A Splash of Green…. and the tears flowed….
Time 17:12 Hrs, yesterday 16th September 2017, a Saturday;
I was working on a boring project. Keenly awaiting for the day to end as Sunday brings a change in routine. A day of rest and for me, time to muse, to reflect on life…..
A ‘voice’ called out my name from the other room. Unusual - in a quiet small home for 2 we rarely do that….surely an emergency.. I was directed to the window only to freeze at the sight.
A tall 3 tier gondola used for painting the condo was toppling over - there were 4-5 workers desperately trying to right it. Slowly and steadily with no one leading, as all hands were needed - they managed - except a pot of paint on top toppled with a big splash of dark green on the Blue border of the tennis court. There was a victim too - one of the workers got some paint splashed on his hair, face and boiler suit.
There were 3 Indian workers and 2 Chinese (an aspect I had not noticed until then). The Indian worker rushed to get some kerosene and cloth. As I watched from the floors above, still frozen, he calmly cleaned the paint off the Chinese worker, whose face was splashed with green. Ever so gently, using the tips of his fingers, he cleaned the face, all along gesturing the man from China to stay still. Two Indians and the other Chinese had in the mean time started to scoop the paint with bare hands and fill up the pot. When they couldn't scoop any more - they ever so gently started pouring the kerosene around the edges. Slowly and surely they worked on removing the large pool of paint. Face restored to normalcy, the paint struck Chinese and Indian exchanged hi-fives and rushed to help their colleagues.
What was going on in their minds when the gondola was toppling over - personal safety, safety of their team, fear of reprisal, sense of duty, professional pride or just survival? They were in a strange place, working hard to fulfil their dream of a better life for themselves and their families, back home. The toppling gondola threatened it all. They pulled together as a team, their differences, and there were too many to count, was not material to the greater good.
I turned away with a tear flowing down my cheek. In them I saw a reflection of me as a 16 year old cadet on the Training Ship in 1974. My beliefs not withstanding, I said a small prayer for their well being.
Went back 45 minutes later to check - the court was back to its cracked but pristine blue.
The workers were nowhere to be seen - off to enjoy their Sunday.
I let the tears flow and they did for some time.
For they showed me that life was still imparting the lessons I had learnt back then……to a new generation…for humanity…even if many of us no longer live by it.