International Tutors' Magazine December 2018 | Page 12

INTERNATIONAL TUTORS’ MAGAZINE
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018
THE RAINCOAT
BY CRYSTAL CHEN
Last Autumn, I taught at a Taiwanese primary school in Vietnam for my
internship. Every day, I commuted by bike with my fellow interns. We lived 15
minutes away from our school. Since the area had just been established two
years ago, there were still many roads without street lights or traffic lights. It was
rather dangerous, so we always biked together.
There was nothing special on that day, except that a student caught me after
class and started asking me numerous questions about mathematics. Time
passed and I didn’t notice, not even the coming rain and darkness.
I clarified the concepts to the student and finally answered all his questions.
When I walked out of the library, it was raining heavily. There was no one
around, not even my partner who was in charge of the same class. I didn’t have
a raincoat, only an umbrella. But it was hard to hold an umbrella and keep my
balance while biking on the slippery streets. Giving up, I put away my umbrella
and just wore my hooded jacket.
Though the raindrops were small, they fell quickly and intensely.
The thick moisture shrouded the entire road and blurred my vision. It was
like everything in front of me gradually blurred and vanished. There were
only the shaky beams from the motorcycles zooming past. So terrible was it
that I almost burst into tears in fear. On top of that, I was getting soaked. My
clothes, like soggy, wet stickers, clung tightly to my body, making me extremely
uncomfortable.
I gave up biking and decided to go on foot and pull my bike. As I waited for a
traffic light, a middle-aged man, sitting outside a food stall, called out, “Hey! Do
you need a raincoat?” He was wearing a white tank and black, worn pants. I kept
silent. He was probably just trying to sell me something. But then he rushed into
the stall and came out holding a raincoat.
“Take it.”
“Do… do I need to pay?” I stuttered.
“No. You back it when you pass.” He spoke strangely but with a kind voice.
In a weak but grateful tone, I said, “Thank you very much!” A mild smile spread
across his face.
I took it and arrived home safely. I returned the next day, but he wasn’t there.
After that, I always brought my raincoat. v
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