Crossing Paths

I sat quietly outside K-Mart, my eyes roving attentively at every passing shopper who may bear the slightest glimpse of the image conjured in my head. A long-haired petite typical Chinese girl caught my eye. She looked around with intensity, then whipped out her mobile and pressed. My phone instantly buzzed. I gave a smile and approached her.

"Hi, are you I***? I am Kelvin's sister." That began the herald of our friendship in Sydney.

We became confidants despite our wide age gap. I've since known her other friends in the babysitting city, all with variable backgrounds and cultures. We would congregate during the weekends when I could pull off from my workplace, have succulent Asian cuisines in town, venture into forbidden outlets together in unity and shared our fervour for life. We were comfortable with one another and were able to be ourselves once again.

I've made new friends in Newcastle as well. Mostly Asians though. From the god-blessed Sri Lankan family who showered me with so much of their love and sincerity from day one of my arrival here, the rather matured-looking but actually young-aged earnest Indian colleague, to my sweet fellow Malaysian new pal whom I would fervently exchange in Cantonese......they have all become my family in this new land.

I've crossed paths with other acquaintances along the way, some of them colleagues and medics, some friends' friends, etc. There were differing degrees of sincerity and superficiality. They could be Asians or non-Asians, fellow Singaporeans or Malaysians. Majority of them have been away from their native countries for many years, thus fully blended into the complexity and morality of the adopting Oz. I learned to sieve my words and accept their presence as part of the diversed universe.

There were a few who were simply naturals in the art of socialising, oozing great charm and grace in their dealings and communications. They were the unpredictables which the heavenly powers would decreed whether our crossed paths would leave an indellible dent.

As I dutifully stitched up the deeply self-inflicted wrist lacerations on a depressed and anorexic but aesthetically beautiful teenager yesterday, she lamented on the ostracising and lack of understanding by her classmates. I asked if she would know anyone who would love her unconditionally. She nodded her head and agreed that she was fortunate to be blessed with loving healthy parents and concerned childhood pals. My heartfelt reply to her for the day: "You don't need a lot of friends in life; you just need a few good ones". I hope I was right.