You know that unexpected act of kindness from a random person that leaves you wondering if they genuinely meant to help or had ulterior motives? Perhaps the person has been cold to you all your life, or you’ve heard about their strange behavior, hence the doubt. Well, for me, I have received numerous favors and kindness from people on different occasions. But one that truly stands out was from my former class mistress, Miss Jennifer.
Miss Jennifer was what you could describe as a no-nonsense person, always mean and harsh. She was my class mistress in my first year of junior secondary school, which lasted about a year and a few months. Having spent that much time being her student, I knew some things about her, including her reluctance to help others, especially those she considered her enemies. Sometimes, her unkindness extended even to her cousins, who were also students at the school she taught. Everyone knew her as a very difficult person, the least likely to offer help.
Throughout the period she was my class mistress, I tried to avoid asking for help, and the few times I did, I always got a negative response. She never acted kindly towards me, considering I was on her blacklist for being outspoken and refusing to be her puppet. She continued to be my teacher throughout my second year of junior secondary school and all my years in senior secondary school, and our relationship didn’t improve. I was the "bad person" to her, so I never expected she would suddenly like me, let alone help me during my final external examinations in secondary school.
A week before my final external examination, we were issued identity cards to wear around our necks during the exams as a means of identification for the invigilators and supervisors. We weren't aware that we needed to bring them into the exam hall, and none of our teachers mentioned it. On the first day of the examination, I forgot mine at home. It was a big issue I couldn’t handle on my own because I was denied entry into the examination hall, and I couldn’t afford to miss such an important exam. My only option was to call my immediate older sister to bring it since she was home, and our home was not far from the school.
The problem was that I couldn’t locate the school principal, to whom I had handed over my mobile phone, and the only teacher around was my former class mistress, Miss Jennifer. It felt like being stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea, with the options of jumping into the sea or facing the devil at my risk. Well I decided to face the devil by asking her if I could use her mobile phone to contact my sister. When I approached her, she was calm and spoke to me nicely, which was unusual. After greeting her, I explained my problem and asked to use her phone.
To my surprise, she didn’t scold or yell at me to leave her presence, nor did she call me stupid for leaving something as important as my identity card at home. Instead, she showed concern for how stressed I must have been by the invigilators. She then took me to beg the invigilators to allow me to sit for the exam while promising them she would get my identity card before the end of the exam. I was shocked, How could she, the almighty Queen Mother help a nobody like me? My classmates were surprised as well when they saw her begging on my behalf, because they've always known her as a meanie. It felt like a miracle, or maybe she was hypnotized or not in her right senses. Whatever the reason, I was glad she came to my rescue, and I was allowed to write my exams. Not only that, but she also contacted my sister to bring my identity card and personally handed it over to the invigilators.
Throughout the examination period, she was kind to my classmates and I, and often showed love and kindness. One time, she even offered to buy me lunch after I had lost my money. What amazed me the most was that she was willing to go out of her comfort zone to ensure our success, without asking for anything in return. We became friends and bonded. That single act of kindness made me forget all the ill treatment she had shown me in the past, and I was glad I became friends with her. Sometimes, help comes from an unexpected person or place, but what matters most is that it comes at the right time.
Anyways, this blog is in response to the weekly prompt by the @indiaunited community. Check out the link below for more details.IndiaUnited Weekly Contest #7: Theme - "Acts of Kindness"
Credits image from freepik