WHEN we are caught in a tough situation, there will be a few good Samaritans who will pull through, providing some hope to us to believe in humanity.
A TV host in Singapore, Laila White, in her Facebook post, shared her experience of kindness and generosity from a simple cab driver during a traffic jam from ION Orchard area since it is the norm to pay higher fares the longer you are on the road in a taxi.
The taxi driver, Mr. Lim Kek Wah was aware of how bad the traffic jam was and decided to stop his meter running until the traffic resumed moving. Therefore, Laila did not have to cough up an exorbitant sum for cab fare.
Later on, Mr. Lim had explained his reason of pausing the meter.
“Uncle came from a poor family, it’s not easy to earn money, so don’t worry, if I can help , I’ll help,” Mr Lim explained.
Laila could not help but feel touched at his sheer kindness and thoughtful gesture.
“I choked up. People who know me, know how I view money. It pays the bills but I would not sell my soul for it,” Laila said in her post.
The TV host was then curious about Mr. Lim’s background and asked him about his life story. He then answered that he is 70 years old and that he quit his formal education at 10 years old to help his family after his father passed away.
The cab driver also said that he carried 100 kilogram bags of rice on his back to earn 20 cents for each bag while working as a coolie in Clarke Quay.
“No time for anxiety, worry or try to follow his passion. He had to do the right thing for his mother,” she added.
Laila then paid Mr. Lim some extra cash, however it was not out of sympathy but for his kindness and lessons imparted in the taxi ride.