Being careful when being nice
When I was checking-in at the AirAsia counter in LCCT to go to Singapore yesterday, the counter guy there asked me whether I mind assisting this old Indian lady who's travelling in the same flight as me.
Well, I thought that's not a problem and so I said yes. This Indian lady was with her daughter waiting beside the counter, and she has this hand carry luggage bag with her. Her daughter thanked me and told me that her mother couldn't read, so she needed someone to show her where the terminals were, where to get on and off. I also found out that there would be someone waiting at the arrival hall to get her and that she couldn't converse in english.
So I accompanied this old lady to the immigration, boarding area and into the plane. Throughout this time whenever I spoke to her in Malay, she would just smile and nod. I really had no idea whether she could understand me. Anyway I managed to get her on and off board the plane, and finally getting her to the arms of her son who was waiting at Changi airport, so I must have done a good job. :-)
However during the whole process, I left her with carrying her bag. I helped in situations like carrying it for her up the stairs to the plane, putting it into the storage compartment, taking it out when we arrived and carrying it down from the flight to the terminal.
When we got down from the plane, she just walked ahead of me assuming I would take care of her bag for her. I was thinking she would stop at one juncture to take it back, but she just kept walking following the crowd. I chased after her and told her to take it back, while walking beside her.
Not very "gentleman" I know, but this is a stranger and I had no idea what's in the bag. With all the news about various ways of drug trafficking, I decided better be safe than sorry.
Well turned out she wasn't a drug trafficker as she passed by the custom and got to her son. Anyhow, I still think that although we want to be nice, we have to be careful as well.
