Whenever I work at the Mid-Autumn Festival, I would recall that passenger I drove at the crack of dawn five years ago.
That morning, when I was driving in some decrepit area of Hong Kong, a senile lady was standing near the edge of the sidewalk, beckoning to me to stop. I had a hunch that she might not be able to pay for the taxi fare. Yet on second thoughts, I was worried that she was in a hurry to go somewhere important. As that was the day of Mid-Autumn Festival, I was more compassionate and so I decided to help the lady.
As soon as she got into the cab, she told me the destination and she would like me to take the route through Kowloon City. I advised her cautiously that it was not the shortest route, but she insisted that she would like me to take the route she suggested. Then, I figured out the reason behind. She explained to me,‘ In fact, I’m on my way to the nursing home as my daughter is a businesswoman who doesn’t have much time taking care of me. I just want to pass and take 0ne more glimpse of the place I lived before with my parents as I know I won’t be able to go there again.’
I sympathized with with her so I decided to give her a good time. I turned off the navigation system and asked her to tell me where exactly in Kowloon City she would like me to take her to. The old lady told me to visit numerous places which were important to her, including the building of a garment factory where she worked as a young girl and strove hard for the sake of her family.
Apart from the garment factory, the hospital was also one of the most memorable locations that she had some momentous periods of time with her daughter. She shared with me that her daughter used to be quite fragile when she was small. As a result, the lady often needed to take her daughter to that hospital to see the doctor and worry about her health.
We also stopped at a park when she used to play with her daughter. Although the park was already ruined, that part of the memory was still there because it had created many moments of pleasure and laughter with her daughter at the swing and seesaw.
It was actually pathetic that she would be sent to the nursing home after she had spent her entire life looking after her daughter. I noticed the sadness and tears in her eyes when she told me her story.
After an hour of driving, we left Kowloon City and got near the elderly home. I knew it was a hard time for her so I kept silent for the remaining the trip. In the end, I didn’t charge her for this trip so as to show my respect to her. It seemed that this drive was also the memorable and inspirational to me.
The elderly lady’s story reveals the selfishness of the young generation nowadays. We may think that taking care of our parents is inconvenient to us especially because we live in such money-minded and practical society. It is sad to see many children do not like to shoulder the responsibility to care for their elderly parents after their retirement.