To be at the right place at the right time

To be at the right place at the right time

Two days ago I was returning from the city by bus. There was a lady sitting next to me with a child on her lap. The child may be about 3 years old. Suddenly the child said “aai ponam” (want to pass motion). The mother shifted the child’s position, hoping that would make him hold it for a while. But the child repeated the statement. Just then the bus halted at a stop. The women made a quick decision and got off the bus with the child. I was feeling sorry for the women thinking, she had to wait in the middle of nowhere for atleast half an hour for another bus to come and again pay for the ticket.

After two stops I was surprised to see the women getting back on to the bus. Only then it dawned on me the peculiarity of that stop. At that stop the bus takes a detour from the main road to go into a small town (Thadagam) and gets back on to the main road to go on its way to Anaikatti. The women had enough time to attend to the child’s need and get back on to the bus. After getting back she explained to the conductor why she had to get off and he waived issuing the ticket again, though he grumbled that she should have informed him before getting off!!

The incident made a deep impact on me. The women’s presence of mind amazed me. More than that how the child announced at the exact time and location for his mother to take action, without affecting her plan for the day.