other bus, completely ignoring the incoming cars. All around me, I could see some of the other passengers following suit. It was then that I witnessed human nature at its worst. For at that very moment, a man tripped and fell onto the highway. I am not proud to say that I hesitated, then raced on. The others didn't even pause. Up to now, I'm still haunted by the thought of what would've happened if a car roared past. Had he gotten killed there, would I ever be able to forgive myself? For my selfishness? For simply blocking out the plight of a fellow human being? For racing by while another man could have died, and not offered help?
When I arrived at the bus, 3 people had gone up before me (most probably because I hesitated halfway). I looked back, and breathed a sigh of relief to see the fallen man right behind two of my friends. God is merciful, both to him, and me. Then I stood there, waiting for the final member of my group to catch up before ascending the steps together. There were only 4 empty spaces on the bus, and the man who fell gave it up to us, so that the 4 of us could remain together. Which made me feel even worse. He had graciously performed a completely selfless act, and I wondered if I would have done the same thing in his place. Probably not. I'm definitely flawed, aren't I? But aren't we all?
As I settled down into the seat of this new bus. I realised that I was rather shaken up. My knees were quivering slightly, and I couldn't do anything to stop them. That's what happens to you after a traumatic occurence, and I know because I've felt the exact same feelng before, though I will not recount that experience here. Anyway, when I finally arrived in my hometown, it was past midnight and we were two hours ahead of schedule. The bus had gradually emptied itself until only the seven of us were left (it was actually bound for somewhere else, before Taiping) when we pulled in to the bus station. Our ordeal was over, but it was not something any of us would forget in a hurry.
That night, a completely unknown stranger taught me two important lessons. But I won't mention them here, and risk sounding like some corny fairy tale. You can work them out for yourselves.
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