by Mikaela Goh-Earwaker (P6 2021)

     “Boom!” The crack of thunder caused me to jump. I had just ended my three-hour long Chinese tuition and it was pouring outside. “How did it start pouring so quickly? It was scorching hot when I was having dinner before I left the house and I thought that an umbrella would not be necessary!” I lamented in frustration, surprised that the weather could change so unexpectedly. With no umbrella, I only had my tuition books to shelter me from the rain. Seeing as I had no other alternative, I sighed and dashed home.

     As soon as I stepped into the rain, I was completely sodden. The books were of absolutely no use and I could even feel water in my shoes. Feeling my spirits slump, I only wished I were at home drinking a cup of hot cocoa and watching a movie on Netflix.

     As I sprinted as fast as my legs could carry me, I was totally oblivious to the big puddle in front of my eyes. Before I even understood what was going on, I heard my 43kg-self crash to the ground. In no time, I felt the wetness of my skirt and legs in the icy cold puddle. As I tried to find my footing, I only felt the cold, slippery pavement around me. “Lady Luck is officially not on my side,” I muttered in anger. Struggling to get up, I growled like a bear furiously. I felt my blood boil and I clenched my fists in anger.

     “Excuse me, do you need help? You look a bit stuck there,” an angelic voice called out to me softly.

    “Yes, I do,” I replied tentatively, embarrassed that I had been seen by a boy. With the help of whoever that person was, I finally managed to get up even though I could not see who or where that person was. All I knew was that he was male. The boy asked me what my address was and I hesitantly replied, unsure of whether I could trust the mysterious and unknown boy.

     When we finally reached the void deck of my Housing Development Board (HDB) flat, I was finally able to see the face of the boy who had helped me get home safely in the illumination of the void deck. As I turned to say thank you to the boy, I froze. The face of the teenage boy was all too familiar. My mind raced back to when I was in primary school. He was the boy who always got bullied by one person, the boy who got reduced to tears by the same bully and the boy who got shoved aside by that same bully. I was ashamed to say that bully was me. I was the one who always bullied Tom Tan.

     Tom looked at me and realisation dawned on his face. He had recognised me instantly, too. He turned as pale as a ghost and his eyes went wide. Guilt washed over me. “Sorry for bullying you all those years ago,” I blurted out, with years of unresolved guilt bursting out of me.

     “It is alright, let us put it behind us,” he replied, forgiving me for everything I had done to him.

     “Friends?” I questioned, stretching out my drenched arm. With a small warm smile, he shook it. We exchanged phone numbers and decided to meet up one day. That day, I learnt a valuable lesson of forgiveness from Tom.