SOMETHING incredible happened to me the other day.

I was at Pulau Tikus in Penang island, frantically searching for a photocopying centre when Google directed me to a small shop situated at a row of old buildings opposite the police station.

I walked in to find a woman busy handling the photocopy machine.

“Hello, saya mau fotostat ini (I would like to make copies of these),” I said as I showed her a stack of papers in my hands

“Berapa you mau (How many copies)?” she asked while collecting printed papers from the machine tray.

“20. Laminate and bind.”

She took the papers from my hand and placed it on her photocopy machine as she turned around to check on the wall clock.

“Sekarang sudah pukul 4.00 petang. You datang ambil esok pagi (It’s 4.00 pm now. Collect your papers tomorrow morning),” she informed me.

I pleaded to have the papers printed and be ready the same day as I needed to use them in the evening.

She shook her head, “Tak boleh. Saya tutup kedai pukul 6.30 petang. Mana cukup masa, saya pun banyak kerja lagi (I can’t. I close shop at 6.30pm. I don’t have enough time to print your papers for I have other things to do as well),” she explained.

I pleaded once again, hoping she would reconsider.

“Sudah tak ada kedai lain la. Tolonglah (There’s no other shops. Please-lah).”

She sighed and nodded.

“You datang balik pukul 6. Jangan lambat tau sebab kedai tutup pukul 6.30 (Come back at 6. Don’t be late as I have to close shop at 6.30),” she said.

“Gerenti saya datang (I assure you I’ll be here),” I replied.

As I stepped out of the shop, she called and once again reminded me to be back before she closes, explaining she had an important family matter to attend. I gave her my word and left.

Traffic on that Friday evening was horrible. Despite leaving a meeting at Tanjung Bungah at 5.30, I was unable to reach Pulau Tikus by 6.30. To make things worse, the photocopy centre’s contact number as listed on the net was unreachable.

At 6.50 in the evening, I finally arrived. As I pulled over by the roadside, figuring out how to manage my meeting that night without those printed papers, I realised that my original copy was also with her.

Sitting in the car, scratching my head not knowing what to do, I took a glance at the shop and saw the doors all locked up – but then I spotted someone sitting in front of the locked door.

I quickly left my car by the roadside and crossed the busy road. To my surprise, the photocopy lady was sitting on a box, fanning herself with a stack of paper.

“You tak balik lagi (You haven’t gone back)?” I asked, shocked.

“You cakap you ada hal penting malam ni mah. Jadi saya kena kasi you punya barang dulu la. Saya tak mau you susah pulak (You said you had important matters to do tonight. So I had to wait to pass you your stuff. I didn’t want you to get into trouble),” she explained as she handed me a box filled with neatly arranged copies of my papers.

“Tapi you cakap you ada hal keluarga (What about the family matter you had to attend)?” I asked, worried.

“Takpa, saya pergi lambat sikit (It’s okay, I will go a bit later),” she said as she handed me the invoice.

I was deeply touched.

I made the payment and took the box filled with my photocopied papers, I was ready to leave yet I still could not fathom the fact that she actually sat in front of her shop and waited for me despite having personal matters of her own.

“Terima kasih banyak-banyak. Saya betul-betul terhutang budi dengan you (Thank you so much. I really owe you big time),” I said with a big smile.

In a world where even people with blood ties think of no one but themselves, this woman decided to treat a stranger like me with so much love. I was not merely a customer to her – I was a person. Instead of seeing me as an outsider whom she may never set eye on ever again, this woman who makes photocopies for a living, placed herself in my shoes and made a choice to think on my behalf.

Almost immediately, her thoughtfulness and selflessness gave me an instantaneous sense of wholeness. It is this simple, unexpected act of kindness which can change the way we feel and perceive the world around us – as have I.

These are the wonderful gestures which continue to give me hope as we work towards building a better Malaysia. – November 2, 2017.

* Fa Abdul is a passionate storyteller and a resident agitator of the idiots in society. Well-known for her straight-talking sarcasm and occasional foul mouth, she juggles between her work as a writer, producer and director.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.