Kitchen towels

I first saw him as I was heading out. He sat by a pillar on the side of the pavement and smiled at me as I approached him. He looked at me with crossed eyes, and just smiled. At his feet was a big shoulder bag, filled with kitchen towels and other cleaning products. On the streets of Taiwan, often you see handicapped persons sell such similar goods or chewing gum and sweets. It's probably their only source of income, which is not only dependent on the weather, buy also the compassion of passerbys.

I didn't buy anything, but made a note to do so when I walked home. Half an hour later as I headed home, I saw him at the opposite side of of a large intersection. The same man, and it was only then I noticed he was on crutches and that he has a severe deformity in his legs.

I watched from a distance as he crossed the road with this massive shoulder bag strapped around his neck. He limped so slowly, at a turtle's pace while others passed him by. I watched him limp and stop to take a breath before limping further onward. The road must have been around 30metres or so wide, and before even getting to the midway point, the pedestrian lights turned red. Cars began to move around him, but he limped on.

I wanted to help him, but I was stuck on the other side of the road, stuck and could only watch as he battled traffic and painstakingly limped across the road with his heavy bag of wares around his neck and shoulders. A hundred people, at least, must have walked passed him. But did anyone notice him? Did anyone stop to help this man?

An idea swelled up in my head, and I ran to the nearest supermarket and bought a bottle of mineral water. From experience, I know a lot of these people do not like charity or donations, but some will accept water and food. When I came out of the supermarket, I approached him. He began talking to me before I reached him.

"Young man, can you help me? Help me carry this bag to the stairs of the supermarket?" He meant the same supermarket where I got the bottle of ice cold water I intended to give him.

"Of course! And I want to buy some towels too!" He was very grateful, and we began chatting.

"Haven't I seen you before? Didn't you buy something before from me?" he said he comes to this area at weekends, when there's more of a crowd. He described to me his route, and how towards the end of the evening he stores his bag of goods at a fruit vendors around half a kilometre down the road from where we were. I wondered how long it would take him to limp all the way there...

He looked at me with crossed eyes, but he was talking to me "normally". I saw how one of his foot is completely twisted up side down, and the other is also misshapen. Every step he makes takes strenuous effort, and from the muscles in his arms you could tell he uses a lot of arm strength to get around. His forehead was shiny with beads of sweat, and his body smelled of sweat. The vendor handed me his shoulder bag, and thanked me numerous times in the process.

His bag was at least ten kilos heavy, and the straps felt moist and also smelt of sweat. I carried it over my shoulder, and it was then that I admired the man even more. How does he do this everyday? Despite his Misshapen feet, he limps from place to place with such a heavy bag. How does he do it? How can any able bodied person complain of tired and complain of feet pains when for this brave man before me, hauling a big sack of his wares in the sweltering heat of a summer's eve is all part of an honest day's work?

I put down the bag where he wanted it, and he sat down to rest. I told him I "just happen" to have a bottle of cold water and handed it to him. He thanked me again and again.

"Take care," I said to him as I turned to leave. And I caught myself smiling...

A good deed was done, and I know who I have to thank for this opportunity... The man with a bag of kitchen towels, and my mother watching over me, who in her motherly ways taught about life and compassion.